Art / east bristol
Artwork inspired by Feeder Canal’s wildlife and industrial history
A couple is working on a public art installation which is inspired by the wildlife, ecology and history of the Feeder Canal.
Artists Rachael Champion and Jonathan Trayte have been commissioned to design a permanent artwork in a “public urban nature reserve” as part of a redevelopment project in St Philip’s Marsh.
Champion and Trayte, based in Margate, are both award-winning artists in their own right whose work is influenced by the natural world and the built environment.
is needed now More than ever
The piece will be created alongside hundreds of new homes, offices, shops, student accommodation and a new secondary school on a derelict industrial site.
A board depicting part of the research process
Champion and Trayte are working together to create the installation
The artwork is going to draw on and make connections between the water and the canal bank, touching on the ecology of the area and its industrial history a major place of manufacturing that goes back to the mid-19th century.
“What I found really inspiring is that I’ve learned through the residency that brownfield sites actually have a really much bigger ecological value than many think,” said Champion at a recent exhibition featuring artworks and research encountered during the Feeder Canal Residency.
“So we’re going to reintroduce the kind of rubble and different kinds of environments that occur naturally in brownfield sites for the artwork.
Speaking about how their art differs, Champion said: “I’m much more interested in site-specific working and specifically responding to a place and teasing its histories out.
“Jonathan makes like incredibly beautiful pieces that are inspired by the natural world and you can see a difference in his style.”
Transitional Waters was a weekend event and exhibition that included creative workshops and a series of talks
The piece will be located at ‘Plot 6’ on Silverthorne Lane which is set to be transformed over the coming years with “new access to learning, living and working” via student accommodation.
A new planning application for the site is going to be submitted which has reduced the height of the buildings and included more open space on the canal side.
Alongside new buildings, designed by Clifton-based Studio Hive, there will be “major” changes to outdoor space including dedicated cycle routes and pedestrian safety improvements.
The team said they want to create “active social external spaces that enjoy the waterside location and celebrate the industrial past of the site”.
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read next:
- The eco-artists using creativity to fuel their activism
- Bold vision unveiled for St Philip’s Marsh
- Car park could be turned into student accommodation
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