In researching Poole I was conscious of its’ relationship to other parts of the world. I wanted to in some way refer to this sense of arrival and departure that the port suggests. The parallel plotter is a standard navigational instrument, used for mapping a course or journey. This simple object is both a historical and a contemporary device, and I have used it to suggest the connections between Poole and its various related counterparts.
Installed parallel to the harbour edge it also echoes the old railway line that use to run there and marks the boundary between land and sea; it is a form of threshold. People embarking for Newfoundland or Santiago De Campostello, frequent destinations from Poole, would depart from the harbour’s edge at the outset of the journey. The inset lighting is red and green for port and starboard, suggesting the landing lights used to guide ships into port.
Taking an everyday object such as this and inserting it into the public realm, slightly altered always acts as a form of question; why this, why here? I was keen not to be too explicit in connecting Poole to its history by introducing too many historical references. Perhaps the piece can be a tool to prompt people to undertake their own enquiries into the numerous comings and goings that Poole has experienced.
