Journeys to Hidden Places

The Giant's Hands & Feet Installed - Our Journey is Complete!

2011-07-18T15:11:00.001+01:00

27/07/11

The Giant's Hands & Feet were installed successfully on the 27th of July.

The Hands & Feet arrive on the wagon

Installing the Brushes Estate hand

Installing the Firth Park henna hand

Installing the Bluebell Gate foot at one of the entrances to Wincobank Hill

Installing the Woolley Wood foot on the gate at the entrance from Barrow Road

The Boating Lake foot waiting to be installed as part of the new Ripples in the Pond scheme

The Glove Garden in Bloom

2011-07-13T15:25:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to Bridget Ingle and all the volunteers who have helped to create the beautiful community orchard and planting scheme to complement the boxing glove seats. They also have plaques dedicated to the people who sponsored the trees, created by artist, Owen Cunningham.

The Merlin Way Dragon shows itself...

2011-04-14T12:23:00.002+01:00

6 dragon planters have been installed on Merlin Way and planted up with blueberries, cranberries, gooseberries, lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage and nasturtiums. Thanks to all the tenants and residents from Brushes who came out to help us on the day! Don't forget to water the planters in this hot weather we've been having lately...

Queen comes to Roman Ridge, Wincobank

2011-03-08T11:03:00.014Z

The Star-crossed Queen artwork has now been installed on Roman Ridge, in Wincobank, off Jenkin Road. She looks beautiful up there on the hill, so go and visit her to learn about the Polar Constellations that can be seen from this location on a clear night.

First Pavement Plates Installed!

2011-03-08T10:54:00.009Z

6 of the 8 Pavement Plates have now been installed along Stubbin Lane. Here are some photos of them just after they were put in. Go and check them all out to discover healthy recipes you can cook easily yourself! The last 2 are coming soon...

Posh Pillar and Her Daughters arrive at Wincobank Hill

2010-11-18T11:45:00.002Z

The Posh Pillars are now standing elegantly at the Jenkin Road entrance to Wincobank Hill. The main pillar shows a poem by local girl, Bryn Wainwright, aged 9 years old, and sculpture by Brian Fell. Two others show text by poet Ebenezer Elliott 'The Ranter' and a memorial to Mary Ann Rawson, Wincobank Hall resident and anti-slavery campaigner, with sculpture by Owen Cunningham.

Sun Apple Sculpture Installed and Landscaping Completed

2010-11-18T11:25:00.000Z

Although it hasn't been officially unveiled yet, the Sun Apple is finished, painted and installed in Firth Park. The guys from Grassroot Garden have been working hard for a couple of weeks to get the landscaping done around it. We got some help from local kids to plant the new Lavender bed that is replacing the old, neglected Rose bushes that were there before. Thanks guys! We'll be keeping it under wraps until Friday afternoon...

The final Enchanted Chair completes the set

2010-09-23T15:04:00.001+01:00

On the same weekend as we installed the boxing gloves, we also managed to put in the final enchanted chair which was carved in brick by Ian Cooper, creator of the winged chair.

Brendan's Glove Garden gets its seats

2010-09-23T12:33:00.001+01:00

19/09/10

On a drizzly sunday morning in Wincobank the awe-inspiring boxing gloves carved by Saffron Waghorn were finally installed, along with a bespoke paving slab bearing a pearl of wisdom from the great Ingle himself...

The landscaping scheme that will accompany the artworks is being managed by Bridget, Brendan Ingle's daughter, who can be contacted by email on: bridget (at) bridgetingle.co.uk for more information. She is signing people up to sponsor trees and help with planting so please do get in touch with her!

Lost Gateway carvings

2010-09-23T11:48:00.002+01:00

At the weekend a group of intrepid artists (Ana Ospina, Gordon Young, Saffron Waghorn, Ian Cooper, Tony Slater and Russell Coleman) ventured into Woolley Wood to put the finishing touches to the Lost Gateway. We carved images from the legend of Fenrir, inspired by workshops done with the local cub scouts and ancient Viking runes to add an extra layer of enchantment to the stones. Next time you're walking in the woods, look out for it, who knows where you might end up..?

