Rachel Aspinwall, Part Exchange Co & The Engine House’s Artistic Director, reports back on some early days Earthed actvities.
So far in our search for how land art and writing might collaborate, we’ve had writers donning wellies and discovering the sculptural qualities of hawthorn and land artists writing accidental poetry! Getting outside and letting the experience of being in Bristol’s green spaces influence our thinking has been crucial. We all discovered the delights of Stoke Park for the first time too. A really underused green resource that offers incredible views of the city and has an astounding array of types of terrain, wetlands, meadows, woodlands, valleys and hills all stretch out before you, barely used compared to somewhere like Ashton Court.
It is a Heritage estate so protected from the kind of digging and delving we would need to do for Earthed, so we have been exploring other potential green sites for our project too. Places that are currently a bit hidden away or un-loved. Gateway sites to the city. Places with lots of resonances ready to be tapped into.
site photos take by landscape sculptor Mick Petts
In thinking through how Earthed might work for the local community and Bristol citizens in general we’ve been looking at the recommendations for good ‘place making’ by these guys http://www.pps.org/blog/7-ways-to-disrupt-your-public-space/ and Biophilic Cities is a really inspiring initiative worth checking out if, like us, you feel the need for more green in your urban diet biophiliccities.org