Come Over
Come Over consists of two light installations, one on Stokkøya and one on Linesøya, which illuminate periodically based on local people’s memory of the original ferry timetable that once served the two islands. This work preserves and archives local history and memory, connecting present-day spaces of interaction with the journeys that once linked the islands. In doing so, the work reflects on how movement, timing, and rhythm shape community life. After hearing stories at Coop about the time before the bridge, we were inspired by the lengths people went to in order to stay connected. We heard of late-night journeys home, of rowing across the sea after infamous
parties where lasting relationships were formed. Thoughts of coexistence led us to an interest in knock-on effects, impacts, chains, sequences, signals, and receivers - how stuff gets around.
This connection does not linger in the past. Just as those parties once brought people together, there are still inclusive social hubs on the islands. Come Over unites two of parallel locations - Coop and Rorbua Café og Pub - reminding us that community continues to thrive in moments of chance encounter and shared conversation. Importantly, they are libraries of knowledge, generous places of sharing, storytelling and laughter, demonstrating how social spaces evolve yet remain vital to collective well-being.
Light is closely intertwined with life here. Light both enables, requires and carries connection: it can travel, it can be a signal and it can guide to safety. With dark winters and bright summers, local routines and livelihoods are directly shaped by light. A binding force - both natural and human - that shapes ecological cycles, local practices and social ties.
Once belonging to old boats, the lights themselves bear their own stories of efforts, passage, travel and transfer. Newly revived, and operating to a schedule of a time gone by, they ask what it means to lie dormant only to later be reignited. The lights will go off at 7 am, 11:30am, 5pm, 9pm, for 25 minutes at a time. These are the times locals recited from their memories of the ferry times that stood out and the duration of the journey between each port.
Fittingly, this project has been made possible by a connection of people. A network of support. Favours, generosity, sharing time, the passing on of telephone numbers, the giving of directions, the borrowing of equipment, and many many more. The project not only considers connection in its form but has been made entirely possible by the web of connections it relied upon.
Come Over is an artwork by Tom Freestone, Mareiwa Miller and Ema Ogawa Todd. It is part of Stokkøyart which is run by Kirsten Bertelsen and Georgia Gendall.
We would like to thank Bjørn from Coop, the Small Boat Harbour Community of Linesøya, Anne Merete Lines and Ann-Karin of Rorbua Café og Pub for housing our artworks. Thank you to the 11am coffee community at Coop for their wisdom, David González for his technical expertise, Knut from Fosen Gjenvinning, Christer for his sausages, Sid Smith, Nicola and Genny from Stokkøy Bakery, Ingrid Langkopp, Roar Svenning, Torild Langkopp, Central St Martins, Åfjord Kommune, Sturla Gabrielsen, Live Herheim, Per Anders Brattgjerd, Stokkøya Strandhotell, Joachim Stokke-Bakken, Terje Haugdal and the guests at Rorbua Café og Pub for sharing their stories with us.
Installation View: Schools Art & Ecologies: The Koinobori (2026) at Southwark Park Galleries © the artist. Photo © Marjian Tsatsaros Tyagi
An exhibition of artworks made and curated by pupils from two local primary schools.
Pupils from Redriff Primary, City of London Academy learnt about koinobori through the artist Ema Ogawa Todd. On Children’s Day in Japan, koinobori (carp streamers) are flown as a symbol of children’s strength, vitality, and perseverance, a celebration that is rooted in ancient folklore. Based on this tradition, the pupils used natural dyeing techniques to create their own koinobori in thanks to their loved ones who support their growth and happiness.
This exhibition is generously supported by Arts Council England and British Land.