This Lunchtime Talk will be broadcast live on Watershed's YouTube channel.

Three time zones, three hundred and sixty tides, and a chess game with the sea. How do we connect across time and place to imagine the future?

This talk will explore three journeys that start from a common meeting point at a lighthouse on the possible future coast path of Wales, some way inland, looking out to sea. 

Alison, Ken and Vikram invite you to travel with them across time and place to follow the threads of their discussions, challenges, and collaborative artworks that have emerged in response to their fears and hopes around the future of our impermanent land as sea levels rise. They’ll look at the gaps in the data maps, losing at chess, and the responsibility of leaving the best gift in the world. This talk will be simultaneously live from Folkestone, Calcutta, and Corvallis (USA) and will also share processes we’ve used to collaborate from three very different places at very different times. 

This is part of the development of The (Future) Wales Coast Path, a project by Alison Neighbour conceived in response to flood map predictions of rising sea levels and displacement of people in Wales in the near future. Alison is working towards a series of installations, walks, and audio experiences on the Welsh (future) coastline, in collaboration with partners in countries where sea level rise is already proving a daily and devastating reality. 

Join us on Fri 8th January, 13:00-14:00 for the talk and to take part in the discussion afterwards.

Watch live on YouTube

Read more about the recipients of our Future Themes funding here. The Future Themes series is made possible by the ongoing and longstanding collaboration between the Watershed, UWE Bristol and University of Bristol, the fund was set up as an open call to all Pervasive Media Studio residents to spend time exploring ideas at the intersection of technology and culture.