Crossing Two Seas, 2015 Capo di Santa Maria di Lueca, is the point at which the land ends on the south eastern tip of Italy's heel. The project is investigating the confusion surrounding this location, thought by some (including the International Hydrographic Organisation) as being the point at which the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet, however this border condition is somewhat confused as the Italian jurisdictions and traditions place the border further up the coast at the Strait of Otranto, which in addition is a geological boundary where the sea shelves quickly, whilst other maritime and industry bodies place the division plainly along the 40th parallel. The project is about trying to realise this somewhat intangible border, and also a rumination on the absurdity and futility of my action in doing so in comparison to both the grandeur and converse horror of performing the act of crossing these seas. The videos document the act of simply swimming across the frame of the camera positioned exactly on the compass bearing of the IHO defined border between the two seas, the act of crossing reduced to that occurring inside the lens. The second channel of the video is shot using a built rig focussing on the movement of this border due to currents, waves and traffic, the rig floating over the point at which the two seas meet the land. Project developed during the residency; Investigation into the Extreme Land, Ramdom Associazione, Gagliano Del Capo, Puglia, Italy.
Crossing Two Seas, 2015 Capo di Santa Maria di Lueca, is the point at which the land ends on the south eastern tip of Italy's heel. The project is investigating the confusion surrounding this location, thought by some (including the International Hydrographic Organisation) as being the point at which the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet, however this border condition is somewhat confused as the Italian jurisdictions and traditions place the border further up the coast at the Strait of Otranto, which in addition is a geological boundary where the sea shelves quickly, whilst other maritime and industry bodies place the division plainly along the 40th parallel. The project is about trying to realise this somewhat intangible border, and also a rumination on the absurdity and futility of my action in doing so in comparison to both the grandeur and converse horror of performing the act of crossing these seas. The videos document the act of simply swimming across the frame of the camera positioned exactly on the compass bearing of the IHO defined border between the two seas, the act of crossing reduced to that occurring inside the lens. The second channel of the video is shot using a built rig focussing on the movement of this border due to currents, waves and traffic, the rig floating over the point at which the two seas meet the land. Project developed during the residency; Investigation into the Extreme Land, Ramdom Associazione, Gagliano Del Capo, Puglia, Italy.
ANDREW FRIEND