I am equally happy facilitating smaller projects such as a day creating mobiles for windows, a weekend making processional sculptures for a festival, or a week making big cumulative installations.
GLASS GALLERY
Framwellgate Primary School, Durham, 2011
Working with children from the school and staff from the National Glass Centre in Sunderland, we designed an artwork for a glass corridor.
The structure is in colourful polyethylene foam and includes images created during sessions with the artist where children explored their feelings about the school and the things that create connections in school and to each other.
Within the artwork are glass tiles designed and made by the children during a session at the National Glass Centre.
THEIR SEAM
Orchard Park, Cambridge, 2009
Seven artists were commissioned to work with residents of the Orchard Park Housing Estate on the creation of an 'art trail' open to the public over the bank holiday weekend.
100 square polypropylene cushions were cut, filled with 'out of date' builder’s crash mat polystyrene and sewn on 3 ancient hand-crank Singers. Their Seam visited three locations over the weekend and played host to composer Elspeth Brookes piece And so the night became.
The cushions were given away to residents on the final day.
See more at Crop Marks/Orchard Park Arts Group »
90 STEPS
Simonside, Northumberland, 2008
This artwork celebrated 90 years of the Northumberland Women's Institute, who in collaboration with Northumberland National Park, supported the laying of 90 flagstones to halt erosion along a beautiful path at Simonside. The 90metre long 'art-path' includes over 250 'footprints' from WI members and pupils from 5 local schools.
Seed-heads from local heather were incorporated into the work, the intention being they would fall during the artwork's processional journey, thus helping to re-seed heather along paths where erosion has taken away this natural cover.
FLORESCENCE
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, 2006
Over 100 patients and staff from four wards of the hospital were involved in this 18 month long project.
The brief was to create sculptures for two bland/featureless courtyards that the wards face on to. The result, is a sculptural ‘garden’ filled with polyethylene foam flowers and insects designed and created by the patients working alongside the artist.
The project was managed by Equal Arts »
HIGH LIGHT
20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe, 2004
The Arts Centre partially occupies a beautiful old church. During this month-long residency, I worked with 13 to 19 year-olds who visit the Centre or meet in the square outside.
As the largest of the church windows faces the square we decided to use this as a focal point for our artworks. These included a suspended piece within the church tower and a 6m tall, translucent screen which was attached to the window externally. Everyone involved in the project collaborated on the design and creation of these.
FAT BIRD
Holywell Dene, Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, 2003
Fat Bird was commissioned by three agencies: Equal Arts, Age Concern and the RSPB. This 3m x 3m sculpture was created by suspending slabs of suet from pea and bean netting, with nuts, seeds and berries embedded in rings.
The sculpture was created for birds to eat and - depending on which 'food' was most popular - to be gradually reshaped by the birds. The site was chosen for its visibility from an Age Concern Day Centre involved in the project.
MARK TIME
Whitby Hospital, Yorkshire, 2001
Parents attending the baby clinic and elderly people from the Day Hospital were involved in making this artwork for the windows of the Clinic Room.
The piece comprised of the babies' footprints and the signatures of the parents and the older people. The footprints were mounted onto spirals of PVC that twisted upward toward sections of corrugated PVC that included the coloured and enlarged signatures.
KUGELN
Lessing Gymnasium, Bochum, Germany, 2000
The school wanted a hanging installation for its entrance hall. After two brainstorming and sketching sessions the six pupils came up with the idea for three hanging structures: a quarter, half and full sphere.
The pupils then decided on colour schemes for the three and made all the polyethylene foam 'modules' that form the installation. The only tasks remaining were to keep the project practicable and to make the aluminium frames.
QUEZAL
The Haworth Gallery, Accrington, 1996
The Gallery houses the largest collection of Tiffany Glass in Europe. The intention was to create an installation that reflected the bright, translucent colours and intricate designs of the glass.
The 3metre diameter structure took on a vase-like shape, but was constructed from 900 sheets of A4 tracing paper. Each sheet was individually collaged by workshop participants - a special needs group, a school group and other sessions open to the public.