Yarmouth Springs Eternal is an arts, nature and walking project based in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It will take place from the Spring Equinox to Summer Solstice in 2021, curated by artist Genevieve Rudd. . Company Drinks will be part of the exhibition and conference.
The overall ethos of Yarmouth Springs Eternal project is about connecting with nature and seasons, with a particular focus on overlooked spaces and everyday interactions. The project will also explore the importance of this relationship on our wellbeing, the feeling of wholeness connecting with nature can bring, and the “awe” of being part of something bigger. Yarmouth Springs Eternal is also underpinned by research outlining the inequality of access to green space in the UK.
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The project will consist of:
Artist-led community walks/workshops starting from the Spring Equinox with GYROS and Herring House Trust clients, connecting with the natural world in Great Yarmouth using the arts, led by Mark Cator, Ligia Macedo, Georgie Manly, Kaavous Clayton and Genevieve Rudd
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Public exhibition in late Spring at Primeyarc – originalprojects; new venue at ex-Debenhams department store in Market Gates Shopping Centre – featuring the Yarmouth Springs Eternal project, plus the work of other visiting artists and arts collectives, including Company Drinks, Jacques Nimki, James Alridge and Jason Evans
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Conference hosted by the exhibition artists, exploring artist’s relationship with the natural world and environmentally-connected arts practice
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Public walks/workshops during the exhibition, led by Genevieve Rudd, Jacques Nimki and Jason Evans
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The programme of events will be adapted around the government’s COVID-19 guidance in place at the time. For the latest details, please follow the project social media accounts
PROJECT BACKGROUND
In 2020, reports from Mind, ONS, Royal College of Psychiatrists and other research bodies have shown that the impact of COVID and lockdown has included an increase in first-time mental illness, greater harm from housing insecurity, and that Black and Asian Minority Ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected.
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Yarmouth Springs Eternal was developed in response, to create space for using the natural world and arts as a lens to explore isolation and lived experiences. The group’s own perspectives will offer rich interpretations to inform deeper reflections on cultural heritage, access to nature and inequality. The project will engage culturally and linguistically diverse communities and adults who have experienced homelessness, currently based in Great Yarmouth.
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In a recent report by Mind on COVID and mental health, ‘walking’ and ‘making art’ were cited as positive coping strategies, with ‘spending time outdoors’ said to be used by 67% of adults during the pandemic in 2020.
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Using Market Gates Shopping Centre in Great Yarmouth (a space devoid of nature) as a base for walking explorations, we’ll listen, look, smell, touch and taste to share the experience of actively seeking out hope and watching spring unfold together. Participants will witness and record their plant and nature discoveries through photography, writing, drawing and design workshops. The creative techniques used will be environmentally-sustainable.
