In August 2011 I took part in a Red Nile Projects Factory Nights event in Stoke. http://www.rednile.org. The Factory Nights series give creative people of all disciplines a chance to visit, learn about and be inspired by a venue or location. In this case 25 of us took a tour of the Stoke National Garden Festival Park, one of six parks created on old industrial sites around the country during the 1980’s. Led by artist Anna Francis we explored and discussed the creation of the park in 1986, the heyday with visitors travelling from around the country to view the show gardens and public artworks by the likes of Anthony Gormley and Cornelia Parker, through to the gradual decline in use of the park to today when very few people in Stoke use or even know of the park.
Red Nile offer out commissions to the artists who take part in their events. These commissions are open to interpretation and could be for artists to research a theme that has sparked their interest, to create a new piece of work, to re-explore a past piece of work or to collaborate with another creative that you have met on the day. The program provides a truly unique opportunity.
My commission will see the creation of giant textile flowers. This commission is a continuation, exploration and development of the series of giant crocheted and fabric craft daffodils which I made last year which were displayed in shop and library windows and then toured summer musical festivals. The new work will be installed on a hill in the park which overlooks a huge retail park during an event in April. The work will explore using the giant blooms to engage people with the world around them.
This work is inspired by the magazine Woman’s Weekly who sponsored two of the gardens on the site; a cottage garden and a wildflower garden. Woman’s Weekly, amongst other things, regularly features knit and crochet patterns and gardening tips. This connection appealed to me as it is present in my work; using traditional textiles crafts to explore the natural world.
The themes and research of this commission will feed into my residency in Parson Cross on the Yorkshire Artspace Starter Studio Program for Engaged Practice. Particularly with a view to looking at ways of regenerating and re-engaging with green spaces.