The Channel 4 Big Art Project in St.Helens

Jaume Plensa Dream Concept Model

The model of the spectacular new landmark artwork chosen by a group of local ex-miners will be unveiled for the first time today (Wednesday 7 May 2008). It is commissioned by St.Helens Council as part of The Big Art Project, an ambitious public art initiative from Channel 4 supported by Arts Council England and The Art Fund. Titled Dream, the 20 metres high sculpture by internationally renowned artist Jaume Plensa is to be sited on top of the former Sutton Manor Colliery, overlooking the M62.The work is intended to become a gateway feature for both Merseyside and Greater Manchester at the heart of the Northwest, and to symbolise the remarkable regeneration of the whole region.

The progress of St.Helens’ Dream is being filmed for The Big Art Project, an ambitious public art commissioning initiative from Channel 4 supported by Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts and The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity. It seeks to inspire and create new works of public art, commissioned by communities, as well as debating the importance of art in the built environment.The Big Art Project in St.Helens is being delivered by St.Helens Council, in partnership with the national funders. A focus group comprising ex-miners from Sutton Manor has played a pivotal role in the whole development of the project, which is being curated by Liverpool Biennial and is supported by the Forestry Commission and the Northwest Coalfield Communities Regeneration Programme.

After a research period involving visits to look at other work and presentations on the wide spectrum of practitioners working in the public sphere, the local ex-miners group agreed unanimously on inviting Plensa to undertake this new commission for St.Helens, under the guidance of Laurie Peake, Programme Director (Public Art), from Liverpool Biennial. Artist Jaume Plensa has now finalised the striking concept and construction is scheduled to begin as soon as possible this summer, subject to planning permission being secured. The sculpture, to be located close to Junction 7 of the M62, is intended to become an internationally recognised landmark for England’s Northwest.

The whole process is also running in tandem with an extensive local community involvement and arts development programme - dubbed “Big Art’s Little Art” - that is intended to form the basis of a significant Big Art Project legacy initiative.

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Gary Conley, who is part of the group of former miners from Sutton Manor says: “When we were approached over two years ago to nominate the site, the ex-miners of the focus group and I would have been happy to just have a memorial erected on the site. Now, following our Big Art journey, our eyes have been opened to what art can mean to a community. Consequently we wanted something that was more than just another mining monument. Thanks to this fantastic artist, Jaume Plensa, I believe we have a piece of artwork that not only reflects the past heritage of the site but also projects it into the future. Sutton Manor Colliery may never produce coal again, but now, because of this wonderful piece of artwork, its soul and its millions of memories will live on.”

Born in Barcelona, Jaume Plensa has exhibited all over the world and completed major commissions in Canada, Israel, Japan, France, Germany, and the United States. His most famous work is the dramatic “Crown Fountain” in the centre of Chicago. Jaume’s public artworks in the UK include a laser beam light sculpture at the Baltic Arts Centre in Gateshead and, most recently, a spectacular new sculpted and illuminated glass dome for BBC Broadcasting House.

Artist Jaume Plensa commented: “My work is first and foremost about celebrating life and the human experience of standing in between past and present, present and future, knowledge and ignorance. I fell in love with this site in St.Helens as soon as I saw it! The spectacular setting, proud heritage, vision for the future, and the warmth, humour and passion of the former miners I have met are all truly inspirational. To have been invited to capture the essence, hopes, and aspirations of a whole community on this scale is a great honour but also an awesome responsibility.”

Cllr. Brian Spencer, the Leader of St.Helens Council stated: “As both Council Leader and someone who worked down Sutton Manor Colliery myself, I am delighted with this spectacular Dream concept, which is intended to symbolise the positive post-industrial transformation that St.Helens has undergone in recent years. It is a testament to the nature and scale of our forward-looking ambition that an artist of the international standing of Jaume Plensa is undertaking this commission. This landmark new artwork aims to not only put St.Helens on the map, but also to have a major positive impact on the rest of Merseyside and the North West in terms of the significant economic and cultural benefits it will bring”.

Jan Younghusband, Commissioning Editor, Arts and Performance at Channel 4, said: “We are all delighted to see Jaume Plensa’s brilliant proposal for this historic site in St Helens. It is an exciting time for Gary and the team in St.Helens and for the progress of The Big Art Project, which seeks to encourage the general public to commission for their communities.”

Mike Smith, Big Art Trustee and Executive Producer of the Big Art Television series added: “In St.Helens the question at the heart of the project has been answered in an extraordinary way: what has public art got to do with the public? The process that has led to Jaume’s proposal has taken the local people who nominated the site on a fascinating journey about the role of art in all our lives. It has also created a level of participation among people across the whole of St.Helens which has surpassed our expectations.”

Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, added: “We hope the Big Art Project will help to revolutionise the way art gets created in unexpected public places, by inspiring communities to get involved in the process and planners to work with them. The enthusiasm of the miners in St Helens shows exactly how art can create a sense of belonging and pride in the places where we live, and improve our quality of life. We’re excited for them and for the rest of the Big Art groups up and down the country.”

David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund, which is putting its weight behind the Big Art Project with £500,000 to fund the works of art, said: “I was always sure that the Big Art Project was a great idea, but when I heard Gary Conley, one of the ex-miners in St Helens, talk about how it had changed the way he saw the world, I was very moved. I can’t imagine a more powerful testimony to the power of art than that. I’m delighted that The Art Fund is playing a central part in this extraordinary project, in which for the first time members of the public have been given the chance to drive the process of choosing, commissioning and creating public works of art.”

The Big Art Project began filming in 2005 when people across the country were invited to nominate sites they felt would benefit from an art installation. More than 1,400 nominations were received, from which seven sites were selected across the UK: Beckton, Belfast, Burnley, Cardigan, the Isle of Mull, Sheffield and St.Helens. For the past three years the Big Art Trust has been working with communities in these seven locations, with each site offering a unique story which is being filmed for a landmark documentary series, to be broadcast by Channel 4 in November this year. It will reveal a candid account of the successes and pitfalls on the journey towards achieving new public art works. The series also investigates the broader debate surrounding national art – from the value of art in the built environment to the motivations and expectations when commissioning public art – and includes contributions from artists including Antony Gormley and Tracey Emin on contemporary art and its impact on communities.

The Big Art Project extends beyond television: it marks a substantial investment by Channel 4, Arts Council England and The Art Fund in a series of significant new works of public art across the UK. Through websites, including the award winning Big Art Mob (www.channel4.com/bigartmob) and community engagement programmes it involves the public directly in the process of commissioning art in the public realm, encourages greater public participation, debate and engagement with art in general, and lays the foundations for further public art commissions in the future.



For further information please contact:
St.Helens: Catharine Braithwaite, Lethal Communications 07947 644110 or cat@we-r-lethal.com
Channel 4: Justine Bower 020 7306 8427 or jbower@channel4.co.uk
Arts Council England: Mark Ogle 07789 981 561 or marksogle@googlemail.com
The Art Fund: Hannah Fox, Head of Press, 020 7225 4888 or hfox@artfund.org

Big Art St.Helens Dream concept - Full Press release