A series of community art workshops and events will begin next month to give local people the opportunity to have a hand in creating a new public art and nature project at UWE Bristol’s Frenchay Campus.
Artists Juneau Projects have been selected to create the space and will be working with the local community over the next 12 months.
The Juneau Projects duo, Philip Duckworth and Ben Sadler, invite UWE Bristol students and staff, local residents and schools to join them for Bryophyte* Club – a programme of free, creative workshops and explorations of overlooked but vital nature - and get hands-on with the design and construction of a sculpture garden in a new student accommodation village on the campus.
On completion, the sculpture garden will also be used as a community space, with the aim to be a welcoming place for students, staff and local people alike to sit, rest, meet and enjoy for years to come.
Arnolfini and UWE Bristol are commissioning this public art project with the collective goal of bringing artists and communities together to co-create ambitious and exciting artworks and experiences in local neighbourhoods, with people, place and conversations at its heart.
They are keen to hear from individuals and groups who would like to have a hand in the creation of the sculpture garden, meet new people and gain skills in making with clay, wood, printmaking, plants and more. Anyone who is interested to take part, find out more or simply say hello can email publicart@arnolfini.org.uk.
The project kicks off with an exhibition on Arnolfini’s second floor - Meet Juneau Projects - running from 8 October to 30 October 2022, showcasing Juneau Projects’ previous work and providing an opportunity to learn more about the project.
* bryophytes (brai·uh·fites) are a group of plants that include mosses, lichens, liverworts and hornworts. In the UK there are around 1100 species of bryophyte.
Who are Juneau Projects?
Juneau Projects specialise in collaborative public artworks, developed with and for the communities that will interact with them on a day-to-day basis.
Working across a broad range of media including sculpture, animation, print making, performance and music, as well as public art, their practice looks at the relationship between society, culture and the natural world, bringing people together to work with them in a hands-on way.
In response to being selected for this commission, Juneau Projects said: “We are looking forward to meeting the staff and students of UWE Bristol and the local community around Frenchay Campus. We are keen to work with them to create something that is a celebration of the way nature can integrate itself and hope that making space for nature, even in the smallest places can be part of the message of the piece.”
“We encourage participants in the project to help develop these ideas and create, in a hands-on way, the final sculptures. We will be working with the university and contractor, VINCI Building, to site the pieces in a location where they will be both visually striking and create a unique area for contemplation for the whole community.”
How were the artists selected?
Juneau Projects were among four artists commissioned to develop a proposal for the project. The decision was made by a panel made up of representatives from Arnolfini, UWE Bristol, the student community and local schools. On the panel were: Rania Regaieg, UWE Bristol Students’ Union Vice President Community and Welfare; Sarah Laws, Deputy Headteacher, Glenfrome Primary School, Eastville (close to the Frenchay Campus); William Liew, Chief Financial Officer, UWE Bristol; Marianne Reed, Head of Business Change (Place), UWE Bristol; Vivienne Jowett, Head of Accommodation Services, UWE Bristol; Gary Topp, Executive Director, Arnolfini; and, Alix Rothnie, Projects Producer, Arnolfini.
Sarah Laws, Deputy Head at Glenfrome Primary School said: “I was honoured to be invited to join the panel. Juneau Projects’ sculptures are inclusive and inspiring and will be perfect to enrich the campus environment and local area. Juneau Projects value community involvement, therefore it’s an exciting time for us at Glenfrome Primary School as we await the collaboration opportunities for our children.
“I know that our children will not only relish the chance to be creative, they will be excited and proud of what they personally achieve but also feel as though they have contributed to the awe and wonder that the sculptures will bring! This is a fantastic opportunity for us and we cannot wait for the project to begin.”
The sculpture garden at the Frenchay Campus is part of UWE Bristol’s new student accommodation, which is a low carbon development being built to the highest Passivhaus sustainability standard. Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling. These standards will help UWE Bristol achieve their sustainability goals outlined in the University’s 2030 strategy.
William Liew, UWE Bristol’s Chief Financial Officer, added: “This is an exciting public art project which we hope will provide a long-term benefit to the local community, by creatively connecting Frenchay Campus to those who live and work nearby, as well as providing a positive impact for future students who will make the new student accommodation their home in years to come.”
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