Nature Sculptures at Poole Farm
Students on Arts University Plymouth’s BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices degree course have designed and installed sculptures at Plymouth’s community farm, Poole Farm, based in Derriford Community Park.
Working in partnership with the Green Minds project, first year BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices students Sarah Drury, Lisa Mceleny, Elisabeth Vass, Stuart Morrisey and Nathan Soper worked together to develop a sculpture for the grounds of Poole Farm. Featuring mixed materials such as glass, ceramics and wood, including wood felled from trees in Bircham Valley, the sculpture was inspired by the farm itself. Collecting feathers, leaves and flowers to create textured ceramic and glass tiles, the students even added a section of bamboo sticks to create a mini bug hotel.
Student Nathan Soper, who worked on hexagonal glass tiles for the sculpture, said, “It was different working with a team, there were loads of ideas flying around. I really enjoyed the process, installing something for people to get their eyes on. Poole Farm is an amazing place, I was so inspired by the preservation of the bees and nature. You really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere when you’re there - definitely not in the middle of a city.”
Another group of first year students from BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices at Arts University Plymouth, Sirun Chiarini, Vittoria Sutton, Caroline Barr, Grace Crawford, Bonny Timms and Jaimie Clarke, created a willow pod structure for the farm, situated in the forest school area.
Sirun Chiarini said, “The whole project from start to finish took about a month. We came up with ideas to pitch to the rest of the class before splitting into groups with those who had similar ideas. My group wanted to do something interactive, with natural materials that would fit in with Poole Farm’s commitment to the community and sustainability. As a group, we quickly agreed to make a willow pod-like structure, building on skills we had previously been shown. We used a large MDF wheel for the base and constructed our panels, side by side, interweaving them as we went. I had put out a request for green material donations, so as well as willow we also used eucalyptus, curly willow and cuttings of honeysuckle, vines and dogwood.”
“Despite the limited time frame, we managed to achieve what we set out to do which is thanks to everyone in the group being proactive and communicating well. I’m really proud of how we worked as a team, and I’m so proud of the finished pod, which fits perfectly in the woodland at Poole Farm.”
