Newcastle Guildhall 2005 - ISIS Arts Residency 2004 - 05
The idea of a Hidden River is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Rivers themselves, already allude to spiritual, sometimes sacred ideas, creating potent metaphors for life. In this regard a subterranean water course can be likened to blood in the veins, flowing through the body of the earth, providing the sustenance for the land.
Hidden Rivers also shape the land, providing an invisible underpinning for the plan of city streets, influencing waterside developments in trade, architecture and industry.
This invisible dimension of the Hidden River has led to me to consider the importance of other latent images that can belie forms and constructions of all kinds, from industrial diagrams to 'secret geometry' in paintings.
The digital prints and paintings I have developed for this exhibition are based are based upon photographs of water flowing into the Tyne at the mouth of the Lort Burn. These images are used in combination with an eclectic range of that have references that have forged the making of Newcastle.
Paul Clifford