Exhibition

Abi Spendlove | Tributary

26 May 2017 – 29 Jul 2017

Cost of entry

Free Admission

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Storefront

Luton
England, United Kingdom

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Travel Information

  • Luton Station
  • Luton Railway Station
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Luton based artist Abi Spendlove’s project Tributary celebrates the River Lea, which rises in and passes through Luton.

About

Luton based artist Abi Spendlove’s project Tributary celebrates the River Lea, which rises in and passes through Luton. Responding to the river’s original Anglo Saxon meaning – which translates as ‘Bright River’ – Spendlove will record people’s impressions of the Lea, tracking its place in local mythology as it meanders towards the Thames. She will invite visitors to participate in curated walks tracking the river’s progress through the town centre, make a new film and create a participatory painted poem about Luton’s hidden river.

The River Lea passes almost unnoticed through Luton as it travels from its source in Leagrave Park to the lakes at Luton Hoo. Rerouted to accommodate the urban environments through which it passes, the Lea is a ‘hidden river’, which Spendlove will bring into the consciousness of the town as residents and visitors pass the Storefront en-route from station and the car parks to the shops.

Tributary will showcase a collaborative multi-authored painted poem on the gallery walls and a large hand drawn map of Luton which highlights the river’s broken and disjointed course. Spendlove is also a making a new film focussing on the light play around the source of the river, and will create a soundtrack in which local residents recall their stories of the Lea. The stories pay tribute to the river, connecting it with the rhythms and reflections of both a historical and contemporary experience.

The final part of the installation is a series of experimental drawings made using ink and melted ice from the Lea. Spendlove will also experiment with some live ice work in Storefront during the launch of the project on June 29, 2017.

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Abi Spendlove

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