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Burnley
The Burnley young people's group with curator Kerenza Hines (middle row, left) and at the back Youth Engagement Officer Paul Hartley (left) and greyworld lead artist Andrew Shoben
The Burnley team has unveiled the first of the Big Art Project commissions, a riot of colour that magically comes to life all around the town. Invisible, by the acclaimed UK arts collective greyworld working with 15 local teenagers, involves a series of paintings that can only be seen when lit from an ultraviolet source.
The subjects and styles of the paintings are varied: there are movie-style posters; images of animals, birds and insects; comic scenes; and a series of 'local heroes', who range from the Burnley FC mascot to a Big Issue seller, a community worker, a head teacher and a local actor and dramatist.
Along with curator Kerenza Hines, the young people were responsible for selecting greyworld in the first place. 'We have all learnt so much about public art and it has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,' says Sam, 14.
For greyworld, the feeling is mutual. 'It has been a fantastic experience for us to work with such an inspiring and creative group of young people,' says Andrew Shoben. 'Always open to new ideas, they also had really clear views on what they wanted for the Big Art Project in Burnley.'
Burnley was originally nominated by Chris May, of Creative Partnerships East Lancashire. He and Burnley Borough Council then worked with a steering group of organisations from the community arts and regeneration fields. Along with curator Kerenza Hines, Youth Engagement Officer Paul Hartley completed the team.
But the young people were the stars of the show. 'This is public art commissioning with the public well and truly at its heart,' said Jan Younghusband, Commissioning Editor, Arts and Performance at Channel 4.
Channel 4's project partners agreed. 'The enthusiasm of these young people in Burnley shows exactly how art can create a sense of belonging and pride in the places where we live, and improve our quality of life,' said Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England.
David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund, also stressed the central role of local communities. 'The Big Art Project demonstrates in a radically new way the power of art to transform people's lives,' he said. 'And what is most exceptional is that the choosing, commissioning and creating of these artworks is driven by local people.'
Burnley 's young people have created their own project website at www.bigartpro.co.uk.
Isle of Mull
The Inner Hebridean Isle of Mull attracted interested artists from Berlin to Arizona
Celebrated Danish artist Jeppe Hein is currently drawing up a proposal for a new public artwork on the Isle of Mull.
The prospect of working on a commission on Mull has attracted interest from artists such as James Turrell, who flew in by helicopter to meet project supporters. The steering group finally selected Jeppe Hein following his visit to the island in 2007.
Born in Copenhagen, Hein lives and works in Berlin. His sculptures and installations explore the relationship between viewer and artwork, creating work that can only be experienced through the viewer's participation. He is currently developing a statement of approach for the project to attract interest from funders.
Mull's Visual Arts Officer Lee Hendrick originally nominated the site, and curator Patricia Fleming has guided the enthusiastic community steering group.
Beckton Alp, Newham, east London
Beckton site nominators visit the Millennium Dome to see Quantum Cloud (1999) by Antony Gormley (in background). From left: Jonathan Swan and Stacy Blanc with curator David Bailey
Beckton Alp was originally nominated for the Big Art Project by local businessman Jonathan Swan, and local community members have played a central role from the start. 'It is unique for members of the public to be so involved in the early conceptual stages of designing plans for a new artwork,' says curator David A Bailey.
In addition to Jonathan Swan and Stacy Blanc's project for the Beckton Alp, Newham Council have commissioned the cutting-edge arts and architecture collective muf to run a community engagement programme in the borough. Muf has established an international reputation for innovative and inclusive work with public space.
There is a huge amount of work that needs to be done to realise a work of art on a Beckton 'Alp'. Intent on leaving a legacy for the future, muf is currently running a community engagement programme. The group's critical evaluation of what it takes to create artworks that are relevant and valued within their communities will directly inform future plans.
Newham's Beckton Alp is in one of London's most economically deprived and ethnically diverse areas. Already under an international spotlight as the host borough for the Olympic Games, the London Borough of Newham is a key supporter of the scheme.
For more about muf, see artist profiles.
Waterworks Park, North Belfast
A view across Waterworks Park in Belfast
The North Belfast community steering group has chosen several high-profile artists to transform and revitalise Waterworks Park in north Belfast. They are Nathan Coley (shortlisted for the 2007 Turner Prize), Keith Wilson, Locky Morris, Vong Phaophanit, and Tim Rollins and K.O.S. (Kids of Survival). Discussions have involved representatives of Belfast City Council along with community organisations.
