Southsea Castle’s iconic lighthouse has been lit up for the first time since being taken out of use in 2017 thanks to the addition of a new contemporary artwork by Turner Prize nominee Nathan Coley.
The illuminated artwork is wrapped around the lantern gallery at the top of the lighthouse and contains seven overlapping words: OUTWITH, WITHIN, INSIDE, SIDEWAYS, SOMEWHERE, HEREWITH and WITHOUT.
Nathan produced the artwork which features his signature text that he takes from a variety of sources.
For this piece, the phrases come in part from the title of a 1905 essay by Sir Patrick Geddes ‘The World Without, The World Within – Sunday Talks With My Children’.
Nathan said: “Above all I wanted to honour the lighthouse. Although it was decommissioned in 2017, the tower still sits proudly and elegantly on the edge of Southsea Castle – visible from both land and sea. It’s been exciting to give power back to the lighthouse which has sat dormant for all these years.
“As the text travels around the lighthouse, it creates a sense of movement which echoes the blinking of the original light that would have been seen out to sea when the lighthouse was a working structure.”
The artwork, titled OUTWITHINSIDEWAYSOMEWHEREWITH, is part of a wider programme of public art projects linked by the theme ‘Navigate’ to enhance the new Southsea Coastal Scheme sea defences.
The programme was commissioned by Portsmouth City Council, thanks to funding from Arts Council England. Its launch coincides with the launch of Portsmouth’s centenary events, a year-long celebration to mark 100 years since Portsmouth gained city status.
Portsmouth City Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt said: “It’s fantastic that Nathan Coley has created a new piece especially for Southsea Castle Lighthouse.
“The lighthouse is a popular local landmark, and this project is about using contemporary art to bring it back to life.
“The piece will be visible from along the beautiful new promenades and is a great addition to the coastal scheme. Portsmouth’s identity as a cultural hub continues to grow and I hope that this artwork will help to put the city on the map as a cultural destination.”