The Big Art Project in Sutton Manor

'A forward-looking artwork that will put St.Helens on the map and symbolise the positive post-industrial transformation of the Borough in recent years.'

'Dream' by Jaume Plensa will be installed in Sutton Manor in time for the start of C4's Big Art Project. The four part TV series begins on Nov. 23rd 2008.

What is the Big Art Project?

The Big Art Project is one of the most ambitious UK national public art commissioning programmes ever undertaken. It’s both a community-led public art scheme and a Channel 4 prime-time TV series. Seven landmark public artworks are going to be created across the UK, including one in Sutton, St.Helens. Each are being filmed by independent production company Carbon Media for transmission on Channel 4 in May '08.

What are the aims of the Big Art Project?

The aim of the Big Art Project is to leave a lasting physical legacy as well as inspire local communities and promote national debate about the impact of art on people’s lives.

Which sites have been chosen?

Twenty thousand sites were originally nominated by their own communities. The winning sites are Burnley, Cardigan, Isle of Mull, Newham in East London, North Belfast and Sheffield, plus, of course, Sutton in St.Helens.

Where exactly in Sutton will the artwork be located?

The old spoil heap at the former Sutton Manor Colliery

The artwork will be sited at the apex of the former spoilheap at the old Sutton Manor Colliery (aka Sutton Manor Woodland - see pic right). At 270 feet above sea level and overlooking the M62, the new artwork will rise above the landscape and be visible for miles around. It’s expected that it will serve as a new regional icon for the NorthWest.

Will this artwork be a mining monument?

St.Helens folk are very proud of their mining heritage. Although the artwork probably won’t be a literal representation of the site's mining history, it is expected that it will commemorate and celebrate the past, whilst looking forward to a bright future ahead. As it will be directly facing Fiddlers Ferry power station (see pic right), the artwork will no doubt capture the energy and positivity of the locale. The working title is Ex-Terra Lucem - out of the earth comes light.

Who is paying for the St.Helens Big Art Project?

Members of the St.Helens Big Art Project Focus Group at Sutton Manor

It is being delivered as a partnership between the Channel 4 Big Art Trust and St.Helens Council, with Liverpool Biennial serving as curator. There is also active involvement of a St.Helens Big Art Project Community Focus Group comprising former mineworkers from Sutton Manor Colliery. No council tax funding whatsoever, is paying for the St.Helens Big Art Project. It will cost £1.3million in total and over £800,000 of funding has already been secured withß £200,000 from the Forestry Commission, £228,000 from the North West Coalfield Communities Regeneration Programme and £100,000 from the St.Helens Local Enterprise Growth Initiative.

What progress has been made so far in St.Helens?

•   A detailed brief has been created to guide the chosen artist. Click HERE to see the brief.

•   Members of the Big Art Project Focus Group have made a research trip to the Ruhr Valley in Germany seeking inspiration from public art there.

•   The Big Art Project was launched to invited guests from the region's business, arts and regeneration communities at the World of Glass on March 28th, 2007. See St.Helens Council story HERE.

•   The St.Helens Big Art Project was previewed on Channel 4 on April 30th in 'Three Minute Wonder - Watch This Space' which provided a taster for the 2008 series. Former St.Helens miners walked in the Manor Woodland as St.Helens comedian Johnny Vegas read Brian Salkeld's touching poem 'Memories'. Click HERE to view a video of the complete programme (allow a few seconds to load).

Channel 4 Big Art Project in St Helens
A still from Channel 4's 'Three Minute Wonder - Watch This Space' (tx 30/08/07)

•   A shortlisting evening was held in May in which a renowned Catalan artist was invited to submit a proposal for the work of art.

•   JUNE 18th 2007 - a series of community engagement programmes began with a week-long ‘archi-truck’ stationed in Church Square, St.Helens which contained a Big Art Video Booth and a Big Art Record Book in which the public were invited to record their views on public art.

•   JUNE 23rd - a Big Art Site Tour took place at the former Sutton Manor Colliery site led by former miners. Those attending were informed of it's history, the Forestry Commission-managed regeneration of what is now an open space and the background to the Big Art Project.

•   A Proposal has been submitted by the chosen artist and will be considered by the steering group during w/c 25th JUNE. The group will decide whether to accept his proposal on the grounds of how well it fits the stringent brief criteria. No doubt aesthetic considerations will be made too. If the proposal is accepted it will be announced publicly and put out for public consultation.

Website of Channel 4 Big Art Project in St.Helens

• JULY 22rd - an official Channel 4 Big Art Project in St.Helens Website was launched as part of the ongoing community engagement programme. Visitors can learn about the background to the project and are invited to leave their own comments.

• JULY 23rd - the announcement was made that the commission to design the artwork at the Manor had been accepted by Jaume Plensa. Jaume was born in Barcelona and has exhibited all over the world including Canada, Israel, Japan, France, Germany and the United States.