JTHP Map of Project Locations

2010-09-07T17:06:00.002+01:00

We created this map to give you an overview of where everything will be by the end of the project...now you can have fun discovering all the different artworks in your area!

Sun Apple work in progress

2010-09-07T16:06:00.003+01:00

Here is a sneak peek at the progress of the Sun Apple sculpture itself which is being painstakingly welded up for us by Owen Cunningham at his workshop in Derbyshire.

Watch this space for confirmation of the install date, which should be coming up in October.

Installation date set for boxing glove seats

2010-09-07T15:57:00.001+01:00

The installation of the boxing glove seats will take place from 9am onwards at the site on the corner of Newman Road and Barrow Road...be there early and get ringside seats!

Have you found The Lost Gateway yet?

2010-09-07T10:56:00.002+01:00

The Lost Gateway is now in position and almost finished! If you go down to Woolley Wood today, you're in for a big surprise...

All that is left to do now is the carving, which will happen over the weekend of the 18-19 September.

Doesn't it look impressive?

The Enchanted Chairs appear!

2010-08-15T15:05:00.001+01:00

It was an exciting day for Y SO? when we came to install the Enchanted Chairs on a beautiful sunny day in August. Lots of community members came out to see what was happening, even the Mayor turned up!

Six of the chairs are now in place on Centenary Green and there's still one more to come...

We had loads of fun trying them all out. Which is your favourite?

Firth Park Summer Festival '10

2010-08-10T11:43:00.000+01:00

27/06/10

With all the art projects drawing to a conclusion and getting installed this year we wanted to celebrate them all at the Firth Park Summer Festival this year.

We set up a treasure hunt around the park with clues hidden everywhere...Spin the wheel of Fortune and follow the clues to reveal the artwork!

Thanks to everyone for taking park and chatting to us. You can see some images from the day below and look out for artworks being installed this summer around Firth Park and Wincobank.

The Smelly Wellies are delivered to your door...

2010-06-13T16:07:00.022+01:00

Here they are, your lovely smelly, sprouting wellies! We certainly hope you enjoy them. Where's the nearest one to your house?

The Map Rock Lands in Firth Park

2010-06-13T15:46:00.000+01:00

The first of the JTHP artworks to be installed, this was an exciting 'milestone' for the project...

We attracted a small gathering with our enormous crane, but the whole thing was over relatively quickly as everything went very smoothly! Result!

Who is the Star-crossed Queen?

2010-05-24T10:34:00.000+01:00

An artistic depiction of Cartimandua

While doing some historic research about Roman Ridge, we found out that the earthworks were most likely built by the Brigantes, the celtic tribe that inhabited the area during the 1st century AD.

So who was Cartimandua? She was the queen of the brigantes nation who inhabited most of northern Britain. Instead of engaging in senseless warfare, she was cooperating with the Romans to keep the peace. However, when she divorced her husband and married his armour-bearer the tribe revolted against her and the Romans seized the opportunity to take over.

As well as celebrating this important but overlooked historical figure we also hope that people might be able to use the site for stargazing because of the views. I thought it would be interesting to abstract the idea of a monument and make something beautiful with a basis in history and astronomy.

This website has more info:

http://www.brigantesnation.com/SiteResearch/Iron%20Age/RomanRig/RomanRig.htm

We have been in contact with a historian called Nicki Howarth who has recently published the only book ever written about Cartimandua (see below).

The cover of Nicki Howarth's book

Wincobank Chapel Workshops - Chair designs and positioning

2010-05-14T11:44:00.002+01:00

We initially spoke to the Friends of Wincobank Hill about this project, as they are the main users of Wincobank Chapel and therefore we knew the project would be important to them as they would see it every time they looked out the window. They were very supportive and helped us to organise some workshops with a group of local young people and their families. We also talked to a group of older residents who attend the weekly coffee morning.

The first workshop looked at what might make a chair enchanted. We brought along a series of normal chairs and asked the participants to transform them into magical thrones! Here are some images of what they came up with. These were shown to the artists who were commissioned to make the actual chairs that will be installed on Centenary Green.

The second workshop looked at positioning. Where on the green should the chairs go? How should they be arranged? How would people use them?