Outline ideas from the artists will be used as the focus of wider consultation before detailed proposals are developed and funding sought. Local arts and community development workers Katrina Newell and Claire Kelly nominated the park and Declan McGonagle has been appointed as curator. All are looking forward to seeing the artists' proposals and how they have responded to the park and the involvement of the community.
Prince Charles Quay, Cardigan
Prince Charles Quay in Cardigan, Wales
The Cardigan team has selected the innovative Mexican-Canadian multimedia artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer to develop a new public artwork for Prince Charles Quay in Cardigan. Lozano-Hemmer is best known for enormous hi-tech, interactive works, using lights and shadows that take over public spaces, sometimes for weeks at a time.
The site's nominator is Jim Evans, who is working with fellow steering-group members Barbara Myers and Paul Oakley. Jim says he wants the new artwork to help put Cardigan more firmly on the tourist map, and to create a new, attractive and unique public space at the heart of Prince Charles Quay and the Teifi Estuary regeneration programme. The curator for this commission is Wiard Sterk, Executive Director of Public Art, Wales.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer recently visited Prince Charles Quay to share his initial ideas and to explore the site. He will now work on a detailed proposal.
Former Sutton Manor Colliery, St Helens, Merseyside
Supporters Brian Spencer, Gary Conley and Mel Moran at the disused colliery site
St Helens inspires Plensa's Dream
A model of the Big Art Project artwork for St Helens, a 20-metre-high sculpture by the internationally renowned artist Jaume Plensa, was unveiled on 7 May 2008. Called Dream, it represents the head of a child with her eyes dreamily closed. It is the artist's response to a brief from the project group of ex-miners and other community members who wanted a work that looked to a brighter future and created a beautiful, contemplative space for future generations.
To be sited on top of the former Sutton Manor Colliery spoil-heap, overlooking the M62, the sculpture will be fabricated in pre-cast concrete with a white finish, forming a stark contrast to the black of the coal below. It is intended to become a landmark and gateway for both Merseyside and Greater Manchester, symbolising the regeneration of the whole region. Construction will begin as soon as possible, subject to planning permission.
Gary Conley, one of the former miners, described how the team's ambitions for the project had evolved. 'When we were approached over two years ago to nominate the site, the ex-miners of the focus group and I would have been happy to just have a memorial erected on the site. Now, following our Big Art journey, our eyes have been opened to what art could mean to a community. Thanks to this fantastic artist, Jaume Plensa, I believe we have a piece of art that will not only reflect the past heritage of the site but also projects it into the future. Sutton Manor Colliery may never produce coal again, but now, because of this wonderful artwork, its soul and its millions of memories will live on.'
Born in Barcelona, Jaume Plensa was the unanimous choice to undertake the commission for St Helens, under the guidance of curator Laurie Peake, who is Programme Director for Public Art for the 2008 Liverpool Biennial International Festival of Contemporary Art. Plensa has exhibited all over the world, with major commissions in Canada, Israel, Japan, France, Germany, and the United States. His most famous work is the dramatic Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park. 'My work is first and foremost about celebrating life and the human experience of standing in-between past and present, present and future, knowledge and ignorance,' Plensa says. 'I fell in love with this site in St Helens as soon as I saw it. The spectacular setting, proud heritage, vision for the future, and the warmth, humour and passion of the former miners I have met are all truly inspirational.'
The Big Art Project in St Helens is being delivered by St Helens Council in partnership with the national funders Arts Council England and the Art Fund, with support from the Forestry Commission and the Northwest Coalfield Communities Regeneration Programme. As at all the Big Art Project locations, an extensive local community involvement and arts development programme is crucial.
The St Helens residents and steering group have created their own project website at www.bigartsthelens.com.
Cooling Towers, Sheffield
Big Art Project supporters in Sheffield are campaigning to save the disused cooling towers at Tinsley
Almost 3,000 people have signed the community petition to save the iconic former cooling towers at Tinsley, Sheffield, from demolition. The towers were the most nominated of all the Big Art Project sites and count celebrities such as Sheffield 's own Long Blondes among their supporters, as well as local MPs David Blunkett and Clive Betts. Fellow fan and leading international artist Antony Gormley has called them a 'Stonehenge for the carbon age'.
