Andromeda - The Book

Publication made to document the Andromeda project by Tony Wade, featuring full-colour photography, with texts by Damon Jackson-Waldock, and an interview with the artist.

An engaging look into the project & exhibition by artist Tony Wade. For this exhibition, Wade will bring to life the story of Andromeda, a popular glass figurine developed by the bottle factory, Bagley Glass, in Knottingley in the 1900s. As the town gained popular status for glassmaking throughout the Victorian era, workers began smuggling the figurine out of the factory due to such high demand, and reportedly threw the glass into a canal bed nearby to avoid being caught by their employer.

In the development of Andromeda, Wade embarked on a 28km canal-side walk from Knottingley bridge to Goole, documenting the journey. Using his own images of the figurine being thrown into the water, Wade collaborated with composers and musicians to interpret a musical score by overlaying a musical stave on the glass’s entry point and the splash of the water, thus generating its own piece of original music. Inspired by both the story and the artist’s experience of visiting the sites, the exhibition will feature relevant material, maps and documentation. These will accompany a brand-new sculpture and a film featuring musicians performing the musical scores on the top deck of a barge as it sails from Goole to Knottingley.