The British Academy to unveil new art installation, On the Shores, for Open House London

The British Academy will unveil its first ever video art installation when it opens its doors as part of the upcoming Open House London weekend.

On the Shores, by artist and psychotherapist Patricia Townsend, is the first in a series of moving image works related to Morecambe Bay, a vast area of quicksand, hidden channels and rapid tidal flow, situated just south of the Lake District.

The work reflects Ms Townsend’s interest in the emotional relationships that we, as humans, have with the landscape.

She said: “Morecambe Bay, for me, is not only an external landscape but also a space of imagination. The title On the Shores refers to the Bay, and the resulting artwork, as liminal spaces between inner and outer worlds.”

The installation is a first for the Academy, which already has an extensive art collection.

But according to Karen Syrett, the Academy’s resident Archivist and Librarian, it may be the first of many.

She said: “We’re delighted to be working with Patricia Townsend and are very excited about displaying her video at the Academy for the first time during Open London Weekend – hopefully there’s more to come!

“We hope people enjoy it and we look forward to showing off the rest of our collection, as well as the history of our building.”

The British Academy will be open on Sunday 17 September as part of Open House London weekend, which gives the general public a chance to look inside some of the Capital’s most historic and most interesting buildings. For more information and tour times, visit https://www.britac.ac.uk/events/open-house-2017.

The British Academy is located at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y.