The Naval Spirit, by Canaan Brown, is a fictional memoir, inspired by the narrative of Joseph Johnson - a Black British sailor who served in the British Navy during the early 1800s, was discharged due to injury, and was not afforded his pension or state relief. A story set in magic and historical fiction, Johnson comes to find he has a supernatural gift, that allows him to communicate with the ghosts of another dimension; spirits; duppies; ghosts who transcend time and space, in order to help us see the conditions of our world, anew.
Overarching Project: The Naval Spirit, 2022
The Body of Work:
The Naval Spirit, by Canaan Brown, originated as a creatively written fictional memoir. Recounting the life of Joseph Johnson - through lenses of magic, fiction, and the Black fantastic - the story re-imagines Johnson’s life in Georgian Britain; in the Navy, and as the first documented Black British artist.
England Expects Every Man To Do His Duty. This famous maritime phrase, attributed to Admiral Horatio Nelson - during the British victory over Napoleon Bonaparte in the Battle of Trafalgar - is an ironic statement when applied to the context of marginalised professionals within Britain. In a country where one can do their duty, yet not be afforded their state relief because of their background - (for example in the case of the Black 19th Century British Naval sailor, Joseph Johnson) - this strikes a juxtaposition between imperial expectations and socio-political realities.
Titanium-painted MDF on plaster (1014.898 mm x 328.464 mm)
Titanium-painted MDF on plaster (1014.898 mm x 328.464 mm)
Naval Illuminations (Shadow Play): a piece displaying a blown up projection of a Naval ship plan - inspired by research from the National Museum of the Royal Navy museum. Recreated in acrylic, the piece is an exploration of the artist’s visual language - playing with scale, light and, also, how such an otherwise utilitarian blueprint can offer a wealth of visual potential.
Clear acrylic, overhead projector (1900mm x 700mm)
Clear acrylic, overhead projector (1900mm x 700mm)
The Naval Chambers: this piece is inspired by The Naval Spirit, and the context in which Johnson is set. Visited by a ghost from a near future, the scene is set in Joseph Johnson’s Naval chambers - fictionalised, and based on true historical Naval rooms on British ships.
Digital Construction in Blender (Size dependent on viewing screen)
Digital Construction in Blender (Size dependent on viewing screen)
New World is a piece that was initially created for Into The a student-led exhibition at the Birmingham School of Art. With parallels to the fiction and surrealism of The Naval Spirit, New World is a short story written by Canaan Brown, which has been blown up, manipulated and refigured - echoing the parallel dimension about which the story is written; a chaotic, exciting journey into an uncharted new world.
Matte paper (841mm x 1188mm)
Matte paper (841mm x 1188mm)