Ropetackle Lenses

Ropetackle is an urban regeneration project mixing housing, business and an arts centre on a brown-field site beside the River Adur, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex. Adur Council, Berkley Homes and South East Development Agency hosted an open competition for artists and designers to work on the site. I was selected to work on a specific area of the brief.

My research brief was to work with the new river balustrade to explore ways of connecting residents, workers and visitors to the site with the Adur and landscape beyond.

Research amongst locals and the history archive led to the discovery of a film and photographic studio previously on the site. The enormous sky and shifting light patterns established these qualities as central to the place. The work of Wendy Ramshaw and David Hockney informed the research.

The project centred on the use of optical lenses and the notion of reframing the landscape to generate new relationships between the viewer and the viewed. Specially manufactured lenses installed in purpose-designed fittings encouraged exploration. For example, visual inversion of the landscape provoked greater visual engagement with the environment; use of colour, polarisation and refraction prompted a re-evaluation of what had previously been taken for granted. The innovative nature of this research in terms of size and type of lenses used and design to prevent damage give it authority and coherence. Even now (summer 2007) all of the lenses installed remain in place. This absence of vandalism can be taken as evidence of well-considered design and a sense of ownership of the work amongst those who use the site.

Reviews of the work appeared in the local press. A number of strategies were used to generate local interest such as guided walks, video diaries, schools projects and artist talks, all of which I actively participated in.

Amanda Hopkins

Research Interests

Developing practice-based tools for enhancing thinking skills. Exploring ways to reconnect ourselves with places/communities around us through heightened sensitivity, active contemplation of the everyday and employment of shared ritual

Current Research

There are two principal strands to my current research:

1) Exploring theoretical models and developing practice-based tools for enhancing thinking skills. This includes techniques for idea generation, development and evaluation for use in professional and educational contexts, clients include the Design Council

2) Exploring ways of reconnecting with ourselves and places/communities around us through heightened sensitivity, active contemplation of the everyday, and employment of (shared) ritual. Commission include 'Flock' for Waterlow Park, London (2000), 'Knotted Gate' for Gillespie Nature Reserve, London. Exhibitions include 'Collective Evidence', Feeringbury (1988) and 'Teleport' for Alphabet, London (1999), once upon a time (2002) for Thames Chase Forests. Visions of the Valley: This strand of research links Iain Sinclair's psychogeographical method and the Bicewtewary of artist samuel Palmers Birth. It critically examines the current packaging of 'Palmer's Valley of Vision' (Shoreham in Kent) 8 visions of the valley held by those who visit and live there today. Walks and a publication will publicly present a more convincing 21st century view. Prospects: This strand of research explores the 'micro' aspects of a newly developed art, science and nature park in the Lea Valley, Hertfordshire. The aim is to examine transience, biodiversity and movements of 'micro's' across the different bio regions of the parts.