On Thursday 24th March Cheon Pyo Lee, our artist in residence gave a presentation of his preliminary ideas for an installation that we hope will grace the Swansea Canal in 2016, prior to an exhibition by all the canal artists in residence in 2017.
Cheon illustrated his talk with pictures of his gallery exhibitions in New York and Monterey, and a video of his studio conceptual work and performance art. Cheon’s inventive approach often belies the thought provoking and critical message within his work. He raises issues such as barriers, both literal and figurative to immigration, over-use of surveillance, and the relentless pursuit of monetary gain.
During the last few months Cheon has spent time with the volunteers in the Canal Society. He has filmed us at work, he has joined in the work himself and he has heard our plans and aspirations for the future of the canal.
His proposed ‘installation’ is in its infancy at the moment. Possible themes could be a homage to the canal workers of the past, or an effort to make the canal visible, or the creation of ripples that radiate across the water, or a celebration of the abundance of colours to be discovered along the canal corridor.
We look forward with great interest to see how Cheon develops his ideas. Thanks Cheon.

Blog and photos by Michelle