The (Future) Wales Coast Path is a yearlong series of creative events and installations guided by artist Alison Neighbour, exploring the impact sea level rise could have on the coastline of Wales, and our relationship to land and water. In the project Alison will collaborate with local communities living within the future intertidal zones of Newport and Magor, local climate scientists and with experts in the Sundarbans where sea level rise is already a daily threat.
From Thursday 28 April a lighthouse sculpture will be installed along Newport’s riverfront outside The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre. The sculpture will be sited on the possible future high-water line and will respond to tidal data from the Bay of Bengal, when the tide is high there the light will flash a warning about our future here in Wales.
The project seeks to raise awareness of the impermanence of the land many of us take for granted, and to open up a conversation about flooding, sea level rise, and adaptation in Newport and beyond.
Alongside the lighthouse installation the programme includes walks and creative activities focussed on the journey from the current shoreline to the future one.
Communities are invited to walk together within the possible future inter-tidal zone, to document, share stories, and begin conversations about the future of this place as we seek to acknowledge and adapt to our shifting coastline. The launch of the lighthouse is complemented by a free, family-friendly programme of events in Newport and Magor Marsh, full details of which can be found at https://www.futurecoastpath.org/events.
Through these creative walks and gatherings the project will consider how we adapt to a changing landscape and end with the creation of a multi-platform “Guidebook for the Future” made from the contributions of walkers throughout the year. Walkers can join the events or walk in their own time, and are invited to share their journeys and discoveries. The project is also looking for a group of “Lighthouse Keepers” to be walking buddies with walkers in the Indian Sundarbans.
Alison Neighbour comments ‘The idea of this lighthouse came from a desire to sound the alarm, to start a conversation, to connect people to think about how we can adapt to the future. I wanted to physicalise this idea of impermanent land in the landscape itself, so that it can be felt in a way that a map or a newspaper article can’t offer. It is intended as a point of convergence, a place for encounter, and a site of pilgrimage, from the past shoreline to the future.’
This project has been made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council Wales, Living Levels, Newport Fusion, Support in kind from Pervasive Media Studio and Severn Estuary Partnership.
Visitors are encouraged to come along and view the lighthouse sculpture outside The Riverfront from Thursday 28 April. More information about The (Future) Wales Coast Path can be found at http://www.futurecoastpath.org. To get involved please email Futurewalescoast@gmail.com.
