Derwent Heavy Metal Wise Head 1: Video art installation

The video art installation is based on perceptions and memories of the Derwent Estuary, in the context of the legacy of heavy metal pollution, using historic and contemporary video media and interview material. It records the witness and memories of Prof June Olley AM to events during the 1970s - including an eye witness account of liquid mercury draining to the river, of gathering and reporting of early scientific evidence of contamination, and personal perceptions and responses. Prof Olley AM, now 91, was a contemporary of Prof Harry Bloom (deceased) who subsequently brought the heavy metal issue to public attention in the 1970s.

The interview material is interwoven with archival and contemporary footage reflecting two conflicting conceptual themes:

1. The perceived ‘cultural surface’ of the Derwent - water sports, regattas, fairs, sunshine and pleasant memories - with an emphasis on water, air and sunlight;

2. The perceived ‘under-surface’ - influenced by the industrial legacy of mining, ore processing and metal production - with an emphasis on darkness, cryptic mechanical movement, rock, metal and ‘industrial light’.