Photos by Ollie Hardy
Inspired by an anonymous ‘vandal’ who made alterations to the Brewery Lane bus shelter last year, Brimscombe and Thrupp Parish Council commissioned Studio 18 to revamp the bus shelters on the A419 London Road into inspiring and engaging art installations. The Brewery Lane bus stop transformation - which included the addition of a comfy chair, book shelf, ornaments, pictures, bunting and lighting - hit the local and national newspapers as a quirky feel-good story.
Eleven bus stops have been transformed into public works of art forming a trail along London Road, feeding creatively into the Brimscombe and Thrupp community. The ‘Art shelters’ are designed to bring a little joy and also carry a message either through environmental care or celebration of local community and nature, using reclaimed material wherever possible. The eye-catching bus stops even caught the attention of the BBC who recently came down to find out more about the project and interview some of the artists involved.
Studio 18 and Parish Council invite you to take the Art Shelter trail to revel in the wonderfully creative and immersive installations in what were once dreary bus stops. Starting at Bowbridge and going on to Toadsmoor, the trail ends at Studio 18 where there will be a celebration of the artists involved. Artists' work for sale will be on exhibition and a chance to discuss and find out more about the inspiration behind the project.
It's shaping up to be a fantastic day with food stalls by Chief and CocoCaravan, and tunes by Lensmen, Loco Dooms, CONCEPT13 and Jimmy Jam. With a selection of specially designed Studio 18 cocktails…
The launch of the Art Shelter project takes place this Saturday 5th of September from 1pm onwards, free entry. Entrance strictly via canal and the exhibition runs until 20th September. Click here for the facebook event page and visit facebook.com/Studio18Stroud for further info.
ART SHELTER TRAIL:
1. Wonderland by Kazz Hollick and Isa Clee, Bowbridge Bus Depot Bus Stop
Welcome to the Magical Wonderland Bowbridge Bus Depot Perikaleidoscope Bus Stop! It’s all the fun of the fair as you step into a world of blue skies, fluffy clouds, rainbows and magical mirrors. See the world from a different perspective while you wait. Kazz is a visual artist who started with photography at Brighton University, then on returning to Stroud and working with a variety of artists and musicians, has experimented with mixed media and community/public installations. Isa has always been fascinated by shiny, twinkly, reflective, vision altering materials. Her work involves creating tiny sparkly worlds inside beautiful wooden boxes to delight and intrigue the viewer. In an increasingly hectic and challenging modern world, her aim is to make people smile with a moment of magical whimsy.
2. A Dog’s Night Out by Freya Tate, Griffin Mill Estate Bus Stop
Freya’s bus shelter honours Stroud’s unique and rich history, particularly focusing on its incredibly strong sense of community and passion for social issues. Her design celebrates the human figure, incorporating elements of movement and dance which are fundamental themes in her work. Freya Tate is interested in the representation of the figure/body in its practical state and emotional duality, stemming from her work as a musician and life model.
3. Thrupp Cathedrale by Gavin McClafferty, Kingfisher Business Park Bus Stop
Taking his cue from the "dazzle patterns" of the first world war and inverting the idea of camouflage, using a mixture of donated paints, found wood and site hoarding, Gavin has transformed this bus shelter into a beautiful and iconic feature, reminiscent of the blue tin church that once resided nearby this stop. Growing up in London, Gavin's art career started in 1989, creating huge portable murals for the burgeoning underground dance and rave scene. He now has his studio in Stroud; an artists' enclave that plays host to many leading curators, writers and artists.
4. The Little Raindrop by Ghost Sung, Brewery Lane Bus Stop
Ghost Sung’s bus shelter illustrates the story of the water cycle. This environmental beauty parallels the cycle of life, work, love, loss, rejuvenation. Lessons are learnt or mistakes are repeated. Ghost sung writes stories. He is an award winning film and television director and is now experimenting with the written word as art. He is inspired by the joy of childhood and the wonder of science.
5. Musical Chairs by Alice Sheppard Fidler, Brewery Lane Bus Stop
Alice’s shelter draws attention to the building's original materials by colouring and outlining the bricks in bright, bold colours, and accentuates its form through the use of strong lines that mimic a simple drawing. The colour palette highlights certain aspects of the area’s heritage: red for Stroudwater Scarlet cloth, blue for the rivers and canals, and white for sheep’s wool. The interior of the shelter is adorned with artwork created by Year Six students from Thrupp School. Local illustrator Hannah Shaw worked on a project with the students to create artwork inspired by local wildlife. Using discarded and recycled materials, Alice Sheppard Fidler makes site-specific installations that enable new narratives to emerge alongside those that are stored within her chosen materials. These often large-scale installations seek to question the relationship with self and others in an age when people are spending more time than ever away from other people, in the digital realm. Bailey Paints of Griffin Mill, London Rd, Stroud, has kindly sponsored this shelter.
