In December 2024, Art of Protest (AOP), in partnership with the Children’s Capital of Culture Engagement Team, will deliver three land art installations across Rotherham’s parks and green spaces. Please come celebrate the installations from New Year's Day.
The land art, installed for 14 days, is part of the launch for the year-long festival celebrating Rotherham's becoming the world's first Children’s Capital of Culture. The programme for 2025 will be based around four themes to promote a riot of creativity, Rotherham’s green spaces, and its heritage.
The first theme, ‘You’re Not from New York City, You’re from Rov’rum’ immortalised in the lyrics of the Arctic Monkeys as a putdown, stands as a challenge to our young people to reclaim the narrative of their town.
So, on 1 January 2025, the three land art commissions under this theme will mark the start of a year in which Rotherham’s young people will reclaim this narrative. Children’s Captial of Culture have already had conversations with children and young people that their local green spaces are extremely important to them, both from a social, health, and well-being perspective and as a visible reminder of the urgency of climate change.
In December 2024, Art of Protest undertook further engagement work with the children and young people of Rotherham through our spray paint workshops and consultations. Our engagement informed the briefs for our artists meaning the children and young people we have engaged have had direct influence on the artworks being created.
We were fortunate to have met with Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary for the Roshill Park installation, Kimberworth Park Community Partnership for Kimberworth Park install and Ashton Youth Group for Rother Valley piece. Our workshops have focused on three main areas:
This is our…
This is my…
Together we can…
The workshops also focused on colour and shape. Participants of the workshops were given a range of stencils and colours to create their art work, so they are able to fully express themselves. Through the workshops AOP took the most common themes which included shapes, colours and narratives to create our artist design brief. The overarching designs include geometric shapes, hopeful images of nature and the Children’s Capital of Culture striking black and yellow palette. You can find out more about the Children’s Capital of Culture here.
