The second ‘Art on Lorries’ project, was revealed alongside the Chimes sculptures, at a unique event on Tuesday 31st January.
Over fifty guests from across the county attended the event at Springfields, for the launch of two projects between Transported and local partners. The event saw all ten Fenland Folk lorries come together for the first time and the unveiling of a new plaque for the Chimes Sculptures.
Laura Dyer, Deputy Chief Executive of People and Places for Arts Council England, and David Norton, Chief Executive at Springfields Horticultural Society began the event by unveiling the Chimes, a kinetic sculpture by Ben Coode Adams. The artwork, which celebrates characters from South Lincolnshire, is permanently installed in Springfields Festival Gardens. Originally commissioned by artsNK and Lincolnshire County Council, and later by Transported and Springfields Horticultural Society, the artwork was updated to represent people from Boston Borough and South Holland.
The Fenland Folk lorries were revealed to guests by Managing Director of Freshlinc Robin Hancox, Laura Dyer of Arts Council England and artists Neil Baker and Steve Hatton of Electric Egg. The second ‘Art on Lorries’ project, which celebrates people and events from the area, was commissioned by Transported in partnership with local haulage company Freshlinc. Each inspiration for the design was chosen by a Freshlinc employee who has been depicted on the rear of the respective trailer explaining why they chose the person or subject.
The event included a performance from local acoustic group, the Beauvale Ensemble.
From 1.30pm-2.30pm, the exhibition of lorries was opened to members of the public and attracted the attention of different people from Springfields customers to truck spotters.
The artworks are the latest Transported commissions for Spalding, following the installation of last year’s ‘Spalding: Portrait of a Town’- a trail of sculptures around the town, produced by Joseph Hillier using a 3D scanner.
Nick Jones, Programme Director for Transported said: “Transported’s aim is to reach the people from Boston Borough and South Holland who don’t normally engage with the arts. This can be about finding a way of making it relevant and what both these amazing projects have in common is they celebrate an aspect of what is special about the area, the people. We were delighted to have worked with Freshlinc and their workforce and Springfield’s Horticultural Society on Fenland Folk and the Chimes respectively. Both projects bring art to new audiences in Spalding and beyond, and offer a fascinating insight into the rich and varied history of the area.”
Steven Hatton, Director at Electric Egg said: “Electric Egg are delighted to have produced the ten artworks for ‘Fenland Folk’, the new Transported and Freshlinc ‘Art on Lorries’ commission. Each artwork celebrates and explores notable figures or events in Boston Borough and South Holland’s past. We hope that as these vehicles travel around Europe that they will inspire people to look further into the area’s rich heritage and learn a little more about some of these names.”
Look out for the Fenland Folk lorries by Electric Egg on roads around the UK and Europe! The Chimes sculpture is located in Springfields Festival Gardens and comes to life on the hour.
Image credit Chris Vaughan Photography.
