A multidisciplinary contemporary arts event organised by a team of committed organisations and individuals will be popping up this Friday at the Bath School of Art and Design.
The Forest of Imagination is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts event popping up this Friday 11th July at the beautiful Bath School of Art and Design campus in Sion Hill
With a playful programme of artworks and creative interventions, it is free to attend, open to all ages, with something for everyone to experience the contemporary arts in an outdoor setting.
Championing contemporary arts and creativity in Bath, Forest of Imagination will transform the gardens at Bath School of Art and Design, Sion Hill, into an imagined, fantastic landscape – a ‘gallery without walls’, involving artists, designers, musicians and performance.
Workshops will be held with artists including Anna Gillespie, Michael Brennand-Wood, Edwina Bridgeman, Jessica Palmer, Mauricio Velasierra and the Natural Theatre Company.
Gavin Turk’s The House of Fairy Tales, with artist and performer Miranda La Mutanta, will create an immersive narrative environment for children and families working with students from Bath Spa University.
Local schools have been engaged in forest related projects in the run-up to the event, and will be taking part in workshops on Friday and Monday.
Having received tremendous support following the initial RSA Kickstarter film for ‘Artspace Bath’, the team behind the Forest of Imagination event would love to invite everyone to enjoy a showcase of the creativity of Bath.
The Forest of Imagination has been organised by a host of Bath creative individuals and organisations, including Grant Associates, 5x5x5=creativity, Ideas of the Mind, Illuminate Bath, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Bath Spa University.
The aim is to engage the City and the people of Bath and beyond in an enjoyable dialogue through the experience of the contemporary arts about the imagination and creativity. The organisers aim to pave the way for a new centre for contemporary creativity that will include a new contemporary art space in Bath.
Penny Hay, Senior Lecturer at Bath Spa University said: “Forest of Imagination is an experience for all ages. We want to engage everyone in a conversation about creativity and imagination.
“This gallery without walls celebrates creativity in the city bringing together a whole host of creative individuals and organisations to show our collective imagination. We want to put Bath on the map for contemporary arts and design.”
Andrew Grant, Director of Grant Associates, the landscape architects responsible for the design of Forest of Imagination, added: “The idea behind this project is to capture the invisible creative spirit of Bath and stimulate people’s imagination through a rich variety of contemporary artforms.”
The Forest of Imagination is held in partnership with Bath School of Art and Design, Bath Spa University and a host of Bath’s creative individuals and organisations including, RSA, 5x5x5=creativity, Grant Associates, Herman Miller, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Illuminate Bath and Ideas of the Mind.
The project is kindly supported by Herman Miller Cares, Arts Council England, Bath and North East Somerset Council, RSA, the Loveday Charitable Trust, Wyevale Nurseries and Bath Spa University.
Penny Hay launched a fundraising scheme through Kickstarter, the online crowd-funding platform, to secure initial funds for the installation, supported by the RSA.
The event grew from conversations about the need for a permanent contemporary arts space in Bath and was the first RSA project to reach its crowd-funded target. Herman Miller, RSA and B&NES have since provided additional funding. Forest of Imagination has also had the honour of being the RSA’s 2014 ‘Big Idea’ with the RSA due to hold its annual conference at the Forest on Saturday 12th July 2014.
For more information visit www.forestofimagination.com.