Lelia Byron, The Tides That Connect Our Boats, 2020

28.4.-31.5. every day between 10 am to 8 pm. Paper boat installation in the Rauma art museum facade and in the magazine inside the courtyard. When visiting, we hope that you comply with current instructions of two meter safety distance and enjoy the art by yourself or at max groups below 10 persons.

Residency during 3.2.- start of June
Lelia Byron (1991 US) is working with Rauma Teacher Training School classes 6A, 7A and 7B and also with school of Pyynpää´s classes 5A and 5B

The installation created together by residency artist Lelia Byron and the pupils "The Tides That Connect Our Boats" -installation converses on themes of communality, both locally and globally, in time and in space. Single small paper boats with their stories form a large, single unity, a web of stories.

During February-April Byron has worked in Rauma Teacher Training School and in the school of Pyynpää with five different classes of students and their teachers Heidi Lehtonen, Laura Saurimaa and Lasse Rahkonen. During visual arts classes the students practiced their own imagery and storytelling visually.

Students were given an assignment to develop an imaginary backstory for a boat. Based upon these stories, they created symbols and patterns. They were then used to make a cardboard printing plate using collagraphy. Final print was made, when the students used the plates on a layout consisting of color experiments. Together with light and sound, these paper boats form an installation piece.

Lelia Byron works with painting, installations, embroidery and multimedia. This New Yorker's special interest lies upon communal artwork. Byron has graduated from Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania. BFA) and Chelsea Arts of Arts (University of the Arts London. MA).

* * Originally the installation was supposed to be constructed inside the tower of Rauma maritime museum, but because of the pandemic situation it was moved to Rauma Art Museum 28.4-31.5.2020.