An exciting, innovative and collaborative approach to informing future public realm work in Ryde is underway.
Ryde Arts are delighted to be working with Eleanor Goulding and Russell Denman from the Dorset-based studio Denman+Gould on ‘The Blueprint Project’.
As part of the Blueprint project, Eleanor and Russell are leading a series of community workshops over the next few months that explore the colour, pattern and form integral to Ryde’s natural and built environment.
The workshops are centred around experimentation and form part of a research and development phase that will highlight how the design and construction of future public realm work can draw from the town’s existing assets.
Abi Wheeler, Creative Director of Ryde Arts said:
“We are thrilled to have Eleanor and Russell as lead artists on the Blueprint project. They bring with them expertise drawn from working in public spaces and a sensitivity to place, process and materials.”
The project started in early September with a free open access Anthotype workshop in Appley Park. An Anthotype is an image created using photosensitive material from plants. Participants collected plants and leaves from Appley, then experimented with the process of creating natural plant emulsions using sunlight to expose the prints. The results of this, and future workshops, will be displayed in the window studio of Department, forming part of Denman and Gould’s ongoing body of research.
Denman and Gould said:
“UNESCO Biosphere reserve status is about a happy relationship between the natural and human world. In the Blueprint project we are exploring what this means for the community in Ryde and how to reflect this in our public spaces to bring cultural distinctiveness and create a strong sense of place.”
Autumn workshops will further investigate colour and pattern using resources such as oak galls and minerals derived from locally significant construction materials. Details of open access workshops can be found on the Ryde Arts website and will be advertised via our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The Blueprint project responds to the consultation findings commissioned by the Ryde Heritage Action Zone programme and consultation feedback for the Ryde interchange work. The project is sympathetic to the aspirations of the Ryde Place Plan and to the cultural objectives of the Ryde Town Council Commercial Strategy. Ryde Arts value the benefits of an artist-led approach to public realm design and construction and advocate for imaginative problem-solving in our public spaces. Blueprint has been funded by Arts Council England with support from Ryde Town Council and Sovereign Housing.
