Poets and locations announced for Luke Jerram’s new Of Earth and Sky project launching soon in Gloucester
Monday 24 August – Sunday 1 November 2020
The streets, hills, parks, docks and public places of Gloucester are set come alive with selected words, lyrics and poems penned by 30 residents of Gloucestershire, in a major new artwork from international artist Luke Jerram from later this month.
After a major callout for poetry in July, Luke Jerram’s Of Earth and Sky team has selected an array of poets from different communities across the city and beyond, from the 80 submissions they received. Their works will be ‘writ large’ and spread across 31 Gloucester locations later this month and people will be able to discover and interact with the words across the city from Mon 24 August – Sun 1 November 2020.
The poets selected include a real cross section of society, from hobby writers, creative people working in the arts and cultural scene of Gloucester, young people, post graduates, retired people who see the world differently with more time on their hands, full time mums, and families who are struggling with working from home with the children off school and work-a-holic partners who are regrettably on furlough, simply longing for the school run to start again.
Curated by international artist Luke Jerram and Gloucester-born spoken-word artist and poet JPDL, the large-scale letters and stenciled art works will enable people to discover the hidden places of Gloucester and contemplate nature and the city’s built heritage as they interact with the artworks. The blend of landscape and words and connection with the poetry and stories of local people will form a trail of discovery enabling visitors to see the city and its public spaces in a new way.
In five locations, the poetry will take the form of 1.2m high stand-up wooden letters and in 26 other locations, the poetry will be stenciled either on the grass or on hard surfaces that form part of the urban built environment. These letters will also be large-scale with letter heights of 0.5m and 1m depending on their location.
In some locations a single line has been taken from a longer poem which will be available to read in full on the project website once the exhibition opens. The website also has a map of all the poetry locations.
The confirmed locations and associated poets for the stand-up letters are:
1. Gloucester Docks, Orchard Square - OF EARTH AND SKY (Wordsworth)
2. Gloucester Cathedral - Anonymous
3. Robinswood Hill - Raechael Kelly
4. Gloucester Docks, The Sabrina - Sajida Kathrada
5. Discover DeCrypt- Gemma Bilton
Stenciled poetry on grass or hard surfaces will be in the following locations:
6. St James City Farm - Anonymous
7. Guildhall - Kate Townshend
8. Llanthony Road, Gloucester Quay - Josephine Lay
9. The Venture White City - Chloe Green
10. College Green - Anonymous
11. St Oswald’s Priory - Ruth Truscott
12. Boating Lake - Kathryn Alderman
13. Sebert St Park - Sarah Griffiths
14. Plock Court - Nadine Holland
15. Elmbridge Park - Carol Wood
16. Armscroft Park - Darryl John
17. Coney Hill Park - Luciano D'Amato
18. Llanthony Secunda Priory - Halima Malek
19. Greyfriars - Pauline Roberts
20. Gloucester Park - Rizpah Amadasun
21. King George V Playing Field - Ellumination
22. Clock Tower Park (Abbeymead) - Jess Goode
23. Parry Field Play Area (Tredworth) - Linden Dennis
24. Scott Avenue Play Area (Podsmead) - Laura Sumner
25. Tuffley Park - Gill Stevens
26. Play Park (Hempsted) - Laura Clarke
27. Barnwood Park - Oscar Wenman-Hy
28. Kingsway Manor Farm Park - Judy Parsons
29. Saintbridge Balancing Pond - Viola Bradshaw
30. Hillfield Gardens - Jean Young of FUSION- Hardwicke Church Youth Group
31. Matson Shops - Carol Sheppard
Of Earth And Sky is commissioned by Gloucester Culture Trust and Gloucester City Council in partnership with Gloucester Cathedral and Strike A Light, in association with Gloucester Quays with additional support from We Can Move, Arts Council England, The Great Places Scheme (Heritage Lottery Fund), Barnwood Trust, In-Situ European Platform for Artistic Creation in Public Space and Thirty Percy.
