Lelia Byron. The Tides That Connect Our Boats, 2020

Residency artist Lelia Byron came to Rauma to work on this installation The Tides That Connect Our Boats (Vedet, jotka veneitämme yhdistää) with five classes at two schools in Rauma to make the prints in this installation. The project encouraged students to think about art as a language for telling their stories and ideas, and to reflect on ties with the maritime history and the future, Rauma and the world.

Through storms and starry nights, in the broad ocean or the safety of home – where are they going and what are they carrying? Do they travel together or do they travel alone? In this installation, artist Lelia Byron uses a maritime theme as a vehicle for thinking about the multiscale and interconnected nature of the world. The project explores the idea of community and how as individuals we make up both local communities and a broader global community, both in space and time. When many individually unique paper boats are tied together in the installation they form an intricate web of connection.

In the first component of this project, students mapped the course of their imaginary boats by creating symbols and patterns to tell visual narratives about their journeys. These patterns were then cut out of cardboard and used to make printing plates. Next, students explored the million color sea as they rolled, splattered, and mixed paint to make backgrounds for their prints. Finally, students anchored the imagined by creating multiple final prints with their cardboard printing plates. These student-made prints were then turned into paper boats, creating the core of this larger “ocean” installation with sounds and lights.

Lelia Byron is an interdisciplinary artist who makes paintings, installations, books, and films. Lelia uses her creative practice as a way to make connections and experiment with different forms of narrative. In her work, Lelia frequently explores alternatives to and contradictions in conventional systems and she often incorporates some elements of public art, or art that can be experienced in everyday spaces. Originally from New York City, Lelia has a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University (PA) and a MA Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts (University of the Arts London).



**Originally planned as an exhibition at the Maritime Museum, due to the COVID-19 outbreak this installation will now be viewable as a window exhibition at the Rauma Art Museum.