Coalescence
Exhibit background
“Made from over 2,500 pieces of coal – the amount consumed by a single 200W light bulb in a year – Coalescence is suspended in iconic Upper Hall of the Painted Hall, creating an intricate play of shadow and sparkle that draws on the lustrous quality of the anthracite, a form of high-carbon coal. This installation is captivating viewers while inviting them to question our relationship with, and dependence on fossil fuels.”
To be very honest, I was a victim of marketing. I saw their TikTok ad and booked immediately. It was simple, calming, and basically screamed “come visit, Rosie” - how could I not?! Although I didn’t read much about the exhibit itself before visiting, I loved the Old Royal Naval Hospital and Greenwich. I had previously gone on a guided tour of the Painted Hall, which was absolutely brilliant, so this was only going to enhance my already very enthusiastic recommendation to visit.
The work on the ceiling of the Painted Hall holds so many minute details, but for Paul Cocksedge to be inspired by the coal in it and then to bring it into the 21st Century was brilliant. To be specific, there’s a figure at the western end of the Lower Hall ceiling who is pouring a sack of coal into a golden bowl. There is also painted an old man (representing Hiems / Winter) warming his hands over a brazier of coal. Before joining the Royal Navy, the model for this man (John Worley) is thought to have worked in the coal trade.
My highlights
As I mentioned above, I did zero research before my visit. I honestly expected it to be just a light display. My first thought as I walked in was “genuinely stunned” (yep - straight from my Notes app). The way that they dimmed the lights even more than usual in the Painted Hall made the exhibit at the end of it stand out all the more.
I still thought it was light as I was walking up the hall, despite reading about the history on the panels, and then the relevance with the painting in the Hall. You don’t see the full installation and lights as you approach, as they’re hidden behind the archway - your whole focus is on the suspended coal.
The closer you get to it, you discover the more intricate details and see the individual pieces of anthracite suspended by wire. It’s absolutely breathtaking.
Cocksedge’s goal was to bring an artistic awareness to the impact fossil fuels have on our daily life - and Coalescence represents the amount of coal needed to power one 200W lightbulb for a year. I’m not very science-y (at all), and if you had just thrown those numbers at me or asked me to visualise how much coal it was, I’d be lost. This exhibition puts it into an easily-visualised context. On top of that, the artist’s choice of location, to tie it together with history and our reliance on coal not just for construction of buildings like the Old Royal Naval College but for powering the organisation it was built to support, the Royal Navy, is genius.
P.S. - I have talked about three different friends’ ears off since going, probably coming across a tad unhinged over one work made of coal - but trust me, it’s brilliant!
Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London