Background:

Borders are almost without exception, sites of conflict. The current or historic conflicts that create and demarcate borders are often physically manifest on the border itself as a way of symbolising a line which is otherwise invisible. In other instances, where conflict is continuing, a physical barrier will also act as a symbol of power and control. An example of such a barrier is the wall which separates Israeli and Palestinian land in the occupied territories.

In contrast, Offa's Dyke which roughly follows the English / Welsh border, in its denuded physical form, is evidence of a relative lack of conflict between England and Wales. It symbolises the stability of the relationship between Wales and England whilst also acting as a manifestation of the historical conflicts which led to the border's creation. The complexity of the route that the border now takes embodies the innumerable disputes, resolutions and compromises that have created the border's current form.

The global nature of the contemporary political landscape has shifted the site of conflict from within Europe and the US, to external territories where conflicts can be played out (such as Iraq and Afghanistan). This shift would suggest that the England / Wales border is no longer a site of conflict; a fact which is evidenced in the lack of emphasis given to the border in contemporary mapping.

However, contemporary political events in the US, France and elsewhere have shown that fluid borders can quickly transform once more into sites of conflict as the result of crises, or envisaged attack.

Project Outline:

This project will explore ways in which borders are physically manifest. Using sculpture, performance or sound, the artists will create a physical border or a 'mock-up' of it, on or near the site of the 'invisible' Welsh / English border.

The artists will establish a situation in which the viewer is physically confronted by a structure or experience that transforms the benign nature of the western experience of the border into something much more challenging. This structure may take a physical, sonic or digital form.

The project will entail continuing field research along the Welsh / English border in the Oswestry region, and the associated difficulty of locating a theoretical demarcation in the real world. The artists' experience of this geographic location, their research into its history and their encounters with those who live there, will be used as the raw materials for the creation of the work.