Aquatopia : the imaginary of the ocian deep

Aquatopia is a transhistorical, transcultural voyage through the oceanic imaginary via contemporary and historical art works and objects which cross continents, centuries, schools and movements. Aquatic literary classics like The Odyssey, The Tempest, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Moby Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea recur in this exploration, sometimes filtered through their modern and contemporary prodigy, e.g. Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea and Derek Walcott’s Omeros. Other, non-fictional texts by writers such as Philip Hoare and Marina Warner also guide the way. The publication will be a cross-disciplinary exploration of the aquatic imaginary, encompassing literature, maritime and cultural history, psychoanalysis, post-colonial and feminist theory, and including work by artists as diverse as J.M.W. Turner, Carol Bove, Marcel Broodthaers, Spartacus Chetwynd, Peter Doig, Rene Magritte, Eric Ravillious and Juergen Teller.