Art mixing with nature in the wild

Dec 11 2007 by Amy Hunt, Evening Chronicle

ART and the environment may not make an obvious mix.

But in the North East the Environment Agency is taking a fresh look at how they can integrate art into the natural world and encourage people to appreciate the places in which they live.

One area at which the Agency has looked is flood defences. Traditionally these were practical structures, built with concrete and steel; effective, but not enhancing the areas in which they were built.

Planting schemes or features to make life easier for native wildlife have long been incorporated into projects, but agency bosses now see public art as an important way to improve environments.

The agency has been working in partnership with organisations such as the Arts Council England, North East, Kielder Partnership and local councils, to make flood defences assets to communities rather than just a means of protecting them.

Joe Hillier, the Agency’s Artist in Residence, is funded by the Arts Council England, North East and is helping engineers design structures across the region.

Joe is currently working on four schemes in the area: Placing design works at the head and mouth of the Coplish Burn in Rothbury, designing features for the Kielder Hatchery Visitor Centre, and re-designing river monitoring boxes in Northumberland.

One of the biggest art projects taking shape in the Environment Agency is the Tyne Salmon Trail, a series of cubic sculptures along the river’s edge, celebrating the migratory journey of the salmon.

The 10 two-metre square interactive cubes, which will beam Bluetooth messages with facts about salmon direct to people’s mobile phones, will be placed along the banks of the Tyne and North Tyne in the summer, travelling along over the following 12 months.

The project, a partnership between the Environment Agency, Commissions North (part of Arts Council England, North East) and xsite architecture, was officially launched last week.

Ross Lowrie, project manager at the Environment Agency, said: “The Tyne rivers are there to enjoy for local communities and visitors alike, and the Tyne Salmon Trail aims to encourage people to treasure and explore local rivers and learn about the incredible journey of the iconic Tyne salmon.

“The Tyne is England’s best salmon-fishing river, and this is something the North East should be really proud of, but it is so much more than a fishery.”

For more information, contact Siobhan Leslie on (0191) 203 4322, or e-mail: siobhan. leslie@environment-agency.gov.uk.

For information about the Tyne Salmon Trail, visit www.tynesalmontrail.co.uk