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Anne Duk Hee Jordan: Bodies of Water: I travelled 66 million years to be with you and then you came

Exhibition|A site-specific public art commission curated and produced by UP Projects

  • A la Ronde, Exmouth

A portrait of Anne Duk Hee Jordan in blue colours © Anne Duk Hee Jordan

A portrait of Anne Duk Hee Jordan in blue colours © Anne Duk Hee Jordan

Bodies of Water is an ambitious project in response to the urgent environmental needs within the UK and internationally to manage water more effectively. Acknowledging that water moves in cycles, passing through humans and other organisms German/Korean artist Anne Duk Hee Jordan will create two site-specific sculptural works that will harvest, filter and circulate rainwater whilst following the principles of regenerative and sustainable design. These unique public artworks will explore the politics of water, drawing from the history of each of these locations, specialist knowledge from scientists, researchers and conservation specialists at Exeter University, RSPB and Julie's Bicycle. It is also underpinned by insights of local communities, engaged through a community collaboration programme in both locations.

Bodies of Water is Jordan’s first UK public commission, which sees the artist confronting the politics of water through an ecological lens. The title references Astrida Neimani’s, Canadian cultural historian, 2017 book, Bodies of Water: Posthuman Feminist Phenomonology, which focusses on the myriad relationships humans have with water, oceans, and aquatic life; Neimani considers the body as a vessel of water inviting readers to examine their responsibility in the climate emergency.

Bodies of Water is a continuation of Jordan’s longstanding interest in ecological phenomena and ecosystems, where they have previously conducted undersea diving excursions and scientific exchanges with marine biologists, toxicologists, ecologists, and geologists.

Not only raising awareness but inspiring action, this latest project places an emphasis on the relationship between public art and the climate crisis, a major theme of concern for UP Projects over the past 20 years which has seen it commission innovative sculptural bird boxes, floating gardens, immersive VR works and new mural commissions that advocate for access to clean air.

Bodies of Water is commissioned and curated by UP Projects working in partnership with The National Trust, and Wigan Council. It is generously funded by Arts Council England and supported by the Goethe-Institut London, with engineering support from Civic Engineers. 

Bodies of Water is in three parts:

I travelled 66 million years to be with you and then you came at A La Ronde, 4 Jun - Oct 2025
Snail on Me at Haigh Hall, Autumn 2025 - Autumn 2030
Bodies of Water Symposium in partnership with Liverpool Biennial, 11 Sep 2025
 

Find out more here

  

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