Taking the recognisable form of a station or airport arrivals and departures board, the artwork invites visitors to share the names of people who have arrived and departed as a way to celebrate a birth or commemorate a death. As the effects of COVID-19, racial injustice and the environmental crisis continue to disrupt communities across the world, this artwork offers a timely platform to engage with birth, life, death, loss and collective grief, through the act of naming.
The interactive installation also honours the heritage of Somerset House itself, which was formerly home to the General Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, holding the first comprehensive record of life events for the whole of the population for many generations.
Board Graphics and Web Design by Tom Merrell / Digital Fabrication by Rob Prouse / 3-D Design and Construction by Other Fabrications / Production Management by Steve Wald /Produced by Artsadmin
What's on
Our public programme devised by the artists in consultation with Emma Curtis features both live (open air) and online activity including Birth and Death Cafes, live drawings of the individuals listed on the boards and in conversation events.
Each Wednesday (16 Sep - 14 Oct) a specialist has been invited to take over the installation both in real time and on Somerset House Instagram Stories, exploring themes of Birth; including lockdown births, environmental justice, grief, and race and social justice.
See arrivals+departures.net for more details.