Cub Scout Workshops - The Legend of Fenrir

2010-03-29T11:30:00.000+01:00

We learned that the name 'Woolley' means 'wolf' in ancient Norse, the language of the Vikings, so we started researching this and found a legend about a wolf god called Fenrir, which has also become woven into the project.

We ran some art workshops with the local cub scouts, looking at the legend and the wonderful images that can be found within it. These will be carved into the finished gateway for visitors to puzzle over.

Here are some images from the workshop, showing the wonderful artworks created by the youngsters of the 61st Scout Troop, Standon Road, Wincobank. With special thanks to Joe Oglesby, Scout Leader.

The first workshop - Cub Scouts with their drawings

The second workshop - clay modelling images from the story

The cubs getting hands-on with clay relief modelling

The roots of a mountain

The Norns - 3 sisters who can see the past, present and future

The chain used to trap Fenrir the Wolf God

The beard of a woman

Fenrir bites off the hand of Tyr, his keeper

Jormangandr, the monstrous serpent, swallows his own tail

The footstep of a cat

Fenrir is trapped on the moon

A wolf howling at the moon

Fenrir the Wolf God, his sister Hel and brother Jormangandr

You can read the full story by clicking here.

The Pavement Plates Project

2010-02-12T14:42:00.001Z

Description: A series of stone discs with text on them, scription: made from granite and set into the tarmac path along the route. The pavement plates are carved stone plates of fruit and veg with text and recipes.

Location: Along Stubbin Lane, from Firth Park roundabout up Barnsley Road to outside Longley 6th Form College.

Posh Pillar & her Daughters Project

2010-02-12T11:56:00.002Z

Description: A recycled granite bank column with text and capped with small steel sculptures. Her daughters are smaller columns, in other types of stone, also with text and objects.

Location: Entrance to Wincobank Hill, Jenkin Road

Fantasy Fruits Workshop at Firth Park Christmas Event

2010-01-26T17:40:00.003Z

14/12/09

Well, it's been a busy few weeks since the projects got started! We had a brilliant time making Fantasy Fruits at the Firth Park Christmas Event on December 10th. You can see recent work done for specific projects listed below...

Thanks to Brushes Busy Kids in Firth Park and Brendan Ingle's Gym in Wincobank for helping us develop some of our proposals. Please get in touch if you'd like to be involved with any of the projects in 2010. More after Christmas...Happy Holidays!

Fantasy Fruits

2010-01-18T21:57:00.002Z

Dr Doonan at The Old Chapel

2010-01-11T16:19:00.003Z

9/12/09
We were invited to attend the Friends of Wincobank Hill AGM at The Old Chapel, to present our proposals for the area. We got to hear a very interesting talk from Dr Roger Doonan on the archaeology of the Hill Fort and Roman Ridge. We plan to talk to the Friends again at their next meeting in January to discuss our ideas in more detail and gather material for designing the text and objects to be incorporated.

Saffron's Stone Carving Workshop

2010-01-11T16:06:00.000Z

9/12/09

Stone carver Saffron Waghorn, who will be making the boxing glove seats, came to visit from Skipsea. She ran a workshop in the morning for some of the boxers from Brendan Ingle's Gym on Newman Road. They learnt basic carving and stone masonry skills and made their own relief carvings, as you can see below.

Brushes Busy Kids!

2010-01-11T15:44:00.000Z

9/12/09

We paid a visit to Brushes Busy Kids group at the Community Centre in Firth Park and asked them to make a plate of their favourite food from plastacine.

They were having their monthly 'Cook & Eat' session and made some delicious shortbread biscuits in festive shapes. Here are photos of their brilliant artworks.

Learn more about Pavement Plates!

The Star - crossed Queen Project

2009-11-25T11:59:00.007Z

Description: An unofficial monument to the ancient but very human story of passion and scandal behind this historically important earthwork. An outdoor astronomical observatory or sky garden on the hillside.

Location: Roman Ridge, Wincobank

The Lost Gateway Project

2009-11-25T11:58:00.012Z

Description: The artwork proposed takes the form of an ‘ancient’ crumbling stone gateway with words inscribed on it. As part of the narrative we have developed, Woolley Woods is the ‘wood between the worlds’ where you can find portals into other universes. The text could relate to Norse language and the presence of wolves.

