Over the past year I have been consulting the community of Kiveton and Wales in preparation for the installation of a sculpture trail being positioned through the new Strata 'Desire' housing estate.
The trail will be installed later this year and as an interim piece of functional artwork to raise the profile of the project within the area I have designed, with help from local people, two benches to be sited on the recreation ground and near St. Johns Church.
Through workshops and the website www.whatmakeskivetonsmile.com I have been collecting anecdotes and things that make people smile. Some of the results have been reproduced onto paper bags and mugs, which have then been used by local shops to help advertise the project.
The 'Smile' benches are an extension of this project.
Taking the exact scaled-down form of the previous White City houses (which were demolished to make way for the new estate) I have cut a bench seat into them and adorned them with smiles made from clay models formed during a workshop with Wales High pupils.
The benches had been sited temporarily outside St.Johns Church and on the recreation ground but have now been moved to permanent homes at the Primary School and childrens play area in the village.
