Futurescope

The Project
 
This is two year sequential exhibition of eight big round pictures on an employment site in Darlington called Lingfield Point which is visible from the A66. The pictures are about 14 metres in diameter (45ft). It is a creative collaboration between John Kennedy and Christian Barnes. The first picture 'Sunflowers' which we have made ourselves has been put up for the beginning of July. It will be followed with a new picture every three months for the next two years. We might make them or curate them. We are happy to have suggestions and ideas and to work with others. We are thinking about the project as a 'rhetorical device' and the content as being propagandist.
When it's over - it's over. The images will be linked to themes of culture, economy, environment, agriculture and ecology.

Marchday PLC
 
We are grateful to Marchday PLC / Lingfield Investments for commissioning us to develop and deliver this project and for taking an interest in the dialogue that we have developed about the public realm and green space though working together on and off over the last 6 years and we are looking forward to installing the other pictures. Although we have some ideas we haven't actually resolved what these pictures will be or how they will be made and won't actually decide anything until about three weeks before they go up. We really hope the project has the effect of catalyzing change on the Lingfield site in a positive way and that some of our vision for the urban brown field landscape can find its way into reality in Darlington.

Web resources
 
Here is a small film of the first picture being made and put up  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZij8KlXPns
 
If you want to know more about it and follow the project you can join Futurescope's facebook group or subscribe to my blog from the Lingfield Point website at http://www.lingfieldpoint.co.uk/#futurescope/Home

'Lingfield Lamb' and 'Beeman' are now showing together.

Beeman Flickr show here http://www.flickr.com/photos/vistaprojects/sets/72157622476578804/show/with/4745952509/ Blog here http://futurescopedarlington.blogspot.com/2009/09/6-beehive-yourself.html

Lingfield Lamb Flickr show here http://www.flickr.com/photos/vistaprojects/sets/72157624060537842/show/with/4745950419/ Blog here http://futurescopedarlington.blogspot.com/2010/05/9-lingfield-lamb.html

Images of Lingfield Lamb http://www.flickr.com/photos/vistaprojects/sets/72157624060537842/show/with/4647212932/

Blog here http://futurescopedarlington.blogspot.com/

Facebook here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Futurescope/79175828578?ref=ts

Our website here http://www.vistaprojects.co.uk/

Facts about Christian and John
 
John Kennedy and Christian Barnes have worked or are working together on the following projects.
 
2010: ‘Chicken City’ a joint exhibition (architecture and poultry keeping event) at the Gracefield Arts Centre Dumfries. 
 
2009 - 2011: ‘Futurescope’ A sequential outdoor exhibition of 8 massive circular photographs on the Lingfield Point power plant building facing the A66. A proposal for Marchday plc devised by Christian Barnes and John Kennedy (Lead Artists) with Tees Valley Arts 
 
2007: 'The Cloffocks' Creativity and Conservation. Sub-consultant with John Kennedy – Landlab (Landscape Architects) to Capita Symonds for a project in Cumbria. 
 
2007: Under contract to Falkirk Council in partnership with John Kennedy - Landlab (Landscape Architects) as Lead Artists (Sentinels) for Falkirk’s Big Lottery Bid ‘The Helix’. A Big Lottery award of £25,000,000 has been won by the partnership from a competitive field of 313 entrants. The project is undergoing mobilisation.
 
2006: Under contract to Tees Valley Arts to develop a Landscape Architecture competition (RIBA Advisor John Kennedy) for Soft-Hard Landscape for the A66 East Middlesbrough Business Action Zone and Western approaches from Newport Bridge in partnership with Middlesbrough Borough Council and Halcrow (working to Balfour Beattie). Architectural Appointment offered to Ian McChesney Architects. 
 
2003 - 2007: ‘Halo’ by John Kennedy for Mid-Pennine Arts. Rossendale. John and Christian met through working on this project.
 
John's landscape architecture practice is called landlab visit it at: http://landlab.org/