“Sustainability was at the forefront of our thinking when approaching the theme and site design for our large-scale, pop up outdoor event space this Summer, Homeground.
As both a curator and producer, I’m acutely aware that cultural production – be it an exhibition, a new artwork commission, film production or outdoor festival – can be a hit-and-run affair for generating waste, with little thought to disposal or sustainable practice.
I wanted to keep in mind that despite the site being open to the public for almost 3 months, this is a temporary project, and that reuse and repurpose should guide our choices. Working with Decordia Events, we chose to exaggerate rather than disguise the nature of the site.
By channelling scrap yard, used car lot vibes, we’re also exploring how to make visible the compacted layers of city history by introducing salvage and fascinating artefacts; some of which still trail a story in their wake, others simply expose the skeleton of our fast-changing urban landscape.
As part of this process, I’ve been working with the Lightworks team at Blackpool Illuminations, who allowed me to dig around their decommissioned items.
This isn’t about grabbing prized pieces from the promenade, which are still very much in use. Lightworks has long been dedicated to the build and repair of reuseable units that can withstand extreme weather, from, sun, salt, wind and rain. Instead, I wanted to resurrect the broken-down but still wonderful for one last hurrah, which can often carry more emotional attachment than the new.
As the clock ticks down to our opening launch, I’m still on the hunt via various routes to see what more we can dig out and dust down for our eccentric, second-chance picnic. I hope you’ll be able to join us.”
Bren O’Callaghan, Curator, HOME
Our sustainability programme is supported by Shire Leasing.
