ArtHouse Jersey has announced its major flagship project for 2021, ‘Skipton Big Ideas’, a spectacular, immersive exhibition featuring over twenty art installations by local and international artists at St Helier Town Church.
The event is designed to welcome the whole Island community, the exhibition promises to be an event that Jersey can be proud of.
Taking place across three weeks between Thursday 14th October and Thursday 4th November 2021, the exhibition, which will be free of charge for anyone to attend, will completely transform the church building with installations, artworks and creative lighting. The show marks the decade anniversary of ArtHouse Jersey partnering with Skipton International, a relationship that has delivered ten impactful community art projects over that time.
Alongside the exhibition there will be a number of world class evening performances, lunchtime lectures and inclusive weekend workshops, all speaking to three key themes.
Skipton Big Ideas aims to engage the whole community in a debate around how we might create a more inclusive and sustainable future for our Island home.
What are the big ideas?
Skipton Big Ideas explores three key issues affecting society today; sustainability, accessibility and identity. Over 30 artists are working on 20 large scale 3D installation art works that will encourage reflection and discourse.
- Sustainability – We live in an age of environmental and social emergencies. We are constantly forced to re-examine what we value most and how we will sustain ourselves. How do we protect what we already have? How do we consume less? How might we repurpose things and what will it take to change our mindsets?
- Accessibility – Are the arts accessible to all? Do some people feel excluded from the cultural narrative? If so, how might that sense of exclusion look and feel, and how might we better break down barriers in the arts?
- Identity – Where do we get our sense of identity? Where is home? How important is cultural identity and how do we square this with an increasingly global community?
Who are the artists?
ArtHouse Jersey has have commissioned over 30 artists for Skipton Big Ideas, representing a major investment in the Island’s cultural sector.
Among the commissioned artists are:
Viv Le Vav, Casi, Pippa Nissen, Mari Keto, Nina Zeach, Will Bertram, Margarida Lourenco, Francesca Monticelli, Ben Robertson, Tim Evans, Yulia Makeyva, Ian Rolls, Alison Horton, Tim Le Breuilly, Kerry Jane Warner, Poppy Whatmore, Gabriella Street, Snap Design, Oliver Le Gresley, Karen Le Roy Harris, Sarah Keilre, Ben Davies, Qiao Cun, Maria Tarrant, Kyle Moody, Heather Barrett, William Howell Jackson, Bianca Padidar, Rebecca Voak, Anna Shipley, Henry Lambert, Jodie Carney, Antoaneta Tica, Hayley Wray, Essential Dance, Mike Robertson, Adam Flynn, Natasha Dettman. A final headlining artist will be announced in the coming weeks.
Lorraine McLean, Mortgage Centre Manager at Skipton International, said: “We are proud to partner with ArtHouse Jersey, who continue to bring arts events for the whole community in the Island to life, all of which are something the whole Island can become involved with. Skipton recognises the power of art, and its strength in bringing communities together, which is why we have supported the ArtHouse Jersey’s work for so many years. This year’s plans are exceptional, and will bring new energy and a larger platform to showcase artistic talent.”
Director of ArtHouse Jersey, Tom Dingle, said: “This exhibition will be nothing short of ground-breaking for Jersey, something that will delight and inspire every corner of our community. The artists are creating installations that visitors will be able to touch and feel that will provoke conversations about the key issues Islanders face today.
“This is for everyone. It will be fun and welcoming with every aspect having been designed to be accessible. We look forward to welcoming Islanders to the St Helier Town Church in October.”
