Thurston Bronze

Suffolk Libraries 

Project with Year 6 Thurston Primary School, hosted and supported by Thurston Library. The final works inspired by students’ favourite books and characters were exhibited at the library for the Summer. 

Noye's Fludde: Procession

Aldeburgh Music

Sculpture project and installation at Snape Maltings for the Snape 2015 Proms. Inspired by Benjamin Britten's children's opera, Noye's Fludde, students from St Mary's Primary, Kyson Primary, Woodbridge Primary and Woodbridge School modelled animal pairs from the Arc. The installation comprised of over 40 bronze sculptures modelled by students and an interactive map provided for visitors to seek out the works on site. 

Mint Market

BLOC Arts & West Suffolk College

Working with digital artist Emily Godden and Suffolk Libraries, Mint Market explored themes of cultural currency, social capital and personal value, taking the medieval Bury St Edmunds town currency as a vehicle for discussion. In addition to designing an online game around the theme, Foundation students from West Suffolk College designed and modelled their own currencies. The final bronze coins were exhibited through an online exhibition on instagram during lockdown before being returned to students. 

What’s in the Woods? 

Melton Primary School 

Through drawing, clay and wax modelling workshops, Year 6 students from Melton Primary School created sculptures of native woodland animals and insects. After visiting the foundry to see their works cast, the sculptures were presented in the woodland play area with students providing displays and talks on the casting process for parents and other year groups. 

Shoreline, Skyline, Treetop Messenger: Collaboration with Juneau Projects and North Lincolnshire Museum

Delivered during the first UK lockdown, using our postal kits and online wax workshops, participants modelled native birds in response to the redesign and new curation of the museum's bird specimen collection. The bronze birds are now part of the permanent collection, introduced alongside a publication by Juneau Projects with texts by scientists Lucas Mander, Dr Nicola Hemmings and Tim Birkhead FRS and illustrations by local people. This project was produced with Invisible Dust and North Lincolnshire Museum. 

Collaboration with Juneau Projects and Trumpington Primary School

We delivered a wax modelling workshop with students from Trumpington Primary School as part of a permanent sculpture installation at the school inspired by native British birds, in collaboration with Juneau Projects. After casting the birds, they are being installed at the school as part of a larger outdoor display.

See www.juneauprojects.co.uk for more details on their other projects.

Scratch Mould Casting Workshop with Hartismere Academy 

GCSE and A Level Students from Hartismere Academy came to the foundry for a one day workshop. Carving low and high relief designs in resin sand moulds on the theme of natural forms, the works were cast and opened in a single day. The works contributed to their final art exams. 

Young Eyes Sculpture Project with Vision Norfolk

Young Eyes, the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind children’s group, modelled works in wax and worked together on a joint bronze relief for the Vision Norfolk centre. The group and their families came to the foundry for the casting of their work. The final works were supposed to be presented alongside a fundraising event in Norwich but it was postponed due to lockdown. We adapted this final presentation into an online exhibition with an audio description video. 

'Celebrating Us' Residency in Eye with Suffolk Art Link

One of three projects supported by Suffolk Art Link in response to rural isolation expereinced during the pandemic; Celebrating Us: Eye ran over a 2 month period supplying free sculpture kits to local residents in Eye and Stradbroke. This series of collectable kits with materials and activities were designed for both families and residents at UK Care's Hartismere Place care home. Over the three kits, residents developed and designed a currency for their area in clay, plaster and wax with the latter final design being cast. The concept 'the people make the place' influenced the decision to celebrate Eye through a currency designed by the people for the people, individual designs making up a collective in the way a strong community is structured. Coins were collectable and 'spent' in a pre-paid event at The Bank Arts Centre in town once restrictions were lifted. Residents could redeem their coins for a snack and drink before undertaking a coin trail in town.