Commissioned by the Royal Parks on the occasion of the tercentary of King Henry's Mound in Richmond Park 2010

With thanks to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral

With thanks to the support of Panavision, Kodak, Soho Film Lab, Ascent 142 and Obsidian Records/Classical Communications ltd

The connection between State, Monarchy and the Church remains as potent a symbol as ever and in 1710 when the current St Paul’s Cathedral was finished a ‘protected view’ from King Henry’s mound in Richmond Park was established.

Sightline 1710 is a new work commissioned by The Royal Parks to mark the tercentenary of this event which has been presented as a diptych projection in the round. It is shot on 35mm film and condensed as a time-lapse to present the fading/revealing light at dawn and dusk from the reciprocal viewpoints. The viewer is invited to watch this paradox simultaneously whilst contemplating the three centuries of time that has passed and the particular histories that this viewpoint references as the light changes. To further heighten the sense of duration the piece is accompanied by music inspired by Henry VIII at the time of his reign.

The dual screen format aims to stimulate and question our gaze looking both towards and away from each point where the distance between references surveillance and the development of technology that permits access to unfolding perspectives.

The reflective nature of the presentation hopes to condense the time between not only the two points in history but also the two geographical sites. It is by looking at an image not in isolation but in context to another that is the specific line of enquiry with this work.

Shot on a 35mm colour film and transferred to video