For my residency with Videoclub (who are based in Brighton, UK) I wanted to create a body of work about Foredown Tower which is an old water tower in Portslade which is now part of Brighton. Foredown Tower used to be a water tower for the hospital for infectious diseases. The hospital no longer exists and there’s now housing on the original site.
In 1990 the water tower was turned into a camera obscura which was funded by American Express and was then run by the council. Foredown Tower is now owned by a local adult learning organisation. I was unable to visit Foredown Tower as it is still closed due to the pandemic. So I decided instead to recreate Foredown Tower in Minecraft.
About the Artist
Jessica Starns is a UK artists of Both Sides Now: DeNatured’s online residencies on Leave Your Body (LYB) by Videotage and Vital Capacities by videoclub! During her first experience in the Minecraft world, she recreated the Foredown Tower in Brighton. Stay-tuned for more updates.