The Dead Industry Club by Eleanor Harper
6. Nature v Motor by Megan Medley, Studio 18
Megan's bus stop encapsulates the profound effect that traffic congestion and pollution has on the environment and local wildlife. The endless building of roads to accommodate the ever-increasing number of cars strips the countryside of the biodiversity that is vital to our health, wellbeing, culture and economy. Her design incorporates harsh scrap metal with delicate nature, demonstrating the balance we need to find in our lives and the impact it has on the natural world. Megan Medley is a sculptor who has primarily worked in resin. She has made several light sculptures using remnants from natural history such as skulls, horns and shells. The natural world has been a continual thread throughout her work. The sculptures for the bus stop are her first scrap metal sculptures.
7. Invitation to Play by Zac Walsh & Nathan Morgan, War Memorial Bus Stop
Sculptor Nathan Morgan teams up with Studio 18’s Zac Walsh to create an interactive abstraction exploring line, colour, form and harmony while inviting the public to create their own anonymous abstract pieces at the bus stop. These pieces will then form an exhibition at Studio 18. Zac is Studio 18 Director and founder with a long career in illustration and fine art, exhibiting internationally and generally trying to buzz people out. Nathan has found his way to sculpture through carpentry where he was commissioned by high end industry in the States for bespoke installations; also setting up art collectives in Kentucky, he’s finally found his way to Studio 18.
8. Everyday People by Albie Lucas, War Memorial Bus Stop
Creating black and white portraits of mill workers (men, women and children) taken from local archives, Albie Lucas draws a parallel between the everyday people working in the mills of the Five Valleys with modern everyday people travelling by bus to get to work, school or to the shops. Albie’s artwork focuses on what it feels like to be living, not glorifying any happiness or sadness, each are the same. This is what drives him to make drawings, not just to express his emotions but to express emotion itself.
9. Golden Valley Connections by Ruth Hickson & Rachel McDonnell, Bourne Estate Bus Stop
Colourful, bold and fun, this bus stop reflects the community and environment in which it sits. The beauty of the natural environment contrasts and complements the commercial man made structures - this is the story of our area and something to be proud of - the unending ingenuity and creativity of its residents. The dots represent connections between the community, the environment, the industrial heritage of the area and the thriving small businesses. Ruth Hickson is an illustrator and printmaker based in Chalford Hill. Inspired by maps and a love of planning routes and exploring the world around her, she uses a mixture of traditional lino cutting and digital techniques to create colourful, bold and fun illustrated maps and prints. Rachel McDonnell is a painter based at Victoria Works in Chalford. Ideas about the environment, climate, and place are central to her work, which is currently focused on landscape, particularly trees.
10. How to Finesse a Stagecoach by Loco Dooms, Toadsmoor Bus Stop
Taking inspiration from romantic era paintings and contemporary fashion designers, Loco Dooms has created a beautifully surreal collage of the Five Valleys. Juxtaposing romantic vista paintings with modern images, this ethereal portrayal of the surrounding area with its luminescent imagery encapsulates the natural beauty all around us. Producer and Videographer Loco Dooms has been working in the visual and audio fields for most of his adult career, releasing a lot of house and techno records whilst making music videos for drill artists throughout London.
11. The Dead Industry Club by Eleanor Harper, Toadsmoor Bus Stop
Brimscombe is no longer reliant upon its iron foundries, cloth mills & boat builders for its income. Through her sign painting, Eleanor’s shelter celebrates a forgotten heyday of businesses now defunct but so meaningful to the people of the areas past, and where we are today. Eleanor has created a ‘ghost sign’ for Phoenix Ironworks - the foundry that was in existence in Brimscombe in the 1800’s. Eleanor is a sign painter currently based in Stroud. She specialises in hand lettering & sign writing and has worked with corporate companies, events & individuals that prefer the unique touch that brush work has to offer.
A little surprise, and late addition to the project, is to be found at the bus stops between the shelters. Local Wordsmith, Musician and Studio 18 resident John Davie has selected some poignant and thoughtful words from his archive of Prose to inspire some mindfulness and contemplation about nature, the commonality of Human Experience and emotion, as well as a short story drawing our minds to the eternal and cyclic rhythm.