‘Lookout’ was a site-specific immersive installation created for the Siren Festival in 2019 by poet Rhett Griffiths in collaboration with artist Roger Hardy. It emerged from a collaborative conversation with Roger, whilst staring at the sea, reflecting on what kind of future could await us, and how to catalyse people to embrace the need for urgent change. Set in the extraordinary Aldeburgh Beach Lookout tower, the installation included the poem ‘The Tipping Tide’ (in physical and sonic form) and a substantial Roger Hardy sculpture, and was:

“a creative response to the biggest issue of our generation,
and to the evocative sculptural figures of artist Roger Hardy”.
- Rhett Griffiths

The poem was printed on sail cloth, 2.5m wide x 1.5m tall, hung on the wall so the breeze could gently ripple its surface, alongside the towering sculptural figure of Roger Hardy staring out to sea, and with a recording of the poem read by Rhett Griffiths, playing on loop. This created a contemplative space for people of all ages to absorb and reflect. To capture reactions to ‘Lookout’ and help people express their feelings, visitors were invited to write/draw a ‘postcard to the sea’ , to post them in the box on Roger Hardy’s ‘Hut’ and find them displayed in the Siren Festival Hub nearby.

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Artist Roger Hardy comments: "For 'Lookout' I made a life-size white figure that is gazing out to sea. Contemplating the past, present and future of our oceans. The figure was scaled up from one of the Siren figures sheltering in the ‘Hut’ which is part of my series ‘Tide & Time’, creating a level of empathy and connection to the viewer on a direct level.

“With 'Lookout', there was the hope to plant some seeds,
for people to experience moments where change seems possible,
personal tipping points.”
- Rhett Griffiths

To heighten the experience, elements of the poem were summoned up into the space in the form of objects (e.g. an hourglass, a plastified rose, a mirrored surface). In addition, to help visitors go deeper, some of the poem and its research was unpacked and displayed in the space on A5 cards.

“I was also interested to stretch the boundaries of what a poem can be and do.”
- Rhett Griffiths

Many thanks to Leon Manthorpe for Sound Design, and to Caroline Wiseman for the use of Aldeburgh Beach Lookout.