His most famous commission is the iconic Crown Fountain located in the centre of Chicago. Jaume’s public artworks in the UK include a laser beam light sculpture at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead and a sculpted and illuminated glass dome for the BBC’s Broadcasting House in London. He visited the Sutton Manor site in April and said "It is such a strong and amazing place". See HERE and HERE for more on this.

• JULY 24th - Jaume Plensa gave a fascinating interview to the Liverpool Daily Post called The Light Fantastic. Read it HERE.

• JULY 27th - the backlash began! A number of St.Helens residents who believed that the money could be better spent elsewhere, complained to the St.Helens Star. Plenty of threads. HERE'S one. HERE'S another. The Council's response is HERE. The Dark Skies people - who campaign to keep the night skies free from light pollution - have also got in the act. No one even knows whether the artwork will be emitting night time lighting yet! Read their contribution to the debate HERE.

Above - Jaume Plensa's extraordinary work at Gateshead and Chicago
(Click an image for a montage)

• AUGUST 17th - the Big Art community engagement programme stepped up a gear with the announcement of the launch of a "communications and involvement initiative ". There will be a monthly e-bulletin, quarterly newsletter, and a touring exhibition that will appear at a host of local events in coming months. Read the council news bulletin HERE.

•   SEPTEMBER 28th - the St.Helens Star interviewed Jaume Plensa. Although he has yet to finalise his ideas, it is expected that an application for planning permission will be submitted before Christmas and that the work of art could reach 18 metres in height.
Read the interview HERE.

•   OCTOBER 12th - in a St.Helens Star article entitled The Face of Sutton Manor it was suggested that the artwork could be a "colossal facial sculpture". It is also said that it could emit a shaft of light to mark special occasions, such as a Saints cup victory. You can read the article HERE.

•   NOVEMBER 30th - organisers of the community engagement programme, Helena Housing, have announced that almost 3,000 local people have attended 24 public exhibitions about the Big Art Project and 60 ambassadors have signed up to help promote it in St.Helens. Also schoolchildren from Sutton Manor Primary School have recently visited Crosby beach to study public art in the form of Gormley's Another Place exhibit. More HERE.

•   DECEMBER 4th - as part of the ongoing community engagement programme, residents of St.Helens have been invited to rearrange the letters 'National Coal Board Sutton Manor Colliery’ into a motto that will herald the future of the town. These will be posted on giant billboards across the borough in April 2008. Read the full council news story HERE.

Liverpool Daily Post article on Big Art Project

•   JANUARY 11th 2008 - another interesting article in the Liverpool Daily Post on the Art Project which reveals that the structure will be 20 metres in height and "involve lots of lights". Read it HERE.

•   MARCH 1st - want to know what the Big Art Moonshine Walk is? Read it HERE.

•   MARCH 3rd - 'Heaven' comes to Sutton and St.Helens as part of the 'Big Art Little Arts Projects' community engagement programme run in parallel with the main progarmme.

'Heaven' is a huge mobile road sign designed by Merseyside-based artist Leo Fitzmaurice which is being transported to 52 sites across the borough as part of the Channel 4 Big Art Project community activity in St Helens. An exhibition of photographs from all the sites is planned for June to take place in the Godfrey Pilkington Gallery, located within the Gamble Institute in St.Helens town centre.

• MARCH 30th - The Big Art Project Focus Group visit Gateshead on a research trip to inspect Antony Gormley's 'Angel of the North' (see pic below).

Dream - Jaume Plensa - Big Art Project, Sutton, St.Helens

• MAY 7th - A model of Jaume Plensa's creation is unveiled (pictured right). It will be called 'Dream' and take the form of the head of a young female, her eyes closed in quiet contemplation. Once the planning application is approved, it will be constructed from pre-cast concrete with a white, near luminescent finish using a white marble/concrete mix. At 65 feet (20m) high overlooking the M62, it will dominate the skyline for miles around. However, the St.Helens Big Art Project is continuing to cause controversy with some residents feeling that it fails to 'reference' the Sutton Manor Colliery sufficiently. You can read the St.Helens Star story complete with reader comments HERE.

Confirmation that the TV project has been postponed until November is in a St.Helens Council media release HERE. BBC News story HERE. St. Helens Reporter HERE. Liverpool Daily Post HERE.

Members of the St.Helens Big Art Project Focus Group visit 'Angel of the North'

Further reading on the Sutton Manor coup:

Channel 4 Big Art project from Channel4.com
Jaume Plensa's exhibits at the Richard Gray Gallery
Jaume Plensa Profile
BBC - Public Art project for M62 site
Arts Council - Big Art Channel 4 (.pdf)
St Helens Star - Mining rich seam of art at old pit
Liverpool Biennial - Sutton Manor Ex Terra Lucem
24 dash.com - Art project to rival 'Angel of the north'
North West Vision - St. Helens selected for Channel 4 "Big Art"
St Helens Star - We're aiming to be big on art

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