Road for the Future
Date uploaded: May 9, 2012
ROAD FOR THE FUTURE
Anna Best
Adam Chodzko
Judith Dean
Anna Lucas
Sunday 3 June for one day only, at Powerstock Common, Bridport, Dorset
Three new temporary art commissions will be presented on Powerstock Common, a remote Nature Reserve near Bridport on Sunday 3 June, 11am – 4pm, as part of Road For The Future, an ambitious artist-run project in rural West Dorset,. The artists, internationally known Adam Chodzko, London-based film maker Anna Lucas and Jerwood sculpture prize winner Judith Dean have worked in residence on the Common as well as remotely for a year. Their work includes performances, videos, and a film screening pedal powered by Magnificent Revolution. The day also includes charcoal making and storytelling workshops for children, led by the Treewise Co-op. The Kingcombe Centre, a local Environmental Studies hub, will run a a pop-up café on the Common all day.
Road for the Future is a collaborative art project initiated by artist Anna Best in response to a local proposal by Sustrans for a new Right of Way along the disused Maiden Newton to Bridport railway line in the Dorset countryside. The project is motivated by a desire to support this vision, which seems so timely, practical and sustainable, but which is encountering some local opposition. The artists are dealing with broader concerns of public access, the politics of conservation and the countryside and humanity’s cycles of colonisation and collapse.
Anna Best says: 'I believe art is a space where it’s possible to imagine things differently, to be less pragmatic, to discuss and evolve ideas, which can then feed into our visions for the future.'
Film maker Anna Lucas says: 'I wanted to get past the classic pastoral beauty of the landscape and find out more about the people who's passion and expertise helps to sustain it. I would cut this too - The three men I filmed are as much part of their landscape as the plants and animals they work with, and I was fascinated by the temporal rhythm and directness of their activity alongside the underlying complexities of rural life.'
A Futurology brunch event, chaired by Sophie Hope, at the local Bridport Arts Centre on Monday 4th June, 11am – 1pm will enable further discussion and debate with the artists of the issues they have tackled. This follows illustrated talks with discussion given by the four artists during the winter months at the local village hall.
Road for the Future is the first project of unincorporatedcollaborations. The project has been developed with the support of many partners including the Dorset Wildlife Trust which owns and manages Powerstock Common. It is funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, West Dorset District Council, Ernest Cook Trust, Artsway Associates and Dorset Design and Heritage Forum.
Event Details:
Sunday 3 June, 11am – 4pm
Powerstock Common and Copse Barn
Free
11am - 4pm: Film by Anna Lucas, screened with Pedal Power (continuous loop)
11.30am: Video and Performance / Walk by Judith Dean
12pm - 1.30pm: Treewise children’s workshop: Charcoal making
2pm: Performance by Adam Chodzko
2.30pm: Video and Performance / Walk by Judith Dean
3pm - 4.30pm: Treewise children’s workshop: Journey sticks storytelling
11am - 4pm: Video by Adam Chodzko at Copse Barn (continuous loop)
Monday 4 June, 11am – 1pm
Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR
Free
Brunch and discussion chaired by Sophie Hope, with artists Anna Best, Adam Chodzko, Anna Lucas and Judith Dean. Sophie Hope's futurology workshops take time travel as a facilitation method to reveal the different hopes and fears people have about life now but through the lens of the future.
Contact for further details: Anna Best,
email: [email protected]; tel: 07810 374 745
