Projects

PHOTO GALLERY 2

50a Gallery Artwork by University of Cumbria students Artwork by Emma Perry Trevor Kirkwood,J Deller & Alan Kane Donald Brownrigg with his models made from the iron ore dust from Florence Mine young people from thornhill, taking an active roll in caring for their enviroment. Creative Egremont newsletter Article about CE radio, with thanks to Peter Watson http://www.egremont-today.com Music workshop, making CDs

VIRTUAL EGREMONT

Egremont has so much to offer. Check out what, at http://www.virtualegremont.co.uk

PHOTO GALLERY

NEW PHOTO GALLERY PHOTOGRAPHS OF EGREMONT & SURROUNDING AREAS, SHOWING ALL THINGS CREATIVE THAT PEOPLE GET UP TO. THE FOLK FLOAT OUT AND ABOUT Photos Karen Storr THORNHILL PHOTOGRAPHERS MAY DAY CELEBRATIONS, EGREMONT CASTLE. EGREMONT IS A FAIR TRADE TOWN ARTWORK BY LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN artist, sarah manders

APPLE TREE PLANTING, COMMUNITY ORCHARD

DIY Regneration

DIY Regeneration DIY REGENERATION is part of Junction, a series of artist's projects for Kings Cross, commissioned by Camden Arts Centre and supported by Bloomberg and the Wellcome Trust.

YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHERS

Youthworks in Egremont had some photography workshops for the young people who attend the centre. Twelve of the photographs were chosen to be put on the hoardings around the old Castle Cinema

COMMUNITY ORCHARD

Creative People Day

A Creative People day was held in Egremont Methodist Church Hall on the 15th November. Over fifty people of all ages (the youngest being two) exhibited the creative things they do at home or in small groups. The work exhibited ranged from pencil drawings, sewing and wind chimes made from old cutlery to Sloe Gin, jam and gingerbread. It was a great day had by all.

The Greasy Pole by Jeremy Deller & Alan Kane

Jan 08

We’re delighted to announce the instatement of the Egremont Greasy Pole as the first public sculpture by Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller, and Alan Kane, who have a long association with the town through its inclusion their ‘Folk Archive’ collection.
As part of the town’s annual Crab Fair, locals competed to ascend the Pole and win the prize (usually some meat!) located at its top. It was removed for safety reasons from the town centre in 2003 and it’s now replaced by an updated carbon fibre version.

This commission will establish the Pole in the Egremont’s Market Place, operating as a significant contemporary work of art, heritage artefact, iconic landmark and sporting apparatus. The new Pole is constructed of advanced and low maintenance materials with the main structure fabricated in carbon fibre by the one of UK’s leading racing yacht mast manufacturers, Formula Spars. In addition it has a decorative collar which prevents the structure from being climbed outside the Crab Fair, yet can be ritually raised to its top at the start of Crab Fair week, in order to hold the prize.

Rob Merrett of the Crab Fair Archive said

We are delighted; not just because we desperately wanted the Pole back, but also because it was important to get in training for the 2012 Olympics, when we hope to feel the full benefit of the Cultural Olympiad. Even up here.

The Greasy Pole ceremony, led by The Worshipful Mayor of Copeland, Cllr Anne Faichney, Jamie Reed MP and the artists, will commence at 1200 noon on Saturday 19 January in the Market Place. Everyone is welcome!

anewgreasypole.pdf

Egremont Castle Performance Structure

DESIGNERS from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and United States are now competing in the final round of the competition to transform our historic Norman castle into a unique all weather events venue.

The final shortlist of three for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Open Design Competition is Jean Gilles Decosterd, from Lausanne, Switzerland; Yehre Suh and Justin Kwok, from Brooklyn, USA; and Moxon with Built Engineers from London. They were selected from 27 entrants from across the globe at the first round selection in October.

The competition is to design a removable performance pavilion that can be erected inside the central baille of the 12th Century Castle to host concerts, plays and other public events, regardless of the weather. All three of the shorlisted designs demonstrated an innovative approach to balancing the need for a striking performance area with the historically sensitive and dramatic surroundings of the castle.

Ann Morton, from the Egremont and Area Regeneration Partnership and Friends of the Castle, said

By working closely together our organisations have brought to fruition a long standing dream to have an all weather venue for events that compliments sympathetically the Castle’s original architecture and ambience

Alistair Hudson, of Grizedale Arts, said:

All three of the short listed entries have the potential to provide a landmark piece of architecture that is also of great benefit and use to the community and West Cumbria.

What I found particularly exciting was the application of the latest technical building techniques to ensure the sensitive treatment the castle structure and to bring this historic building back into the life of the community.

Ann-Marie Cowperthwaite, Project Manager at West Lakes Renaissance, said:

The competition is really starting to heat up now.

Providing new facilities for culture and the arts is an important part of the regeneration push in Egremont for the benefit of the local community and visitors alike. We are now looking forward to seeing them further developed as concepts and this exciting project moving closer towards becoming a reality.

The shortlist announcement comes a fortnight after the 27 entries were displayed at Egremonts Methodist Church Hall, giving local residents the chance to view them and then indicate their favourite.

