Reflections from Mari Stokke, OmVed's Public Programmes Manager who joined Artist of the Month Arran Gregory and twelve participants for a day of mixing, tamping and making under the July sun.
On 26 July, Artist of the Month Arran Gregory guided participants through the co-creation of a rammed earth head sculpture: a living work of, and in, the gardens that will evolve with the seasons.
Co-creating
Twelve participants were welcomed to the gardens on a dry Sunday in late July. Strangers mixed sand, clay, local earth, gravel, water and pigment together. Some of the clay had been rescued from the HS2 construction site; some was sourced directly from OmVed.
Working collaboratively in teams of three, hands went into buckets, materials and people mingling. The sound of wooden sticks tamping the mixture firmly into the mould. Layers and conversation building. The desired consistency? A rained-on texture, needed by earth and humans alike. Just three days later, drought was officially declared.
Becoming under the walnut tree
Unfinished by design, the sculpture is a becoming and growing work of the gardens. It is nestled under the walnut tree, on the edge of a path leading from the willow, the oldest being on site. The sculpture emerges from the productive kitchen garden to welcome those heading further in. Greeting the team who weed, prune, harvest and tend to the soil. Offering a silent welcome to those slowing down on their first or second visit.
Bit by bit, the mould is loosened and removed. How will the surface and expression change over the seasons? In drought, and in other extreme weather, how will each season leave its mark?
Images credits: Arran Gregory and Mari Stokke