ArtHouse Jersey is excited to launch Skipton Big Ideas 2020, a new multi-sensory, immersive art experience. They have invited internationally acclaimed & local artists, architects and designers to transform the St Helier Town Church and its grounds into a dramatic exploration of three topical themes relevant to modern society:
Sustainability
We live in an era of environmental emergency. How can we reflect on and learn from the rise in consumer goods and increase in throw away culture? What role does repurposing play both artistically and economically?
Identity
Where and from whom do we get our sense of identity? How important is cultural identity? What does community mean to us and how does this manifest on a local or global level?
Accessibility
Are arts and cultural spaces accessible to all? How can art works speak to all the senses?
In total, 34 talented international and local creatives are contributing to this large-scale ambitious project, including multi-award-winning architect and designer Pippa Nissen of Nissen Richards Studio, who has worked with some of the world’s leading cultural institutions such as the British Museum, the V&A & the Modern Art Museum.
Skipton Big Ideas is designed to engage and involve the whole community and ArtHouse Jersey have designed the project to stimulate hopeful discussion in the face of huge environmental and societal challenges. The project will engage all of the senses with visitors invited to interact with 12 experiential installations and performances that feature multiple artforms, including sculpture, textiles, digital and projection.
The Walking Gallery
One key feature of the project is the Walking Gallery, a kind of fashion show, which features 20 wearable creations designed by local artists. One of the artists, Mari Keto, combines jewellery in her installations and portraits. Pictured here, a honeycomb necklace forms part of an experience that engages all five of the senses.
Phoenix
Taking inspiration from Lisbon based artist Joana Vasconcelos, local artists Margarida Lourenco and Kerry Jane Warner are working together to produce ‘Phoenix’, a collaborative community art piece featuring the work of 15 local primary schools. Using a combination of traditional crafts such as weaving, knitting, binding and sewing, they hope to create an impactful visualisation of the diverse tapestry of our local community.
Jim Coupe, Managing Director of Skipton International, sponsors of the project, said:
“This multi-sensory exhibition is designed to explore the diversity of our local community and the underlying & important impact of an individual or minority group. Having this theme explored by some of the youngest members of our community is an important perspective to draw on, especially when it considers the increasingly important role of sustainability. We are looking forward to seeing how these smaller expressions of identity form part of a larger picture of our local community.”
