Internationally-acclaimed artist to create work for Haigh

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A world-renowned artist has been invited to contribute a major work to the newly revamped Haigh Woodland Park.

Curated and produced by leading public art commissioning organisation, UP Projects, Bodies of Water is an ambitious series of site-specific public art commissions by German-Korean artist Anne Duk Hee Jordan which will unfold across two locations in England, A la Ronde in Exmouth, East Devon and in Haigh Hall’s walled gardens.

Backers of the multi-million-pound redevelopment of the park and home hope the unique watery installation will bring a whole new army of visitors “from far and wide.”

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The commissions are the first UK public project by Jordan, which sees the artist confront the politics of water through an ecological lens.

Anne Duk Hee JordanAnne Duk Hee Jordan
Anne Duk Hee Jordan

The title references cultural historian Astrida Neimanis’s book Bodies of Water: Posthuman Feminist Phenomenology, which draws connections between the relationships humans have with water, oceans, and aquatic life while also considering the body as a vessel of water.

Exploring the notion that water moves in cycles, flowing from the environment through humans and other organisms, place-based partnerships informed the creation of the sculptural works that will harvest, filter and circulate rainwater.

Anne said: “The main focus of my practice is experimenting with ecological phenomena and building various ecosystems.

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"I have been researching the changing sexuality within marine ecosystems, and I have undertaken diving excursions in many different oceans and created a scientific exchange with marine biologists, toxicologists, ecologists and geologists.

Haigh Hall which is itself undergoing a major makeoverHaigh Hall which is itself undergoing a major makeover
Haigh Hall which is itself undergoing a major makeover

"Working with UP Projects on Bodies of Water is a natural progression that builds on the work I have realised over the past decade.

"Not only am I able to continue to experiment with site-specific public art commissions, but I have developed collaborations with scientists from University of Exeter, and RSPB, as well as local community Ambassadors that are informing the development of the artworks for A la Ronde and Haigh Hall.”

Coun Chris Ready, cabinet member for communities at Wigan Council, said: “This is such an exciting announcement for Wigan borough.

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“Duk Hee is a world-renowned artist and will bring a creative installation to Haigh that hasn't been seen before and we know this will encourage visitors from far and wide to the hall and Woodland Park.

One of Anne Duk Hee Jordan's installationsOne of Anne Duk Hee Jordan's installations
One of Anne Duk Hee Jordan's installations

“This is just the first in a series of public art commissions in the grounds of Haigh Hall and forms part of the wider redevelopment, offering a brilliant opportunity to put Haigh firmly on the map as a cultural destination.

“We’re really grateful to UP Projects for partnering with us at Haigh to deliver this project and can’t wait to see it take shape.”

UP Projects artistic director Emma Underhill said: “We are thrilled to be commissioning Anne Duk Hee Jordan’s first public project in the UK. Jordan is one of the most exciting artists working today, with a significant international profile.

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"The two new public artworks created specifically for A la Ronde and Haigh Hall are addressing global issues relating to the politics of water, and water management, but with a hyperlocal relevance achieved through community collaboration in both locations.”

Bodies of Water will include a programme of community events and activities developed by local artists collaborating with community ambassadors in Exmouth and Wigan, in response to the themes of Jordan’s artwork.

Reflecting UP Projects’ socially driven commitment to the public sphere, Anne Duk Hee Jordan joins a lineage of world-class artists creating new work in the community, such as Aya Haidar (2024); Sonia Boyce (2021); Jasleen Kaur (2020); and Yinka Shonibare (2012). Considering the urgent need to improve water management due to the climate crisis, Jordan’s site-specific interventions explore the politics of water by drawing upon science, historic wisdom, nature and biomimicry.

Not only raising awareness but inspiring action, this latest project places an emphasis on the relationship between public art and the climate crisis, a major theme of concern for UP Projects over the past 20 years which has seen it commission innovative sculptural bird boxes, floating gardens, immersive VR works and new mural commissions that advocate for access to clean air.

The installation is scheduled to be launched in September.

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