'The Green Man' is most commonly represented as a face surrounded by leaves, or with vegetation sprouting from the nose, mouth and head. Sometimes the face is composed entirely from leaves and foliage. Green Men are used as decorative architectural features, usually representing fertility and the regenerative cycle of the seasons.

I am interested in reinterpreting ‘The Green Man’ as symbol of the city of Stoke-on-Trent at this point in time; a motif that not only represents a sense of regeneration and renewal but one that could also be used to bring about changes, by highlighting what is effectively public artwork that already exists.

Saturday 29 May 2010

'Green Man Trail' inspiration- Space invader maps

I have seen many of street artist Invader's 'space invaders' in various cities over the years and it was always great to discover or spot one, and after sightings you found yourself looking for them and finding them everywhere- This aspect is relevant to the 'sighting' element of my green man project, and the idea that once you have an 'eye' for the green man you will begin seeing it everywhere- something that a few people have said to me since I started this project.

However, I am attempting to highlight these existing features rather than applying them to the city as invader does. I was not aware of these 'invasion' maps until now. This is the kind of layout/ format I would like to consider when producing a green man map for stoke town centre, something I am going to begin work on soon. Invader's maps are also sought after pieces of work, limited editions-this is also an aspect I am interested in developing.

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Sunday 16 May 2010

COMMON GROUND

Click here to see the Common ground call for entries



I'm currently working on a proposal for Common Ground, where Airspace Studio artists and other selected artists will respond to Hanley Park.
Here are some images that have inspired my proposal along with some mock ups for my idea, after visiting and photographing the park. My idea is based on the creation a 'green man' type creature that lives in Hanley Park. The creature will be the embodiment of the park as he is made from foliage, flowers and debris found there. The work will be based around the idea of 'sightings' of this creature along with a participatory element where the public will be invited to add foliage to the green man. I want this project to raise awareness of the habitats and natural aspects of the park, and the importance of such green spaces in the city. Also to create an out of the ordinary experience for public who may see this creature and wonder what it is- this relates to current spoofs seen on popular programmes such as facejacker, making for an entertaining and humorous experience. I still need to do a lot more work, these are just a few ideas for now:



Costume inspiration
Left: a 'Bogie' from Hasting's Jack-in-the-Green Event
Right: Hastings 'Jack in the Green'
(Images Copyright C Walton 2010 http://www.thecompanyofthegreenman.co.uk/)




Nick Cave's 'Soundsuits'



Military 'Ghillie suits'




Public interaction-Ghillie suit Artwork



'Urban Camoflauge'




Bigfoot sightings- I could create a similar map of Green Man sightings, or manipulate the park map in some way

IDEAS


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