Celebrating Swindon
International artists Simon Grennan and Christopher Sperandio started work on the Celebrating Swindon project in November 2002 when they began visiting and talking to people from all walks of life in Swindon, both at the local Asda store and out and about in the town. Their task was to try and find out what gives Swindon its unique character. Their work has resulted in a year-long project designed to reflect the people they have met and the places they have discovered.
The first part of Celebrating Swindon, entitled Shifting Gear was launched in November 2002 and ran until May 2003. It involved a billboard at the entrance to the store, a double decker bus and billboards on bus routes from the town centre to the store, all displaying portraits of local residents created by the artists in their cartoon style.
To complement Shifting Gear, an exciting education project called Visioning Asda with Hreod Parkway School took place summer 2002 when artist Jane Brake worked with Year Ten students to develop images of the Asda store and surrounding area.
For full details of the project and images go to the Swindon Artscape Website - http://www.swindon.gov.uk/celebrating_swindon