Location: Woolley Woods is an ancient woodland which is home to many species of bird such as kingfishers and woodpeckers. The name originally comes from the ancient word for wolves.

The Map Rock Project

2009-11-25T11:57:00.022Z

Description: A boulder with a map / illustration of Firth Park and Wincobank carved / incised into the surface.

Location: Within Firth Park itself, near the entrance to the First Start Centre. On a grassed area, by the railings, adjacent to the playground.

The Sun Apple Project

2009-11-25T11:54:00.001Z

Description: This mini urban playful place would be based around a giant, steel fruit-like sculpture. This intervention would be one of a series designed to enhance pedestrian routes by creating new and revitalised places using hard and soft landscaping. Seating could also form part of the landscape design.

Location: Corner of Sicey Avenue and Fairthorn Road.

Brendan's Glove Garden Project

2009-11-25T11:52:00.006Z

Description: Two large size sandstone seats carved as boxing gloves.

Location: Green space on corner of Newman Road and Barrow Road, Low Wincobank

The Enchanted Chairs Project

2009-11-25T11:51:00.013Z

Description: Cast iron and stone carved cluster of very different styles and scales in close proximity, a ‘U.N.’ gathering of seating of a contrasting and strange kind.

Location: Centenary Green - Green space opposite Wincobank Chapel

The Giant's Feet and Hands Project

2009-11-25T11:50:00.005Z

Description: Large scale laser cut steel silhouettes of henna-style patterns with floral and fruit and other pattern content designed at Firth Park summer festival.

Location: Various sites around Firth Park and Wincobank

The Merlin Way Dragon Project

2009-11-25T11:49:00.023Z

Description: This is a project that will create a stronger link between the centre of Firth Park and the Brushes estate and community centre. Practically, this could be done by decorating the 8 bollards that are positioned at regular intervals along the route with mosaic tiles.

The designs could be created by local groups and would be treated to make sure they are robust and safe. On the green space that is Merlin Way itself, we are proposing to provide a series of planters around the circumference, that the residents will plant and maintain themselves.

Location: Footpath between Firth Park roundabout and Merlin Way green space

More project information to come as the project develops

10/12/09

Christmas comes early to Merlin Way! Presents mysteriously appeared hung on front doors of homes on the Brushes estate. Inside each could be found a pack of bulbs and a scroll with a picture of an egg on it. Inside the egg was the following text:

Merry Christmas Merlin Way...

Have you ever wondered why your green is called this? Well, it has recently been discovered that Merlin's Dragon has been deep in an enchanted sleep within secret caves beneath the green. Don't believe me?....why did you think it was so bumpy? Dragons are pretty big you know.

She dreamed that something was happening on Merlin Way and now the spell that kept her asleep has been broken. As a present from the dragon herself she has given you all some bulbs to plant. Keep these safe and look after them well....They will be needed.

The first smelly wellies!

2009-11-06T21:46:00.001Z

6/11/09
The first pair of wellies is made! The mould has been made and the first pair of cast-iron wellies has been approved. Here they are in their original condition, with some potted herbs (lavender and rosemary) dropped in to demonstrate how they might look. It will be interesting to see how they weather and change colour with the elements...

The Smelly Wellies Project

2009-11-05T11:53:00.000Z

Description: Large, robust cast iron wellies, scented herb planted and neatly rowed, ready for wearing! Recurring items that appear at key points such as community buildings

Location: Various across Firth Park and Wincobank

The Map Rock News!

2009-08-12T14:08:00.002+01:00

5/11/09
Rock 'n' roll! This is the 3-ton boulder that will become the Map Rock once sculptor Mark Powers from Beverly gets stuck in to it...

This artwork is inspired by clay models of rooftops created by local mums attending sessions at the First Start Centre in Jan 2009. The workshop was devised to reflect the unique views created by the hilly topography that can be enjoyed around the area and the fact that raising your eyes to the rooftops is proven to raise people's spirits

Henna Hands Workshop at Firth Park Summer Festival 2009

2009-06-26T17:29:00.001+01:00

6/11/09

The first set of projects has been agreed and Y SO? are starting to work with the local communities on these - see posts below for more details...

Have a look at pictures from this year's summer festival in Firth Park...