The Thames is a unique place in London to reach unsuspecting members of the public who might not normally engage with art,' Cyril de Commarque explains, speaking from his tug-boat turned floating art installation, Fluxland, at its central London mooring.
'Art and politics should belong to everyone,' the French artist adds. This sentiment forms the basis of Fluxland, which welcomes a line-up of politically prominent guest speakers, as well as projecting a haunting 14-minute soundscape – featuring recordings of warzones – on a loop.
The vessel (which has been mounted with a mirrored polyhedron) took a year's hard graft in a dutch dockyard to complete – and the result is striking. Bankside's iconic architecture drifts by and distorts in Fluxland's reflection. The 25-ft-long metallic beast can fit an audience of 50 inside, where the overpowering soundscape gives way to gentle recordings of birdsong. Regular moorings allow members of the public onto the deck and into the hold to experience this, wherein the walls are lined with maps of Israel since 1948.
This hints at what some of the topics of discussion will be about inside Fluxland. The theme, which is 'loosely centred on the intersection between progress and utopia', the artist confirms, will also discuss the politics of borders and frontiers. He concludes, 'We all feel that there's a lack in politics today, but we don't know how to talk about it.' The 'Fluxland' project is an optimistic one, providing an innovative, if slightly surreal, space for these important discussions to take place.
Fluxland will travel down the Thames during September, as part of the Totally Thames festival.
The vessel (which has been mounted with a mirrored polyhedron) took a year’s hard graft in a Dutch dockyard to complete.
The 25-ft-long metallic beast can fit an audience of 50 inside, where the overpowering external soundscape of warzones gives way to gentle recordings of bird song. Pictured: Fluxland in production, 2016. Courtesy the artist
The Fluxland project is an optimistic one, providing an innovative, if slightly surreal, space for discussion to take place.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Fluxland website
-
Cosy-up in a snowy Canadian cabin inspired by utilitarian farmhousesInspired by local farmhouses, Canadian cabin Timbertop is a minimalist shelter overlooking the woodland home of wild deer, porcupines and turkeys
-
Margaret Howell celebrates the ‘modern and grounded’ work of British weaver Peter Collingwood with a rare exhibition and calendarOne of the 20th century’s seminal weavers, the exhibition provides a serene respite from Frieze London, unfolding in Margaret Howell’s London store
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors' picks of the weekThe London office of Wallpaper* had a very important visitor this week. Elsewhere, the team traverse a week at Frieze
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors' picks of the week
The London office of Wallpaper* had a very important visitor this week. Elsewhere, the team traverse a week at Frieze
-
Chantal Joffe paints the truth of memory and motherhood in a new London showA profound chronicler of the intimacies of the female experience, Chantal Joffe explores the elemental truth of family dynamics for a new exhibition at Victoria Miro
-
Leo Costelloe turns the kitchen into a site of fantasy and uneaseFor Frieze week, Costelloe transforms everyday domesticity into something intimate, surreal and faintly haunted at The Shop at Sadie Coles
-
Can surrealism be erotic? Yes if women can reclaim their power, says a London exhibition‘Unveiled Desires: Fetish & The Erotic in Surrealism, 1924–Today’ at London’s Richard Saltoun gallery examines the role of desire in the avant-garde movement
-
Tiffany & Co’s artist mentorship at Frieze London puts creative exchange centre stageAt Frieze London 2025, Tiffany & Co partners with the fair’s Artist-to-Artist initiative, expanding its reach and reaffirming the value of mentorship within the global art community
-
Em-Dash is a small press redefining the indie zine beyond nostalgiaThe South London publishing studio's new imprint 'Practice Meets Paper' translates a chosen artist’s practice into print. Wallpaper*s senior designer Gabriel Annouka speaks with the founders, Saundra Liemantoro and Aarushi Matiyani, to find out more
-
‘It is about ensuring Africa is no longer on the periphery’: 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in LondonThe 13th edition of 1-54 London will be held at London’s Somerset House from 16-19 October; we meet founder Touria El Glaoui to chart the fair's rising influence
-
‘Sit, linger, take a nap’: Peter Doig welcomes visitors to his Serpentine exhibitionThe artist’s ‘House of Music’ exhibition, at Serpentine Galleries, rethinks the traditional gallery space, bringing in furniture and a vintage sound system
