A collaborative sculptural light installation art work designed to highlight the canal network between Wigan and Leigh, the mottos of Wigan and Leigh were installed on the side of three canal boats and moved between the two towns. A bespoke poem was commissioned as soundtrack to a new film.

Progress With Unity

Make Haste Steadily

The piece acts as homage to the slower pace of life on the water. The increase of technological and digital influences on our lives has determined an increasingly fast pace. Social media, instant messaging and personal mobile phones have resulted in an untenable level and speed of communication. The natural world becomes more apparent by the water and the routes, both towpath and water way, are seemingly ‘off grid’. 

The installations were influenced by the traditional aesthetic of canal boat sign-writing combined with 3 dimensional floral memorial wreaths - are we facing the death of the ‘Natural World’? Can we slow down its demise? Can we slow down at all? We need to work together, now more than ever, to ensure the future of the planet is protected.

The work was conceived by Things That Go On Things and was a collaboration between: Jonny Ball, Diane Watson, Carla Mellor, M3 Industries, Aaron Pearce and Northern Heart Films.