Sea dreamers rest
In 1997 Gilly Rogers was commissioned to create an artwork, which would reflect the regeneration of the local landscape and the changing nature of the local community at Royal Quays, North Shields. At the time the marina was little more then a building site and new housing and an influx of people to the area created a strong sense of optimism in the changing tides of history. During this residency Gilly became involved both with new members of the community and with those who have weathered the changes from industrial shipping through to the creation of the new leisure marina. The sense of history and the excitement of these momentous changes anchored themselves perfectly in that which had been an integral part of the old and a central feature of the new- the Harbour Island itself. At the end of the island stands an original capstan, the legacy of a century of endeavour. It is these two metal studs that form the pivot between the past and the future, between toil and leisure, between memory and expectation. SeaDreamers's rest is art work that reflects the romance of romance of returning seamen as they reach for home or dream of open water, as much as it reflects the sleek buildings and high tech look of this exciting new development and the people who inhabit it. Yet this is a small intimate intervention which waits to be discovered by the viewer. Within the capstan
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