Common Place – everywhere means something to someone

Common Place – everywhere means something to someone

The call-out to Artists:

The aim of the project is to create socially engaged research activities that explore new ways of experiencing familiar surroundings to capture the spirit of a place. The project will focus on the historic parkland in the Bloomfield area of Bath. In this post-lockdown period, our parish and park is our human-scale space in which to work. Capture small scale, our sense of history and future, our love of place and the natural world.

Starting ideas to develop through co-creation;

• Psychogeography elements across the work.

• Mapping through walking, looking in and looking out of the space.

• Walking to the park and link to other parks and greenspaces.

• Drifting vs. Structured time spent in the place.

• Making through experimentation

• Making in situ.

• Making with materials found/foraged in the park (wild clay, spring water, natural inks and dyes).

• Making through conversation – finding histories and stories.

• Embrace the season and climate.

Sustainability:

The artist’s chosen materials should focus on sustainability and low cost. The material basis for the work is ‘of the earth’ in various forms plus simple paper. Walking and foraging materials will aim to reduce the impact of the project further.

Background on location:

Moorlands Park was previously an uplands waste area and marshland known as moor/moorland. The park has a rich history, with Grade 2 Englishcombe Court at its heart, the home of Anne Sewell. Horses in the land surrounding the house inspired her book, Black Beauty. In the post-war period, Moorlands Schools and the Moorlands Estate were built in. It was viewed as a model for social housing with extensive green space in addition to the land left for public space. The area, once just seen as a green space, is now recognised by BANES as a park. Its key features are mature trees, new planting projects, and views across to Alexandra Park, Victoria Park and the Royal Crescent.

To submit your work:

Please email the Curator to register your interest ASAP: place@fringeartsbath.co.uk if you would like to join the project group and work together.

We will be starting to work in February 2024 and welcome people to join the group over the following months. 

The initial plan is to have a few opportunities to meet up hopefully one will suit you. We will walk through the park and discuss the project and where it might take us.  Please let me know which one you can make any of the following:

• In Moorlands Park: Wednesday 7th February 11-1pm

• Zoom call: Thursday 8th February 7-8pm

• In Moorlands Park: Saturday 17th February 2-4pm 

• In Moorlands Park: Sunday 25th February 10-12pm

Meeting point for Moorlands Park: the gate off Englishcombe Lane, opposite number 51 Englishcombe Lane, Bath BA2 2EE. What three words link: ///quiet.closer.joins

Fringe Arts Bath Festival will take place 24 May to 9 June 2024

• Free submission. All are welcome to apply, of any age, status, and from anywhere in the world.

• If selected we ask Artists to give some of their time, as we are all volunteers. Please read our FAQs here to find out more.

• See all 20 projects open to submissions on our home page: fringeartsbath.co.uk