Story telling seating area

I am currently working in Acton Park creating a Story telling seating area.

In celebration of  the “Roots to the fruit project” as part of Black history month 2011.

I’ve been working with community elders and local children to create carved imagery for the Seating area.

The London Plane timber was donated by Ealing Council from a previously felled specimen.

The wood carves very well and has a distinctive grain pattern somtimes called lacewood due to its likeness to the patterns of lacework.

The project has been supported by Acton Arts Forum and The Apple Art block.

 The work is to be unveiled on Nov 5th 2011, 2-5pm.

More on my work at www.timnorris.co.uk

Willow House Sculpture, Exmoor National Park, Somerset

These photos were taken on my recent visit to check progress and tie in new growth.

Since I planted the willow, approx 2003/4  this work has been vandalised and eaten by a variety of animals, mostly wild deer,  stray cows and sheep, they seem to love the fresh shoots.  Finally, due to the temporary ramshackle fence now around the structure, the work is starting to take shape.  It’s now strong enough in places to take my weight!

Sculpture For Oxford Brookes University

Artist Tim Norris is currently on site at Oxford Brookes University Campus.  Working on site to complete the sculptural seating feature for the nature park .

The sculpture is constructed from Oxfordshire Green Oak, Soil and Grass. The location is home to a number of rare grassland species including the White bee orchid. Tim hopes the wild flowers will also collonise the sculpture.

The work is due to be completed in Jan 2011.

Further images of Tim’s work can be found at www.timnorris.co.uk

Wrapping of William IV pub

Featuring the famous wrapping of the William IV pub, the second in a series of retrospective blogs on past Art in the Park projects.

In 2007, Art in the Park was commissioned by Creation Trust to ‘wrap’ the derelict William IV pub.

This mammoth task involved a team of AiP artists, Bill Hudson, Tim Norris, Andrea Sinclair and Jill Newman, as well as collaborative effort from 3 local schools in the borough (Michael Faraday, Walworth Academy, Surrey Square Infants School).

The Concept and Construction

A jungle theme was decided upon and Bill and Tim went ahead to receive training on operating cherry pickers and Hilti guns (nail guns). The arctic camouflage, appropriately named ‘Camo Net’ was used to wrap the pub itself and came fire proofed from a specialist camouflage manufacturer. The artic camouflage is not actually used by those in the artic but it worked well for this project’s theme.

Artist Bill Hudson, the project’s coordinator explains,

The Arctic Camouflage highlights the details of a disused building thatwas one of the last pubs near Burgess Park. Usually Camouflage is used to hide or conceal something but Art in the Park is hoping to draw attention to a building which people would usually blank out because of its dilapidated state.

An Enchanted Forest theme was also used. Andrea and Jill headed workshops with local school children to develop the theme. The resulting artwork had been attached to the hoardings surrounding the building.

Drama!

The project had its ups and down, one occuring during the first few days of construction, with the Facelift cherry pickers breaking down midway! Artist Tim Norris found himself hovering several metres up unable to move! Luckily, Bill Hudson remembered the instructions given for such an incident and managed to rescue Tim. What drama!

Completion

All in all the project tooks two weeks to put up, with 1 1/2 of it on the actual wrapping and the rest spent on the artwork surrounding the building.

The result has transformed a derelict building into a local talking point. Artist and education workshop co-ordinator Andrea Sinclair, said,

We are reminding passers-by of its location in a rare green oasis in this part of London and giving a suggestion of its green and environmentally aware future.

Later in the summer, children from Michael Faraday School came to create further artwork for the building, working with a ‘dancers in trees’ theme.

For complete set of pictures of the project.

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