Sean Burn

re : word

14 text-art digital prints

1 – 16 October

Project description:

re : word is a sequence of 14 poster-poems displayed throughout the lake district radically rewording wordsworth and bringing a rawer edge and new text for a contemporary audience,  interrogating the notion of ‘the canon’ of english literature. the notion that language is fixed is false, it is gloriously alive: before owning our own labour we owned our voice. the poster-poems incorporate graphics to make a contemporary illuminated manuscript by applying a cut and paste re-sampling technique to the omnipresent, uniform text surrounding us, turning it into a new aesthetic; scratched, grainy and credible. language can be liberating or controlling, we are surrounded and often defined by it, yet we use it to free ourselves. re : word reclaims languages (visual/textual), particularly of the streets and of the vernacular and belongs to an ongoing project called scratch republic, a pan-european project 5 years in the making

Artists statement:

sean burn is a writer artist / performer with a growing international reputation.  cutter - for half moon theatre - won time outs ‘play of the year’ award for young people, 2004.  he is currently completing a new play – voices – for pegasus theatre.   his last short film - stealing brecht - for medialab/artsway has received screenings around the country.  dream horizon, a book of hours was commissioned by dada-south. this year skrev press publish his first full length collection of prose – electrofiction & wrecking ball press his first full length poetry collection - never sleep with anyone whose got more scars than yu.  he  belongs to the art brut / marginal / outlaw territory, creating work as an emotional response to political / social acts around us.                                   

poster #

Location of work

OS grid reference

directions

Calder bridge

NY042060

south/west side of A595 bridge over river Calder

Ravenglass (train station)

SD085965

station notice board

Barrow in Furness – high level bridge, Michaelson Road

SD197687

centre of bridge, west side - overlooking docks

Millom (train station)

SD172802

station notice board

Helvellyn - Comb Crags ascent car park (Thirlmere side)

NY325136

start of Helvellyn footpath

Grasmere  

NY342068

landing stage on lakeshore off A591 left hand side of road (heading south) c.200 yards south of Dove Cottage,

Rydal

NY364062

footbridge over river rothay – east end rydal water – off A591 & approx 200 yards south-east of rydal mount

Ambleside – Kelswick Road

NY375040

outside library

Kirkstone Pass – small car park left side - A592 headed north.  (NOT the struggle car park opposite public house but a mile further on)

NY403088

edge of car park furthest from road looking west to Red Screes

Brothers Water

NY405125

public footpath - east side of lake (running next to A592) – south / east corner of lake

Cockermouth - footbridge over river Derwent

NY308118

centre of bridge facing east (upstream)

Mayburgh Henge, Eamont Bridge, nr Penrith

NY520285

immediately to right of site entrance

Haweswater – Mardale Head car park

NY469108

footbridge (east side) over Mardale beck - 

Wastwater – northern end

NY181075

Iingmell Beck bridge – south/west end leading to Brackenclose woodland/campsite