Achieve by Unity | Dawn of Justice
May 8 proposal - recurring
EASTVILLE PROJECT SPACE - Together with others, I work on art projects centered on societal issues. When we view the environment as 'a painting,' the question arises—who made it and what is our role in this landscape? This question prompted me to respond to an open call from Eastville Project Space. At their invitation, I was able to conduct research in Yeovil (UK) in 2016 and later created this proposal. Trained as a visual artist I am the initiator of collaborative visual interventions with a special interest in public space.
YEOVIL - This place in the beautiful landscape of South-West England made a friendly impression on me. Since the very beginning of this city, all roads have led to St. John’s Church. They follow the pattern of the surrounding hills, which are part of this place’s DNA. Even today, they have a major influence on the feeling you get from Yeovil.
Not only do the roads have a cul-de-sac structure due to these hills, but the urban area also appears fragmented because of the different levels on which it is built. When walking on the street, you don't really get a "grip" on Yeovil. Only in the surrounding hills do you get an idea of ??what a city full of Yeovilians looks like.
ACHIEVE BY UNITY | DAWN OF JUSTICED - is the title of my proposal. It is a complex triptych embedded in the landscape. It refers to a wide range of references I found in Yeovil. The form of a triptych originates from Christian art, where it was a popular form for altarpieces. This dates from the Middle Ages to well beyond.
My proposal connects Wyndham Hill with Glovers Walk. The latter, in turn, bears similarities to the nave of a church. Where in the past religion guided the shaping of life, today it is the religion of shopping that dominates 'the Mind of a City'. 'The Mind of a City' refers to the city council's slogan: Yeovil, heart of the country, the mind of a city.
ACHIEVE BY UNITY – means achieving something together. This can only be done by transcending the individual. Achieve by Unity refers here to the text on the emblem of the football club Yeovil Town. In an individualized society, it is a tremendous result when a group of people achieves something together; as we saw at the Wyndham Hill protests. More recently, we saw it with an initiative like Frack Free Yeovil.
DAWN OF JUSTICE – means the dawning of justice. Here, it refers to bringing the voice of residents back into the shaping process of the living environment. Dawn of Justice also refers here to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a prominent example of mass culture. It refers to an article on the website of Yeovil's Community Heritage Access Centre. On this website, the interesting question is asked, "Does a blue plastic Batman with a bad knee (on a blue shelf!) really reflect Yeovil’s history?"
THE ANGEL – forms panel 1. In Yeovil, Bob Osborn told me about the lead Angel from The Angel Inn. This angel is said to be now in the collection of Yeovil's Community Heritage Access Centre.
With this proposal, I want to create a replica of the original sculpture, which I intend to do by collecting white glass together with the Somerset Waste Partnership. The religious and historical influence of this angel shines through contemporary Yeovil. Hence my choice of transparent glass. The Angel is a soothing icon. She communicates with all residents of Yeovil.
The Angel will then be placed high in the nave of Glovers Walk. When walking from the bus station to the center, the nave curves to the left. The Angel will then appear there as at the altar in a church. This image gives more meaning to the city's plans. They want to install facings to conceal empty retail space and create shopping circuits.
BLUE BATMAN WITH A BAD KNEE – forms panel 2. Yeovil's Community Heritage Access Centre collection explains its collection policy in an online article. It specifies which objects are included in the collection and which are not. The article is titled: Blue Batman with a bad knee. Now that our religious consciousness is in decline (think of the stored Angel), we rely today on imaginary superheroes to fight evil in our society. In an article surrounding Batman's sixtieth anniversary, The Guardian wrote, "Batman is a figure blurred by the endless reinvention that is modern mass culture. He is at once an icon and a commodity: the perfect cultural artefact for the 21st century."
I want to gather the plastic needed for this sculpture together with the Somerset Waste Partnership. The intention is to create a replica of this Batman with a broken knee. The location for this statue is in Glovers Walk, at the site where a horrific assault previously took place. This attack, in which a man was severely beaten, took place in Glovers Walk at 11:00 PM BST on May 8, 2011.
As you probably know, Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne. After witnessing the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on criminals and took an oath to live up to his sense of justice. When we return to the question: "Does a blue plastic Batman with a bad knee (on a blue shelf!) really reflect Yeovil's history?" It is important to refer to an article from the Western Gazette of April 4, 2016: "Aquaman: Yeovil designer tops 'dream team' for Batman and Superman comics company".
WYNDHAM HILL & MAGNIFICENT FLYING MACHINES - When you leave Glovers Walk on the bus station side, you look across the street at the fire station. There stands a tower that resembles the pedestal of a statue. However, in this case, a sculpture is missing. In my view, art is never a static object. Art is a way to activate our imagination.
To activate this artwork as a triptych and 'imagination machine', I wish to organize an annual ceremony. The date for this is May 8 at 2300 BST (the date of the horrific assault mentioned in panel 2). When a crowd gathers on Wyndham Hill every year, the residents can celebrate their 'favorite catalyst' together. This third part refers to the celebration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.
At this ceremony, Yeovilians are asked to nominate someone in their midst (not a politician) who is a true catalyst for the local community. A role model, a connector, someone who takes the lead, or someone who has done something special that year.
To truly make it a celebration, I propose collaborating with RNAS Yeovilton on an annual mission in Yeovil involving four helicopters. Helicopters are part of the local DNA. Three helicopters would then fly over Wyndham Hill at exactly 2300 BST on May 8. These helicopters would then each fly to a 'gateway' to the city (Gateway Art Yeovil Urban Development Framework Report 2005) and shine a beam of light straight down. In this way, these gateways would be illuminated. With this action, they would welcome the city's latest three new residents. Their names would be announced in the local newspaper. Through their presence in the air, they would form the backdrop from the hill for the fourth helicopter.
This fourth helicopter flies over the crowd on Wyndham Hill and positions itself exactly above the pedestal, the tower standing by the fire station. The helicopter illuminates it from high in the air for a duration of five minutes (Lighting Strategy Yeovil Urban Development Framework report 2005). Afterwards, the helicopter flies away over the crowd, and only when it has completely disappeared do the other three helicopters follow at an appropriate distance from one another.
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Kind regards, Edwin Stolk.
