Design Award win for The Green

Public Arts, Wakefield has scooped a top design prize at the Roses Design Awards in Manchester. The company received the award for the Best Use of Public Art in the Architecture Category. The prize was awarded for The Green: A Yorkshire Festival of Places, a series of public art installations which took place across Yorkshire in September and October 2003.

(PRWEB) October 16, 2004 -- Public Arts, Wakefield has scooped a top design prize at the Roses Design Awards in Manchester. The company received the award for the Best Use of Public Art in the Architecture Category. The prize was awarded for The Green: A Yorkshire Festival of Places, a series of public art installations which took place across Yorkshire in September and October 2003.

The Green was an innovative contemporary art and landscape architecture installation that formed the centrepiece of a weekend of events in five towns and cities across West, East and South Yorkshire. In each town roads were closed to traffic across the weekend to allow The Green, a twisted and turning three dimensional 'village green formed from a steel frame and turf, to be installed and to become an oasis in the centre of the town or city. Bridlington, Huddersfield, Halifax, Doncaster and Wakefield all hosted the installation and each added their own unique personality to it. Each town provided entertainment around the installation and visitors were encouraged to interact with the grassy slopes and enjoy their surroundings.

Public Arts managed and delivered The Green through their People Making Places programme as part of Yorkshire Forwards innovative Urban Renaissance initiative and it was intended to encourage re-thinking of traditional public spaces. People Making Places is a Yorkshire-based programme dedicated to Architecture, Art, and the Built Environment.

The Green was the collaborative work of artist Walter Jack and installation co-ordinators and landscape architects Whitelaw Turkington.

The award for best use of public art confirms Public Arts status as one of the leading public art and built environment centres in the UK. They have recently published 'People Making Places, a book documenting the People Making Places programme and discussing the issues and ideas surrounding public spaces and places. They are also seeking planning permission to extend their existing base at The Orangery in Wakefield into a new structure designed by leading architect Will Alsop.

Stephen Dolman, Senior Manager at Public Arts said ' It was fantastic to be acknowledged in Manchester for The Green, a Yorkshire Festival of Places. In fact the awards recognised not only the best from Lancashire and Yorkshire but the work of designers, artists and architects across the country."

Guy Denton, Director at Whitelaw Turkington said From our perspective the Roses Design Award recognises the success of what was a highly ambitious project. To have successfully transformed 5 streets in 5 towns on 5 consecutive weekends was a mammoth task which couldn't have been achieved without the level of commitment shown by all those involved. The Green now forms the benchmark for similar transformational Installations throughout the UK and as a practice, we are proud to be associated with the project."

Walter Jack said Im really pleased that The Green has won this award. My strongest memory of the whole project was rounding a corner, at 7a.m on a beautiful September morning in Bridlington and seeing the work, swathes of crumpled turf on a lawned street. It was the first time I had seen it finished and it had worked!"

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Issued by Design Definition on behalf of Public Arts

For more information please contact:
Tracey Johnson, Design Definition
Tel: 01226 287 420
Email: tracey@designdefinition.com

Public Arts
Public Arts is an independent company dedicated to the imaginative understanding and improvement of the public realm.

Since 1986 Public Arts has been working with artists and other professionals to improve the quality of buildings and public spaces in Yorkshire and elsewhere, taking a lead in encouraging the involvement of artists in the early stages of regeneration and building projects. It offers services and programmes in education and training, consultancy, and commissioning.

As well as being the home for Public Arts education programme -- People Making Places -- The Orangery is available for hire for conferences and wedding receptions.

People Making Places
'People Making Places is a Yorkshire-based programme dedicated to Architecture, Art, and the Built Environment. The programme aims to improve regional demand and capacity for high quality urban design by linking communities and professionals, experts and non-experts, through an integrated programme of activities.

The programme is managed by Public Arts and based at The Orangery, Wakefield. It is delivered regionally through wide-ranging collaborations linked to selected sites where development is planned, possible, or underway. The programme includes elements for anyone involved in or affected by urban design. Between June 2002 and June 2004, there have been over 30 events involving over 900 people, as well as 'street transformation projects in seven Yorkshire towns, experienced by thousands of residents and visitors.

On the 18th of November Public Arts are hosting a seminar looking out how young people can be involved in the sustainable development of their communities. Speakers are coming from the ODPM and Yorkshire Forward to give a national and regional policy view, but the seminar will also look at best practice projects from Wakefield and Huddersfield. In 2005 The Orangery will host its fourth Summer School for everyone interested in the public realm. Since 2002, the programme has received funding from CABE (Commission for Architecture & the Built Environment), Yorkshire forward, Arts Council England, Wakefield MDC, and the European Regional Development Fund.

The Roses Design Awards
The Roses Design Awards is the largest design and architecture awards that take place in the UK outside London's M25. Launched in 2001, the Awards provide a platform for designers and architects throughout the UK to have their work scrutinised by a highly-respected judging panel and showcase their work at the biggest industry event outside London.
The Awards culminated in a Presentation Dinner which took place on Thursday 7 October 2004 at the Palace Hotel in Manchester.

Walter Jack and Whitelaw Turkington

More information can be found at:
http://www.walter.jack.ukgateway.net/
http://www.wtlandscape.com

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