Artist Alison Cooke responds to Ebbsfleet, its communities, and history
Between January and June, four artists undertook micro-commissions, researching and responding to Ebbsfleet and its communities. Through these different projects, the artists explored the plans for the new garden city, worked with local people, and researched the histories of the area.
The outcomes of these micro-commissions were displayed publicly as part of Estuary 2021 – a large-scale arts festival celebrating the lives, landscapes, and histories of the Thames Estuary.
For Future Archaeology of Ebbsfleet, Alison Cooke distributed 100 balls of clay, dug from the Thames Estuary, to local people and asked them to make Future Archaeology.
The earth around Ebbsfleet and Swanscombe is famous for its archaeological finds. With this in mind, the people of Ebbsfleet were asked to make an object with the clay, something that could show future generations a glimpse of the way we live now.
The creations were collected, fired and displayed on the estuary foreshore at Greenhithe, adjacent to the site the clay was dug, as part of the final weekend of Estuary 2021. After which, the makers either collected their pieces or contributed them to Future Archaeology, by returning their ceramics to the estuary for future archaeologists to find.
Future Archaeology of Ebbsfleet stems from Alison’s current research into the parallels between the past and present of the area, where histories repeat, overlap or come full circle.