E.ON Energy, which owns the site, plans to develop a carbon-neutral power station on it and says that the towers must be demolished on safety grounds. No demolition date has yet been fixed. E.ON has said it wants to support the development of a new regional artwork and has given Sheffield City Council £500,000 towards the cost. But in November 2007, after careful consideration, the project nominators Tom James and Tom Keely decided not to join the new planning group, led by Sheffield City Council and E.ON. Instead they are applying for funding to develop and run an independent new community celebration of the towers before they disappear for ever.
According to Tom James and Tom Keeley, this is 'crunch time'. 'We need someone to put their money where their mouth is. We haven't got the resources or the time to mastermind the process. If the leaders of this city want to see the cooling towers transformed into spaces for international works of public art, like the Tate Modern's turbine hall, like the Gasometer in Oberhausen, Germany , it needs to happen now. No one else has two massive structures next to the M1. No one else could change what their city means at a stroke. We've always said that the cooling towers are in a perfect position, and represent both Sheffield 's ugly past and its potentially beautiful future. If E.ON are serious about putting up the money for new artwork, we'd be willing to work with them, alongside others in the community, but only if they're serious about involving local people in a central and meaningful way.'
For more on the petition and the community campaign, visit www.myspace.com/coolingthetowers.
Other news
Big Art Mob scoops award
The Big Art Mob has won the Community Engagement Award at the first Media Guardian Awards for Innovation (MEGAS).
The MEGAS judges, chaired by Peter Bazalgette, former Chief Creative Officer of Big Brother producers Endemol, said that the Big Art Mob 'realised the best of a community experience: collaboration, culture, portability and democratisation'. The project encourages members of the public to send in photos to the Big Art Mob page on this website, via a mobile phone or computer, in order to create the first comprehensive map of public art across the UK.
The Big Art Mob faced strong competition for the award. 'In our first year we had more than 400 entries,' says Jane Martinson, Media Editor of the Guardian. 'The standards were high throughout, suggesting that the pace of change in the industry over the past year has put innovation centre-stage.'
The Big Art Mob has been winning recognition from across the industry. It was nominated for the 2008 BAFTA Interactivity Award, alongside Dr Who, The X Factor and the eventual winner, Spooks. And at the end of last year, the project won the 'On the Move' Royal Television Society Innovations Award. The judges on that occasion described the Big Art Mob as 'a creative project that encourages almost everyone to get involved… a large-scale example of television production in your pocket.'
Adam Gee, New Media Commissioner for Channel 4, called the accolades 'a fantastic present for Channel 4 in its 25th anniversary year'.
'Partnership has been in the DNA of the Channel from its first day,' Gee said, 'and I'd like to thank our fabulous partners at Moblog:tech, Edition and Carbon Media for their outstanding work on the Big Art Mob – and for making it such a fun project to work on. You can sense that in every pixel on the screen.'
Breath of Fresh Air – Parka joins Big Art Mob
The latest photos on the Big Art Mob include contributions from Glaswegian punk-poppers Parka.
Named after the 60s Mod must-have accessory/outer garment, the band kicked off its posting with photos from Glasgow and Bedford Square in London.
The Bedford Square pic captures the sign for a modern art exhibition: a series of inflatable letters spelling out the word "Fresh". Parka's lead vocalist, Matty, explained the image like this: 'I love the idea of an inflatable Fresh. I guess it's got something to do with the word Fresh being filled with air – Fresh Air.'
The image they've chosen from their hometown of Glasgow is a piece of graffiti from a side street off Maryhill Road. Matty again: 'I love this piece just because it's so vibrant. I really liked Mylo's Destroy Rock'n'Roll graffiti that was everywhere a few years back and we've just made some Parka stencils that we've been giving out at gigs… we're going to get into soooo much trouble!'
See Parka's Big Art Moblog page >>
The band, which formed in 2005, is keen on the whole notion of public art in its various forms: 'To us public art is a really personal thing. What one person might think is vandalism might be a work of art to someone else. It depends what you notice and how you react to it.'
Parka's latest release, Disco Dancer, is out on 7th January (2008). For more about the band, check out www.parkamusic.com.
