A Thousand Ghosts

Wood, paint, steel

This artwork featured in Tell it to the Trees (2009). A Meadow Arts commission.

Half emerged or half sunk, this stylized representation of a ship alludes to our history of naval battles and nautical commerce. It stands on the banks of the River Wye, which remained commercially navigable until the 1850s, when commercial traffic moved to the railways. Across the river on Castle Green the Nelson monument commemorates the battle of Trafalgar. This association with the naval power of Britain and the price that was paid for ultimate maritime power is also at the centre of A Thousand Ghosts.

In her work Bristol-based artist Mariele Neudecker explores the way we look at our surroundings and how we experience the spaces we inhabit. This leads her to turn her attention to the events and ideas that have shaped our landscape. The waterways and seas of Britain encompass a rich seam of history interspersed with stories, myths and legends. Centuries of shipbuilding have fuelled enterprise and empire, adventure and suffering, and its’ hunger for materials has shaped our landscape through deforestation.

Image: Mariele Neudecker, A Thousand Ghosts. Installation view, Croft Castle, 2009. Image courtesy of Meadow Arts. Photographer, Stefan Handy. 

 

About the artist

Mariele Neudecker

Mariele Neudecker exhibited in Tell it to the Trees, 2009 and Vertigo, Sudeley Castle, 2005, commissioned by Meadow Arts.

Image: Mariele Neudecker, A Thousand Ghosts. Installation view, Croft Castle, 2009. Image courtesy of Meadow Arts. Photographer, Stefan Handy.