15 February 2012

A Message from the Future [High Arctic]

The future says: 

Dear mortals; 
I know you are busy with your colourful lives; 
I have no wish to waste the little time that remains 
On arguments and heated debates; 
But before I can appear 
Please, close your eyes, sit still 
And listen carefully 
To what I am about to say; 

I haven't happened yet, but I will. 
I can't pretend it's going to be 
Business as usual. 
Things are going to change. 
I'm going to be unrecognisable. 
Please, don't open your eyes, not yet. 

I'm not trying to frighten you. 
All I ask is that you think of me 
Not as a wish or a nightmare, but as a story 
You have to tell yourselves - 
Not with an ending 
In which everyone lives happily ever after, 
Or a B-movie apocalypse, 
But maybe starting with the line 
'To be continued...' 
And see what happens next. 
Remember this; I am not 
Written in stone 
But in time - 
So please don't shrug and say 
What can we do? 
It's too late, etc, etc, etc. 
Dear mortals, 
You are such strange creatures 
With your greed and your kindness, 
And your hearts like broken toys; 
You carry fear with you everywhere 
Like a tiny god 
In its box of shadows. 
You love festivals and music 
And good food. 
You lie to yourselves 
Because you're afraid of the dark. 
But the truth is: you are in my hands 
And I am in yours. 
We are in this together, 
Face to face and eye to eye; 
We're made for each other. 
Now those of you who are still here; 
Open your eyes and tell me what you see.



[Nick Drake]


The poem is part of an accompaniment to the High Arctic installation at the National Maritime Museum by United Visual Artists.


The installation itself immerses the visitor in an environment where they can affect changes on the 'glaciers'.  A message about mans interaction with nature.




The Display sets are available on our flickr stream, here.

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