A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to photograph the final leg of the installation of ‘Framing Identity’ a new artwork by the unflappable Neville Gabie. Neville has transported an iceberg from the waters of Greenland to Cheshire for this years Tatton Park Biennial. You can view the work from May 8th until September 26th 2010.
Neville Gabie’s quasi-heroic hunting, harvesting, transporting and maintenance of his two tons of Greenlandish ice echoes both the nineteenth century interest in re-location (Tatton, like most grand houses of its time imported ice from the North Pole) and our newfound societal interest in sustainability. Gabie’s work is problematic: should we be ‘harvesting’ ice from the Pole? We are told, if we don’t, it will simply melt as global temperatures incrementally rise. And why should the peoples of this region not find for themselves another natural resource that can be exchanged for apples, which they receive via ships from Spain? Gabie is working with the Sustainable Energy Research Group at Southampton University to ensure a new form of refrigeration can take place for the ice – solar powered cells and cool water add to the puzzle in these climatically-confused times. Source
You can see more of Neville’s work here: http://www.nevillegabie.com/
