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OUR TOWN Artist Residencies

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Yeovil Art Space is thrilled to announce two artist residencies with schools and young people right here in Yeovil. Part of the Our Town Project artists ‘Brendan Barry’ and ‘Juneau Projects’ will be engaging Yeovil’s community through creative play, exploring artistic techniques.

Brendan Barry is a photographer, educator and camera builder whose creative photographic practice combines elements of construction, education, performance and participation. 

Fascinated by the mechanics of vision and the processes of analogue photography, his work is concerned with the transformation of different objects and environments into spaces capable of viewing and making a photographic image. 

The process and materiality of photography is central to this practice as both a personal experience and the means by which he engages others in forms of collaboration and exploration. These include the action of light through a lens, the heightened awareness of the world brought about by being inside a camera obscura and the magical moment of transformation when the image is registered on photo-sensitive paper. 

Brendan is founder & director of Positive Light Projects, a not for profit organisation using the visual arts to engage and inspire a diverse range of audiences and communities. The organisation also aids emerging artists to develop their practice forward in exciting and innovative ways.

Brendan shares: “During this short residency I will be transforming Yeovil Art Space into a working analogue darkroom, photographic studio and camera obscura. A camera obscura is a darkened box or room with a small hole or lens that projects an inverted image of the outside scene onto an interior surface. I’m looking forward to running a series of workshops with local creative young people, engaging them with the magic of optical representation and introducing them to a range of traditional analogue processes and techniques.” 

Juneau Projects

Juneau Projects was formed in 2001 by Philip Duckworth and Ben Sadler. Their work is made in collaboration with other people, ranging from one-off workshops that introduce people to a skill or technique to long term projects working with communities to create artworks for their area. They work across a broad range of media including sculpture, animation, print making, Riso printing, performance, music and public art. 

Juneau Projects share ‘We are interested in the urge people have to be creative, how that has manifested throughout history and how we can work with groups to create work together. We’re really looking forward to working with Yeovil Art Space and getting to know the community in Yeovil. We love the process of working with people to make projects that reflect the creativity of the local area!’ 

Juneau Projects have exhibited at venues including Tate Britain (London), PS1 (USA), Frankfurter Kunstverein (Frankfurt), Grizedale Arts (Cumbria), IKON (Birmingham), Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (Japan), Tatton Park Biennial (UK), Somerset House – King’s Cultural Institute/Up Projects (London), Lismore Castle Arts (Ireland) & Two Chairs, Vermont (USA).

Yeovil Art Space’s project ‘Our Town’ is a creative placemaking project funded by Arts Council England, offering a programme of art and cultural events for Yeovil Town Centre from now until March 2026.

Artist appointed to Create Artwork for Glovers Walk Hoardings

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Further to our recent partnership with Love Yeovil supported by Somerset Council to gain important viewpoints from the Yeovil community on the meanwhile use of Glovers Walk, we will also be managing an artist commission to transform the hoardings that now surround the site.  

We are thrilled to announce that LOW PROFILE, a renowned creative duo based in Plymouth, will design and produce the artwork for the hoardings in Lower Middle Street.

LOW PROFILE is a collaboration between artists Rachel Dobbs and Hannah Rose, who have been working together since 2003. They are renowned for their innovative approach to create engaging and thought-provoking artworks that foster human connections and community engagement.

Putting the community’s voice at the heart of the redevelopment, we will work closely with LOW PROFILE to respond to the call out we have had from you for more culture and creativity in the town centre.

Findings from the survey and consultation work that we carried out with Love Yeovil in late 2024 gained important viewpoints from the public on the meanwhile use of Glovers Walk which will inform the public art commission.

LOW PROFILE will create artwork to cover the area with bold and inspiring artwork, reflecting the aspiration of those involved in the consultation and encouraging imagination of future use of the area. The artwork created will be on display while the demolition works continue until summer 2025.

We know that by commissioning LOW PROFILE we can make this an interesting and exciting focal point for both locals and visitors. The artwork will serve as a testament to the community’s creativity and vision for the future.

Yeovil Art Space and LOW PROFILE will champion sustainability throughout the project and anticipate any artwork created could be used again in the town after the hoarding comes down.

(Published Janurary 2025)

More about Glovers Walk development

Glovers Walk: Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil appoint independent Town Centre Board

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Press Statement November 2024

Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil have been commissioned to organise a community led consultation for the future of Glovers Walk. This intends to help develop a range of uses on the site and presents an opportunity to trial ideas that will support the town centre and the wider Yeovil community. Following the transformation of Glovers Walk into a green space, the potential uses are open ended and provide very exciting prospects for Yeovil. 

As part of the consultation, Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil are pleased to announce the appointment of an independent Town Centre Board who will bring perspective and accountability to the project, ensuring Yeovil’s communities and voices are at the heart of the consultation. The Town Centre Board is composed of skilled and experienced individuals who are passionate about making positive changes to the town. The Board includes: Amanda Card, Ceri Stephens, Mark Bolton, Adam Dyer, Stephen Fox, Ian Timms, Gareth Witt, Jasmine Strak, Natasha Rand, Zoe Li, and Natalia Lewis. 

Ian Timms, Yeovil Refresh Project Manager, explains,

“The fund is provided on specified projects and is linked to specific outcomes. This means that we are committed by the grant agreement to deliver the demolition. All of the funding associated with the Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) must have been committed and leave the council’s account by 31st March 2025. All contracts or grant agreements related to the fund had to be in place, signed and sealed by 30th September 2024. The business case associated with the grant means that we are committed to delivery of a meantime space. 

In any development on larger sites the creation of a viable and deliverable plan takes time. We estimate that a new development on the site would take 3-5 years to realise based on other major development sites. The meantime uses will be important to enable positive uses on the site but will also inform the creation of the longer term development plan. The meantime uses are likely to be in place for a minimum of 1-3 years.”

Future High Street Funding has been allocated on the condition that the Glovers Walk demolition is to revitalise the area. The 1.5-acre disused shopping complex at the Yeovil town centre will be flattened in 2025 and an open green space will be created to test a breadth of ideas and potential meanwhile use for the area. 

To gather the input and ideas of Yeovil’s community, residents and business owners, Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil have launched a short survey, which is live until Saturday 30th November at 5pm. The survey asks the community what they would like to see for the future of Glovers Walk following its transformation into an open green space. This will inform both the meanwhile use and longer term plans for the area. 

Alongside the survey, there will be a series of workshops to capture the public’s thoughts and ideas at Yeovil Art Space on Friday 8th November, Wednesday 13th November, and Saturday 30th November. To sign up, please indicate in the survey via the link yeovilartspace.uk/gloverswalk or click the button below

Click to fill in our survey for Glovers Walk

About Town – Your Way

Part of Story of Yeovil Exhibitions and Events Exhibition: 6 July – 31 August Opening Time: Wed – Fri 12-4, Sat 11-4 (Other times by appointment, group visits are welcome)Yeovil Art Space Gallery, Unit 13-15, Vicarage Street, Quedam Centre, Yeovil  For the final…

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