The Nihilists

The Nihilists, Sugar Loaf - installation documentation
The Nihilists is a series of outdoor installations which generate electricity in order to illuminate their futility. The work was premiered at a one day event which took place at dusk on Saturday 16th July, 2011, on the Sugar Loaf mountain near Abergavenny, South Wales.

The event comprised two new sculptural works:

  • a group of handmade wind turbines which live on a hill. At dusk the electricity generated by the turbines illuminates a sign. The message pulses as the wind picks up.
  • in a gully nearby a solitary water turbine straddles a stream. The turbine powers a sign. The sign is both a homage to Malcolm Mclaren and a flow guage – a visual display of the stream’s rate of flow.

The event also included a performance by Team Sports (Matthew Lovett, Jimmy Ottley & Ian Watson). Team Sports explore the relationship between  musicians and their surroundings. Using the physical environment as a musical score, the group respond to sounds, visual stimuli, and other environmental occurrences to create a piece that engages with all aspects of the sound continuum. For information about Team Sports visit: http://matthewlovett.wordpress.com/

The Nihilists - Sugar Loaf, Abergavenny

This event was made possible with the generous support of The National Trust and was developed with funding from Powys County Council’s Chance to Create Scheme.

Download the Invite

Video and Photographic documentation by Nic Finch. The video above comprises Team Sports performance, and footage of the water turbine piece.

More about The Nihilists

Review of The Nihilists by Emma Geliot

Excerpt of Emma Geliot's review of The Nihlists. The full article is available on Culture Colony. As dusk began to gather over the mountain, figures in stout boots and wet weather gear began to converge on the sheep-dotted hillside.[...] Caddick had installed two light works that had their own built-in power generation. The first, a series of LED signs, each with it's own wind turbine, spelled out the words "WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE". The second, a good mile's yomp away, set next to a little stream that drove the power turbine, spelled out "NO FUTURE", a nod to Malcolm McLaren. The fluctuations in the power generated made these works pulse and glow in the gathering gloom. Meanwhile, [...] Read more about Review of The Nihilists by Emma Geliot

Directions to The Nihilists

Download a map of the route Directions: By train and walking The Sugar Loaf is about 3 miles from Abergavenny train station. The most direct route from the train station is directly through the town centre (via Cross Street, then Frogmore Street). Opposite Tesco, cross the main road and walk up Pen Y Pound, then onto Hill Road. Turn left onto Chain Road, then Pentre Road. Follow this road up a long, steep hill for a mile or so After a cattle grid the road turns sharp left at the top of the hill Keep right then follow the road onto the open common Stay on the road until you reach the National Trust car park (not the unofficial one, the official one with a stone trig point ki [...] Read more about Directions to The Nihilists

Wood Chippings

This project focuses on the development of simple electronic devices, micro power generation and the arduino micro controller. It has involved the organisation of Tinker It's first Beginners Arduino Workshop which was kindly hosted by Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff in February 2010. I have also been working closely with open hardware and sustainable power experts Suneil Tagore and Trystan Lea from Open Sustainable Technologies and the Open Energy Monitor project. Trystan and Suneil have been invaluable to the project, sharing their knowledge about micro energy generation and advising on everything from circuit diagram interpretation to charge control for solar power and cut in speed [...] Read more about Wood Chippings

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