Our Domain artists announced!

Reading’s collaborative and participatory art project, Our Domain, moves into an exciting new phase with the selection of five artist teams.

The artists, who all are all based in Reading, will be working with members of the local community over the coming months to develop ideas for a three-dimensional public art piece for a new residential development in Reading.

The project offers a ground-breaking approach to public art, with an exceptionally high level of collaboration between all involved. Since the project launch in October, artists have had the opportunity to work with Mentoring and Technical Advisory Teams to develop their ideas and the selection of 5 teams will ensure wide ranging public participation in the development of the designs for the final piece.

The five teams will be exploring an exciting range of ideas.

Petre Nikoloski will be developing Missing Yow, an obelisk-like piece, with representatives from Reading’s diverse communities.
Sarah Britten Jones and Jon Lockhart’s project St Retail of Reading immortalises memories of retail gods Iceland and Wickes, the previous occupiers, and plans to enshrine artefacts created by the previous customers and staff along the ley-lines of the Domain site.
Ahmad Alazami and Qamar Ayoubi are developing Shadows of Reading, a project that reflects Reading’s rich history and its development into a diverse, multicultural society with a beautifully strong and intertwined culture.
Nick Garnett will be working with Live Edge Design on Mantlepiece, a coral reef of once loved objects, old lives re-imagined and woven by many hands to become an extraordinary new landscape.
Caroline Streatfield, Andrew Hood, Leigh Took, and Dick Budden of the Oxford Road Community Collective will be developing the Reading Hug with the children of Oxford Rd to create an art piece that shows the strong community ties that exist within Reading.

Alison Bancroft, who has been managing the project on behalf of developers Crossmark, said,

‘There have been a really impressive range of submissions from local artists and the project has already exceeded all expectations. This is largely due to the incredible support from local organisations, including the initial support from the team at Reading Borough Council and the outstanding ongoing support from the local Mentoring Team – Suzanne Stallard from Jelly, Sam Stead from Open Hand Open Space, Elaine Blake from Reading Museum and Councillor Karen Rowland. Their involvement is a tribute to the strength and energy of the arts sector in Reading and I am really looking forward to seeing ideas develop over the coming months.’

An exhibition of the participatory artwork and proposed final designs for the permanent art piece is planned for May, at which point one design will be selected for commission. It will be installed in a prominent position in the new residential development, to welcome Reading’s new community.