Forest of Imagination welcomes over 6,000 visitors

Contemporary arts event in Queen Square a great success for Bath

20 MAY 2015, BATH, UK
Summary
Bath’s historic Queen Square became the home for a magical “Forest of Imagination” this weekend, put together by a team of local creative organisations in a free 4-day contemporary arts event for the City. Designed by Grant Associates, Forest of Imagination welcomed over 6,000 visitors who enjoyed chances to meet Dreamer, a 7.5 metre giant rabbit, play in a bamboo installation, make a forest book, assemble a giant monster from recycled materials, become Lost Explorers to discover the flora and fauna of the Forest with the House of Fairy tales and enjoy a series of talks on play and imagination.

Bath’s historic Queen Square became the home for a magical “Forest of Imagination” this weekend, put together by a team of local creative organisations in a free 4-day contemporary arts event for the City.

Designed by Grant Associates, Forest of Imagination welcomed over 6,000 visitors who enjoyed chances to meet Dreamer, a 7.5 metre giant rabbit, play in a bamboo installation, make a forest book, assemble a giant monster from recycled materials, become Lost Explorers to discover the flora and fauna of the Forest with the House of Fairy tales and enjoy a series of talks on play and imagination.

On Monday 18May 2015, over 200 school children from seven local schools took part in a series of workshops to support creativity across their curriculum.

Penny Hay, Director of Research, 5x5x5=creativity and Senior Lecturer at Bath Spa University, said: “Engagement, playfulness, ingenuity, joy and laughter permeated the Forest of Imagination. It was a great display of our collective imagination showing the true power of creative collaboration.”

Andrew Grant, Director, Grant Associates, designer of the Forest of Imagination said: “We wanted to create a mini 'Universe of Play' with four distinctly different worlds and an atmosphere of fun. Over the weekend the Forest of Imagination exploded into an entire galaxy of delight. Ingredients of enormous and tiny, light and dark, living and dead, old and young, sun and cloud, colour and sound all contributed to the special ambience.”

Bath-based creative partners behind the Forest of Imagination included children’s charity 5x5x5=creativity, landscape architects Grant Associates, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, design studio Imaginnovation, Herman Miller Cares, Bath Spa University, Bath Illuminate, Carpenter Oak, and The House of Fairy Tales. Artists and designers involved in the event included Edwina Bridgeman, Jono Burgess, Jessica Palmer, Alison Harper, John East, Helen Lawrence, Matthew Leece and staff and students from Bath Spa University.

For more information visit www.forestofimagination.com.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

Forest of Imagination

Forest of Imagination is a contemporary arts event transforming Queen Square into a magical forest to showcase Bath’s often hidden creativity and includes a garden and an outdoor gallery – ‘a gallery without walls’ with a series of artworks and temporary architectural structures. Meanwhile the House of Imagination brings a playful programme of workshops and events.It takes place from 15-18 May 2015 and it is free to attend with something for everyone.Forest of Imagination is created in partnership with 5x5x5=creativity, Grant Associates, Imaginnovation, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Bath Spa University, Bath Illuminate, Carpenter Oak, Herman Miller, RSA. Herman Miller and Bath & North East Somerset are confirmed sponsors with additional funding from the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries at Bath Spa University. Visit www.forestofimagination.com for details.

5x5x5=creativity

5x5x5=creativity, is an arts-based action research organisation with charitable status that supports children in their exploration and expression of ideas, helping them develop creative skills for life. www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk

Grant Associates

Grant Associates is a British Landscape Architecture consultancy specialising in creative, visionary design of both urban and rural environments worldwide, working with some of the world’s leading architects and designers. www.grant-associates.uk.com

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios are an award winning practice with an international reputation for design quality, for pioneering environmental expertise and a radical architectural approach. www.fcbstudios.com

Illuminate Bath

Illuminate Bathfree, inclusive and accessible to all with over 30,000+ visitors. The projections and installations throughout the city are an inspiration to photographers and filmmakers alike. www.illuminatebath.org/

Imaginnovation

Imaginnovation is a creative agency based in Bath specialising in brand design and creativity workshops. www.imaginnovation.uk

RSA

The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) is an enlightenment organisation committed to finding innovative practical solutions to today’s social challenges. Through its ideas, research and 27,000-strong Fellowshipit seeks to understand and enhance human capability to close the gap between today’s reality and people’s hopes for a better world.www.thersa.org

Bath Spa University

Three schools from Bath Spa University are collaborating for the Forest of Imagination - The School of Humanities and Cultural Industries, Art and Design, and Education. Recognised as one of the UK’s top creative universities in the Which? University Student Survey, Bath Spa University is a leading university for creativity, culture and enterprise, offering a wide range of creative degree courses across visual arts and design, heritage and publishing, and education. www.bathspa.ac.uk

Quotes
"Engagement, playfulness, ingenuity, joy and laughter permeated the Forest of Imagination. It was a great display of our collective imagination showing the true power of creative collaboration." Penny Hay, Director of Research, 5x5x5=creativity and Senior Lecturer at Bath Spa University
"We wanted to create a mini 'Universe of Play' with four distinctly different worlds and an atmosphere of fun. Over the weekend the Forest of Imagination exploded into an entire galaxy of delight. Ingredients of enormous and tiny, light and dark, living and dead, old and young, sun and cloud, colour and sound all contributed to the special ambience." Andrew Grant, Director, Grant Associates, designer of the Forest of Imagination
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About Grant Associates

Grant Associates is a pioneering international landscape architecture practice. Our work reconnects people with nature in insightful, delightful and distinctive ways whilst addressing the global challenges of urbanisation, the climate crisis and biodiversity extinction.

Our design process is underpinned by a knowledge of human behaviour, nature and ecological science combined with innovative design technology. We bring original thinking, creative collaboration and are exploring what regenerative design and the circular economy means to landscape architecture.

Our varied portfolio includes ambitious large-scale, landmark projects through to small, local ventures.

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