Unctuous between fingers

Bryony Gillard’s Unctuous between fingers is a moving image work that explores the archive of pressed seaweeds and algae held by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, collected predominantly by women in the mid-1800s.

‘Seaweeding’, a gendered hobby, was considered a creative pastime of little importance. However, many of the collectors made a significant contribution to marine botany, meticulously recording specimens and sharing their findings generously with the predominantly male scientific community.

Unable to publish their findings under their own names, these women ‘seaweeders’ were unrecognised at the time and have since been widely forgotten, yet their legacy lives on in the collection.

Made through a process of archival research and collaboration with marine biologists, philosophers, activists and enthusiasts, Unctuous between fingers asks what we can learn from seaweed, its myriad uses and life-giving properties.

Originally commissioned by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter, Unctuous between fingers is open 11:00 - 17:00 Wednesday to Friday through Estuary 2021, at St Andrew’s Church on the riverfront in Gravesend.

Due to COVID-19 regulations, we can only let a limited number of visitors into the venue for each screening. Pre-book your time slot now for no wait time.

Once every hour a captioned version of the film will be shown. Please check tickets for specific times.