The overall winner of the competition will be announced in late November following an interview presentation to a board of judges on November 16. The winning design will be chosen to be put forward for funding and taken forward as part the Egremont Regeneration strategy.

Folk Float

The Egremont Folk Archive is an ambitious project to consider a new kind of museum for Egremont - a living museum that uses historic and contemporary creativity to document and sustain the unique culture of this area. A study is underway to establish if and how such a resource could develop in Egremont.
The MOBILE Folk Archive project aka Folk Float (pictured above) paves the way for this initiative with a new commission by art / architecture collective public works, to develop and realise an inspiring, thought-provoking and accessible Mobile Folk Archive to tour the region throughout summer 2007, displaying artifacts, collecting new ones from local people and engaging the public.

Here’s a workshop image of our 2nd hand float in the process of being customised by Formet in Cambs, with still a little way to go! We launched in early September 2007 and are touring the town and outlying villages as well as attending many local events including the Crab Fair....

Come and visit the Folk Float website here at www.folkfloat.org, where you can follow our progress and see what the Float has on show.

Have a look at some of Public Works’ other work on www.publicworksgroup.net and
www.mobileporch.net
Or check out this nice site about Milk Floats in general
Download the commission details as a pdf

With thanks to the Merrett family for their ongoing support of the project<

Find out more about this project...

Egremont FM

Feb. 07 - March 07

Short-term community radio station featuring content from people of all ages in and around Egremont - we did a month of programming from mid Feb 07 - mid March 07, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, broadcasting from Young Cumbria’s Youth Centre in Wyndham Way.
The station was not only on FM radio, but also available as a web radio station and as a podcast download from the website - so if you missed it you can always listen again!

If you’re into radio check out Grizedale Arts’ Brick FM, Resonance FM and You Are Hear for cheese-free, fresh approaches to what local radio can be! BBC Cumbria’s ‘Telling Lives’ series is also an inspiring collection of local stories to look at.

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Egremont Castle Lighting

Ongoing

An exciting children’s competition to design a new lighting scheme for the town’s Norman castle has taken place, gaining more than 50 entries.

After judging in April 07 we exhibited all the entries in the town’s Market Hall and library. The winning entry by Jason Hayton, from Ehenside School, will be developed by a leading lighting company and made into a scheme ready for opening in winter 07.

With thanks to the Friends of the Castle and West Lakes Renaissance for their support.

Egremont Crab Fair Gurning Webcast

September 06

Creative Egremont webcast the (in)famous Egremont Crab Fair evening entertainments live to the world: Kids’ Talent Contest, Junior Gurning, Hornblowing, Hunting Songs, Womens’ Gurning and - the finale - the 2006 Mens’ Gurning Championships.

The exclusive webcast archive is now online so you can re-live the evening again!
These files are Quicktime movies - so don’t try and watch them unless you have broadband!

Singer Don Mackay performs (58 mins)
Pipe-smoking Contest (11 mins)
Horn-blowing (16 mins)
Hunting & Comic Songs (25 mins)
Ladies Gurning (25 mins)
NEW!!Kids Gurning Prize-winner (3 mins)
World Gurning Championship (17 mins)
World Gurning Championship Prizewinning Finale (12 mins)

Juneau/Projects: Ban This!

September 06

Artist duo Juneau/Projects (Ben Sadler & Phil Duckworth) worked with young people from Egremont on a one-day musicmaking workshop - each participant wrote and recorded a new song...Watch out X Factor.

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Thornhill Bus Shelter Refurbishment

July / August 06

As part of Egremont’s ‘Gateways Strategy’, the towns bus shelters are due to be replaced with new designs. As an alternative, intermediate approach, Creative Egremont are proposing that the existing shelters could be refurbished by groups from the town, making personal and meaningful statements, offering another way approach to landscape design.

As a pilot project, the youth of Thornhill Village, to the south of the town, were approached to work with Creative Egremont to re-vision the bus shelter on the green.

Egremont 06 Folk Art Weekender

June 16-18

An interactive webcast conference on the future of public art, ‘Face Off’ documentary film screening & art fair featuring local artist / makers.

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Creative Audit

Ongoing

As part of our project we are doing an ongoing survey of creative activity of all kinds in and around Egremont. Perhaps you paint portraits; take photos; customize bikes; make music; do interior design; collect things; style hair; play an instrument; write stories; sew, knit or embroider; bake; grow or arrange flowers; upholster furniture; make models, greetings cards, films, rugs or sculptures...?

It doesn’t matter if you have never shown your work to anyone before - we are not looking for ‘professionals’ just local people doing interesting things.

Find out more about this project...

Egremont Main Street

Ongoing

Researching ways to make the Main Street ‘event-ready’ with power, lighting and wireless broadband Internet & commissioning artists projects for events such as the annual Torchlight Parade.

Egremont Folk Archive

Ongoing

Contributing to long-term development of a permanent town resource and a short-term mobile folk archive project - the Folk Float- by artists Public Works which will tour the local area in summer 07.

Temporary environmental projects

Ongoing

Including roundabout plantings and customised bus shelters.

Egremont web portal

Ongoing

Contributing to long-term development of an online community resource.

Exhibitions / live events

Ongoing

Both in the town and at major events including the 2006 Liverpool Biennale.