An installation of banners created by communities in Coventry who were inspired by last year’s Turner Prize winners, Array Collective, is to launch in May.
A highlight of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, the Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. Last year’s jury awarded the prize to Array Collective for their ‘hopeful and dynamic artwork’ which addresses urgent social and political issues ‘with humour, seriousness and beauty’.
The Belfast group’s winning entry was an installation set in an imagined illicit drinking den – with a floating roof made from banners created for protests and demonstrations.
The Coventry Banner installation will be on display at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from Friday, May 13 to Sunday, September 4. Members of the public are welcome to attend an informal social picnic launch event between 11am–2pm on Friday, May 13.
Amanda Haran, community engagement officer for Culture Coventry, who has led the project, said: “The spirit of Array Collective coaxed the often quiet and unheard communities of Coventry and Warwickshire to share their passions, fears and hidden selves authentically, honestly and compassionately.
“I’ve been honoured to witness these stories come to life through a creative process. The banners themselves have nurtured the heritage of Coventry, through provocations from the textile industry in the city, and will pay homage to this through the display which will be suspended above the jacquard loom in the Herbert’s Covered Court.”
Between January and April, the Learning and Engagement team at Culture Coventry invited communities, schools, organisations and individuals to take part in the Coventry Banner project, inspired by Array Collective’s social action banners. The aim was to give a creative platform to Coventry-wide voices, sharing messages and designs with the city.
The brief was simple; to share something that you are passionate about, which will be displayed in a public installation at the Herbert throughout the summer.
The Coventry Banner project has been an opportunity to develop a community-led project that is inclusive to all. Supported workshops and opportunities for individuals to embrace their banner making in their own homes have allowed participants the freedom to follow their own ideas, thoughts and feelings throughout the creative process.
The precedent was set early on that art skills were not a necessity and that banners could be made in any format and be as simple or as detailed as the participants chose them to be.
Banners have been created using a wide variety of mediums, from permanent markers, paint, glue, loose parts, found objects, fabric and even rubbish. Some are designed using simple drawings or written text, whilst other have explored screen printing, embroidery and hand knitting.
Those involved in making banners have included Sitting Rooms of Culture, John Gulson Primary School, the Shielding Community, Coventry University, EGO performance company, Creative Kindness, Hereward College, Coventry Men’s Shed and many more.
One member of EGO assisted a lady with restricted mobility, who was unable to leave the house, to create a banner via a video call following her exact instructions with a paintbrush.
A spokesperson for John Gulson Primary School in Coventry said: “Our children really enjoyed themselves and the end products were really creative. It really bought the best out of our small focus group of EAL (English as a second language) pupils and proves that language need not be a barrier.”
The museum is free to enter, and no booking is required to view this artwork.
Bring along a picnic and join in with a relaxed launch event on Friday, May 13 for an opportunity to socialise with some of the communities who have participated in this project and discover more about future opportunities to engage with Culture Coventry.
For further information visit: https://www.theherbert.org/whats_on/1649/coventry_banner_project_social_...