New work Into The Abyss by artist Sam Peacock is a response to climate change and the global CO2 crisis. The outdoor installation at The Almonry Gardens, is in the form of cylindrical shells representing countries around the world.
Could you tell us about Into The Abyss and how the work will be presented?
Into the Abyss is a direct artistic response to the growing CO2 crisis engulfing the world. It represents a shift in my usual response patterns as this takes the shape of installation work. The work will be in 3D form in the shape of cylindrical shells. Each shell represents a country and its output of CO2 per capita.
There will be 3 large shells in the Almonry Gardens, there represent the 3 big hitters of CO2 per capita, America, Russia and China. I have left out air freight and international shipping as well as food waste from the equation.
There will also be a selection of other shells on display. One of them being Costa Rica who can in theory claim to be able to power the country by using renewables such as Hydro Power, Solar and Wind.
Where did the idea and inspiration come from?
My practice has focused on the landscape and its changing environment since I started painting. I use art to give a response to a story. My last solo show in England focused on Hydraulic Fracturing. CO2 in the atmosphere and the amount produced per capita by each country is one of the biggest threats to our planet. Lots of the information surrounding this gets blurred by various sources, so I wanted to comment on the situation visually from an artists point of view.
What do you hope the audience will take away from the piece?
You would hope anyone that engages with the work will be visually stimulated by all the art on display, I cannot offer a wider knowledge just through the work, but it should act as a catalyst for people to open up discussion.
Is this the premiere of Into The Abyss? Where will the work be installed next?
Having only lived in Battle for the past year, I wanted to do something for the festival and this was what I was producing at present, so it was an accelerated process to get the work correct. I work with a central London gallery, and the plan at the present is to show it possibly next year and have a cylinder for each country. 195 countries I believe in all.
How does Into the Abyss relate to your previous ‘Top Brass’ collection?
Top Brass was the intermediate to link the painting side of my practice with the more installation side of the work. I have recently finished off installing the entire lobby for Novotel’s flagship hotel in Canary Wharf as well as their coffee bar, I used over half a tonne of sheet steel to complete this project. This was in some respect an amalgam of the 2 ideas.