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      Past Exhibition

      Charles Sandison: Figurehead 2.0

      On view September 28, 2019 to February 14, 2021

      Today's hours:

      10 am–5 pm

      Monday

      10 am–5 pm

      Tuesday

      Closed

      Wednesday

      Closed

      Thursday

      10 am–5 pm

      Friday

      10 am–5 pm

      Saturday

      10 am–5 pm

      Sunday

      10 am–5 pm

      Monday

      10 am–5 pm

      Tuesday

      Closed

      Wednesday

      Closed

      Thursday

      10 am–5 pm

      Friday

      10 am–5 pm

      Saturday

      10 am–5 pm

      Sunday

      10 am–5 pm

      Internationally renowned for his animated digital projections, artist Charles Sandison installs a site-specific artwork created for PEM's East India Marine Hall.

      Sandison activates the words and images from 18th-century ship captains' logs to create an immersive environment drawing upon the trade routes, politics, competition and voices that led to the founding of the museum and the origins of its remarkable collection.

      Sandison’s responsive algorithmic code, inspired by patterns he observes in nature—the movements of ants or bodies passing through water—combines the bodily movements of museumgoers with historical data to create an ever-changing, lyrical tapestry of past and present. This current installation, which revises the original 2010 work, incorporates real-time location feeds of global ship traffic and weather patterns, as well as cameras that detect visitors’ movements.

      Museum purchase with funds donated by Mr. Alfred D Chandler III and The Reverend Susan Esco Chandler, Nancy B. Teiken, Dan Elias and Karen Keane, and The Anna Pingree Phillips Fund.

      Share your impressions on social media using the hashtags #PEMpresenttense and #CharlesSandison

      Charles Sandison: Figurehead 2.0 is made possible by the Nancy B. Tieken Memorial Fund and supporters of the Present Tense Initiative, including The Jeffrey P. Beale Fund for Contemporary Art and Matthew and Rebekah Gardiner. Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation, Jennifer and Andrew Borggaard and Kate and Ford O'Neil provided generous support. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.

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      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      Charles Sandison working on Figureheads 2.0. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Ken Sawyer/PEM.

      Charles Sandison working on Figureheads 2.0. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Ken Sawyer/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum.Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum.Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      The first iteration of the Figurehead installation. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver/PEM.

      Charles Sandison Figurehead 2.0 Artist interview video
      Play

      Artist Interview

      Learn more about Charles Sandison's creative process.

      PEMcast 012: Revisiting Charles Sandison

      How can museums heighten a sense of empathy and wonder? Increasingly immersive environments and multi-sensory experiences are coming into play. Tune into the most recent installment of the PEMcast as we explore the immersive experience.

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      East India Marine Hall

      Historic Houses

      East India Marine Hall

      Built in 1824–25
      Incorporated into the main museum building

      Historic Houses

      East India Marine Hall

      Built in 1824–25
      Incorporated into the main museum building