“Reservoir” 2008

‘Reservoir’
2008

Installation by Jane Fairhurst and Tim Fielding

In 2008 artists Jane Fairhurst and Tim Fielding were walking through a run down area of Liverpool when they came across an unusual stone building on an otherwise ordinary suburban street. They decided to investigate further.

Built in 1845, the first reservoir to be built in Liverpool, it brought fresh water from Rivington for the growing population of the Dingle.

The reservoir was emptied in 1997 and a residents group, Dingle 2000 Trust, took a 125 year lease from British Water for the agreed rent of ‘one red rose if presented’.
Refurbished, the building was to be a centre of regeneration for the whole area, however, it has been out of use by the community due to a leaking roof.
The future of the building, now in jeopardy for want of cash to repair the roof, meanwhile, a mile away in Liverpool 1 money appears to be no object.

Having gained access to the building, Fairhurst and Fielding discovered a fully glazed greenhouse that had been left by previous temporary users of the space.

Finding a greenhouse within a dark, underground space (a found object within a found object) struck them both as deeply ironic, adding to the irony of a reservoir unusable due to water ingress.

The video installation is their response to the situation they found.

'Reservoir' Fairhurst _ Fielding Installation, Myrtle Street Liverpool 2008

‘Reservoir’, Fairhurst _ Fielding Installation, Myrtle Street Liverpool 2008