Designs for the Ash Tree

The ash tree project for medium secure services has been taking shape. The Forest of Avon artists Nick Sneller and Tom Redfern have now finalised their designs to transform the ash tree into several pieces of furniture including a reception desk and seating for visitors as well as decorative features such as planters and ward signs.

These designs were developed following visits to Fromeside Clinic where Tom and Nick talked about their ideas to staff and service users.

See Commissions - Medium Secure Services for more information about their designs.

 

Floor designs for Callington Road

The very first draft designs for the Callington Road commissions were presented early in May 05. Artist Chris Tipping showed his initial ideas for the vinyl flooring for the new CTLM building.

Chris has been working on his concepts for the floor since February this year and has visited Barrow Hospital to consult with staff and service users to hear everyone's views and show examples of his work. The design he presented uses a subtle palette and links a series of symbolic elements and abstract motifs.

See Commissions - Callington Road for more information on Chris' designs.

 

Commissions for Medium Secure Services go live

Artwork commissions for the new medium secure services unit are now underway, the artists will be busy in their studios between now and October 2005 creating their artworks for various spaces in the new unit.

The artists will be installing their finished work in mid October 2005. Watch this space for pictures of the completed artworks.

See Commissions - Medium Secure Services for more information on each commission.

 

Exciting designs for North Somerset

Staff and service users had a viewing of the draft designs for 3 of the North Somerset commissions in May 2005.

Since January the artists have been consulting with staff, service users and carer representatives in North Somerset to hear everyone’s views about the commissions and start putting together some initial ideas.

The draft designs presented were for Elmham Way Glazing, Long Fox Multi Faith Room and Long Fox Privacy Screens.

Christian Ryan has designed calming and simple yet effective glazing designs for both Elmham Way and Long Fox Multi Faith room. Natasha Rampley has designed two seperate textured, tactile and sensory privacy screens for the Long Fox Wards.

See Commissions - North Somerset for more information on each commission.

 

Out of the Woods project underway

An exciting and ambitious partnership project to create beautiful wooden seating and furniture for gardens of the AWP’s Avon facilities was launched in April 2005. AWP is working in partnership with the Forest of Avon on this unique project.

Out of the Woods aims to deliver a collection of benches made from locally harvested, reclaimed, renewable and sustainably sourced timber. It will provide employment for local makers and forest workers and skills development opportunities for service users.

There are also plans for an exhibition and publication showing the many aspects of the project, from the trees used to provide the timber, techniques of making, people involved as well as some examples of the final pieces.

 

School children get creative

Artists Walter Jack, Clare Hudman and David Watson have all held design workshops in the last few months, with schools in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, working with pupils to develop ideas for their commissions.

Walter Jack went to Brislington Enterprise College in March 05 to do the first 2 of 4 workshop sessions. In the first workshops, Walter introduced pupils to examples of good and fun architecture before getting them to make their own abstract sculptures with everyday materials. One workshop participant said: "The workshop was excellent. I learned that you can make Art out of any type of material". The next 2 workshops are about "designing an entranceway".

See Commissions - Callington Road Grounds Artworks for Main Entrance for more information about this commission.

At Baytree Special School and Heronsmoor Primary School in North Somerset, Clare Hudman led workshops to inform the designs for vinyl flooring at Diamond Batch Resource centre. Working on the theme 'where water meets land', children explored colours and mixing paint to create seaside tones and cut paper into shapes of seaside objects. They created tide marks by pouring salt into waves on the ground. Staff and a carers’ representative also attended the workshops.

Children at Priory Secondary School in North Somerset worked with David Watson exploring the theme of ‘treading carefully’. David wanted to explore with the children their own perceptions of mental health and use these views as a starting point for designing the pathways. An ex-service user and a carers representative accompanied David in order to tell the children of their own personal experiences of mental health.

The children were then asked to create masks and to discuss the mask as a symbol and its relation to identity.