Winding Willow Project
June July 2024
Willow Sculpting
Workshop
Arts Dream Selsey and Selsey Community Forum joined forces to run an exciting Sculpture project in The Hidden Garden, Selsey.
This project also received funding from Chichester District Council.
We invited40+ Selsey Residents to join some FREE
Two Day Workshops in June & JULY 2024.
Learning to Weave with willow to create a beautiful Sculpture Trail to be enjoyed by all visitors to The Hidden Garden.
They helped to create domes, arches, screens, tunnels and representational artworks to make a sculptural pathway in the garden.
We were delighted to have international land artists Mark Antony Haden Wood and Rebecca Ford of https://www.twocirclesdesign.co.uk facilitate this project, supported by environmental professionals.
We had around 50 Selsey residents join us over the two weeks. They were up and running, making 3D sculptures with willow within two hours of arriving. Along with artists Mark and Rebecca they created many beautiful pieces which now adorn the Hidden Garden's wooded walkway.
Mark and Rebecca will continue to work on the sculptures, leaving a beautiful sculpture walk for all Selsey residents to enjoy.
Arts Dream Selsey is working on plans for events to incorporate this wonderfully ethereal place. So keep a look out for more information
We invited our volunteers, the artists and local councillors to the launch
Have a look at some of our lovely Sculptors and the works they've created:
More About The Team behind
The Winding Willow Project
Project Team:
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Lead project coordinator: Chris Butler - Director of Arts Dream Selsey
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Project Team: Karen Pirks - Selsey Community Forum and Paul Sadler - Selsey Community Forum and coordinator The Hidden Garden Selsey.
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Artists and Facilitators Mark Antony Haden Ford and Rebecca Ford - Two Circles Design.
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This team will be supported by representatives from other organisations as the project develops.
The Hidden Garden Selsey
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The Hidden Garden Selsey is open to people of all ages and abilities in the Selsey community, organised by the Selsey Community Forum and looked after by a dedicated group of local volunteers.
Located next to the Academy Selsey School, they run events and workshops to teach organic horticulture, wildlife gardening and sustainability. Regular gardening activities for young people take place throughout the year and produce is shared with local residents who attend activities in the garden. -
The Selsey community is encouraged to share and swap spare seeds, plants and gardening equipment throughout the year and there are a variety of perennial plants available to visitors for a donation. The Hidden Garden is open for the National Garden Scheme in 2024 and for the Selsey Garden Trail
The Artists:
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Contemporary artists Mark Antony Haden Ford and Rebecca Ford of Two Circles Design work with natural materials. Working at their studio in Slindon, within the South Downs National Park, making for both public and private sectors.
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Both have a strong interest in the archaeology, geography and wonders of the natural world, drawing on traditions and techniques of willow craft and woodland management. As international environmental artists, their installations and sculptures encompass a wide range of traditional skills and practices.
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They have represented the UK at several International Environmental Land Art events and have created works for South Downs National Park, Venice Biennale, Burberry, Glastonbury Festival, RHS, Grange Opera, Farley Farmhouse, University of Surrey, Slindon College, Kent Wildlife Trust, Arundel Wetlands, Chichester Cathedral, West Dean and Arundel Castle.
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The works of Mark and Rebecca Ford reflects a renewed interest in returning to a slower pace of life, to the art of making something that takes time and effort. The final forms take time to evolve, the nature of the material dictating, in part, the direction and shape. As the willow criss- crosses and interweaves, it creates fluid lines, drawings on a grand scale, a flowing story that stimulates and exhilarates the senses.
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They have taught weaving skills to a variety of different age groups, come highly recommended to offer excellent tuition and are committed to create ‘safe spaces where everyone can contribute and feel valued’.
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For details of their work see:
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Mark and Rebecca Ford Two Circles Design