Skipton Big Ideas to Transform St Helier Town Church

ArtHouse Jersey is excited to launch Skipton Big Ideas 2020, a new multi-sensory, immersive art experience.

ArtHouse Jersey is inviting internationally acclaimed & local artists, architects and designers to transform the St Helier Town Church and its grounds into a dramatic exploration of three topical themes identified in modern society - Accessibility, Sense of Place and Sustainability & Repurposing.

This ambitious, large-scale exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday 15th - Thursday 29th October 2020, supported by a series of interactive talks and workshops hosted by the team of talented creatives involved.

ArtHouse Jersey has secured a high profile programme of both international and local artists, including the work of multi-award-winning architect and designer Pippa Nissen of Nissen Richards Studio, who has worked with some of the world’s leading cultural institutions including The British Museum, V&A, Modern Art Museum, Shanghai & Hannover Staatsoper.

Over 40 local artists will feature in the exhibition, each bringing their own multi-disciplinary skill set and unique interpretation of the themes. In total, twelve diverse physical and digital installations will be presented, which will draw on all aspects of the arts from sculptural to textiles, projection and digital. 

Some of these have been specifically designed to be interactive, enabling the audience to engage with the art in more dynamic ways that purely looking. The exhibition will be further enhanced by imaginative special events and performances. One of these will be the Walking Gallery, a runway exhibition showcasing 20 wearable art creations encompassing the themes and designed to be displayed on the body.

Jim Coupe, Managing Director at Skipton International, said: “As long term partners of ArtHouse Jersey, Skipton International is extremely proud to support our amazing wealth of local creative talent whilst promoting the accessibility of art to all areas of the community. Having recently signed up to the UN’s ‘Support The Goals’ initiative, we are particularly excited with the fresh angle of the Big Ideas proposition and in particular themes of sustainability and drive on community outreach. These are integral to our ethos and we look forward to seeing artists bringing them to life at this new take on an exhibition.”

Tom Dingle, Director at ArtHouse Jersey, said: “We couldn’t be happier to be announcing this far-reaching and fully interactive project. Whilst it is artistically adventurous it is designed to be truly inclusive, celebrating yet reimagining a beautiful public space that already sits at the heart of our community. This type of project is only possible with the support of visionary partners. Skipton International's commitment to the community and the projects that they support is exemplary. We are also truly grateful to the Dean and his team at St. Helier Parish Church for allowing us to use this extremely special place. We very much look forward to making further announcements about each aspect of this project and the range of brilliant partners that are involved.” 

Images courtesy of Nissen Richards Studio, for illustrative purposes.