PASW Regional Newsletter: Spring 2002
Regional Projects - 'Lightshift' in the Forest of Dean
During an eight week period in September and October 2001, an extraordinary collaboration of artists, foresters and students worked intensively to create a light based performance event in the Forest of Dean. 'Lightshift' was the result, an artist-led project which aimed to revive interest and bring back confidence in the Forest, closed to visitors and residents for 5 months during the foot and mouth outbreak.
Artists Mark Anderson of Blissbody and Robin Blackledge developed a concept and body of work for a journey through a small section of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail. Into the trail the artists injected installations of sound, light, projection, fire and pyrotechnics that amazed people for seven nights at the end of October. 'Lightshift' comprised thirty installations including works by Lulu Quinn and Julie Westerman, Tony Sinden, Elise Hurcombe, a young sound artist from the Forest of Dean, and David Gibbons from Urban Projects.
Lulu Quinn & Julie Westman:
Lightshift Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust.
The whole event drew an audience of over 40,000 from all over the South West of England. It was amazing to see such a range of challenging works achieved in such a limited period of time and in a very unusual environment. Coupled with special excitement of the Forest being opened up at night, the work was extremely successful, engaging and inspiring the audience, which grew with every performance.
"A vital outcome of this project was to attract local people back into the Forest - to help them feel good again about their Forest and their community, and reinforce a local cultural sense of the Forest being special" Lesley Greene, Chair of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust.
Sam Wilkinson
Project Co-ordinator