︎ Summary

Focal Point Gallery presents a new temporary public artwork by Essex-based artist George Morl, created in collaboration with Elm Class of Nancealverne School, Penzance. The commission consists of two site-specific works for the annual railway bridge commission on Southend High Street.

Titled ‘ESSEX @WAY from keyboard?’, the work reflects on 100 years of radio broadcasting in Essex and the city’s recent status as a “Gigabit City.” The piece is a digital collage that highlights the importance of communication technologies and online communities for disabled and neurodivergent people. Configured in the form of a keyboard adapted for learning disabilities and gaming, it is composed of computer graphics, student artworks, and portraits of the artist as a digital avatar—created and directed by the students through references to comic and sci-fi characters.

The work draws inspiration from Madge Gill’s postcard works (1882–1961), the visual culture of gaming, and the expansion of communication technologies. It considers virtual worlds as an alternative form of migration, offering autonomy and connection to communities that face social and physical barriers. This perspective is intentionally contrasted with the artist’s research into the forced relocation of disabled people in early 20th-century South Essex, revealing how online networks can become sites of resistance against colonial and institutional legacies.

The title references the term “away from keyboard (AFK),” which describes a user temporarily leaving a virtual space. In this context, the work explores a contemporary form of pilgrimage—uploading oneself online as a disabled, queer person to connect through networks that have evolved from Essex. From electricity and radio to radar and fibre optic cables, these technologies have created new possibilities for communication and belonging. The work also reflects on the historical significance of Essex in early wireless innovation, including Marconi’s experiments and the first radio transmissions in Essex and Cornwall.

The commission coincides with the daily screening of Profiles from Essex on Big Screen Southend. This film emerged from research conducted as part of New Histories, a pilot project with East Contemporary Visual Art Network (ECVAN) funded by Arts Council England, exploring regional histories from diverse communities across the East of England. Workshop images were created with Elm Class at Nancealverne School since 2021, through the Jerwood Newlyn Residency with Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Cornwall. After the public display in Southend, the work will tour to Nancealverne School in Penzance in October 2022.

Further information about the research and context that have influenced this commission can be found here. 

Commissioned by Focal Point Gallery

︎ Assosiated Awards

Focal Point Gallery: Railway Bridge Commission, 2022
New Histories, 2022

© George Morl 2022
Photography Anna Lukala