Fulmination
June, 2013 A video and sound installation commissioned by the National TrustThe work formed part of Building Dreams, a group exhibition (4) to mark the 150th anniversary of Cragside House, Northumberland. Home of Lord Armstrong, it was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. Fulmination presents a vivid climatic event within a large glass chemistry flask, placed amongst the existing artefacts within Armstrong’s study at Cragside.
A dramatic thunderstorm crashes repeatedly, flashes of lightning illuminating a tempestuous landscape where Cragside House appears held, fully three dimensional within the centre of the glass sphere. The piece provokes evocative associations between powerful natural forces and Armstrong’s harnessing of the elements to create hydroelectricity. The atmosphere in the room reflects the dangerous and magical potential of early experiments with electricity.