Entries Flood in from Around the World
Wokingham’s quest for a major landmark work of art has taken another major step forward.
Earlier this year Arts4Wokingham, a group dedicated to the promotion of art in the borough, invited artists to submit their proposals for a ground-breaking and significant work to be located outside Wokingham’s new cultural and leisure complex, The Carnival Hub.
The response has been fantastic. Over sixty artists have expressed an interest in taking on the project to create something very special and memorable that will hallmark Wokingham’s cultural identity.
As well as the UK, expressions of interest have flooded in from artists around the world – from the USA, Africa, India, South America, the Middle East, Asia and a whole host of European countries including Spain, Italy, Ireland, France, Greece, Turkey and Macedonia. Suggestions for the substance of the final piece have ranged across a whole spectrum of materials including stone, fibreglass, metal, resin, wood and glass. Equally varied have been the variety of forms offered, whether abstract, figurative or functional.
Chair of Arts4Wokingham, Charlotte Haitham-Taylor, said:
‘We are thrilled that so many international and local artists have responded to our invitation to create this landmark work of art. There has been a truly international response for something that has, clearly, resonated across the globe.’
Arts4Wokingham is now in the process of sifting through and assessing all the submissions they’ve received. The group is aiming to shortlist just five artists who will be invited to flesh out their proposals, budgets and plans for community engagement before presenting these early in the new year. One artist will then be selected and formally commissioned to take the project forward.
Arts4Wokingham is keen to gather and take on board views on art in the borough from residents and those living locally. If you’d like to contribute, there’s a short questionnaire which can be accessed via the group’s website, www.arts4wokingham.com and simply clicking on the link ‘Get Involved’
