Exercise, muddy feet and fresh air are among the less celebrated benefits of
viewing works of art, but visiting the Irwell Sculpture Trail is a
chance to experience all three at the same time as seeing works by
locally and internationally renowned artists. The 33 mile sculpture
trail, which follows the River Irwell from Salford Quays all the way
to Bacup in Pennine Lancashire, has been around for over a decade
now, but recent reinvestment means that, as well as restoring some of
the sculptures to prime condition, new, interactive features make the
experience far more than just looking at art and going for a walk.
The sculpture trail started in Rossendale in Pennine Lancashire following
a lottery bid and gradually expanded to reach as far south as Salford
Quays, with artworks leading the visitor through the history of the
industrial towns and cities that grew up alongside the River Irwell
and the changing uses of the river and surrounding areas. It's a
story not just about the Irwell, and the trains, canals and mills
that follow its course (the trail regularly meets other waterways
such as the Manchester and Bolton and Bury Canal, and the clusters
north of Bury can be conveniently reached on the East Lancashire
Railway), but local people, incorporating memories and experiences
into several of the sculptures. However, some of the artworks on the
sculpture trail fell into disrepair over time, and have only recently
been restored. Diana Hamilton has been project manager for the Irwell
Sculpture Trail since 2007 and is setting the direction for its
future. She explained: “It's a really unwieldy project as four
local authorities are working together. In the past there was a lack
of thought when commissioning and a lack of understanding who would
be responsible for maintenance, and that's a problem right across
public art. Now there's a new mindset when commissioning public art
of making sure there's a maintenance plan.”
Working with the Arts Council, an audit of the trail was carried out, looking
at the state of the sculptures, the pathways and the access to the
trail, and a five year plan developed. Diana explained: “We
discovered some sculptures no-one knew about and incorporated them
into the trail. Some people had walked past a sculpture for years and
not known what it was. Some of the sculptures melted back into nature
and naturally disappeared. Some had been vandalised and some were
never meant to have a longer lifespan than they have.” The lack of
public information previously available had also meant that some
sculptures were very hard to find, and some of the trail went through
private land or land that flooded. Suggested routes have now been
changed to avoid private land, and the Environment Agency is looking
at the land that floods. Diana said: “The trail has gone through a
real period of change. It all happened organically. We heard people's
frustrations about not being able to find the sculptures so turned
the trail from a linear trail into clusters.”
A consultation was also held and, while there had been opposition to
some of the sculptures at first, Diana says the artworks are now part
of their communities: “There was so much local opposition to
Tilted
Vase in Ramsbottom, and
Halo in Halsingden when they were planned,
but people love them now.” Each area has a steering group,
including representatives from tourist information and community
groups, and they have a practical role commissioning temporary
artworks alongside the trail. Some of the sculptures came about
through the Section 106 planning clause, and councils along the trail
made a commitment to spend the money on the arts, often involving the
community.
Many of the artists lived in the area where their contribution to the trail
is based, and artworks reflect local stories. In Whitefield, near
Bury, the artist talked to park rangers and discovered there used to
be 'fancy birds' in the park in Victorian times, leading to a simple
but effective artwork entitled
Canaries in the Park, which comprises
still, hard-to-spot model birds sitting still on the railings, and
acting as silent spectators in the bowling green. The colour scheme
was drawn from tropical sweets from the local sweet factory. Some of
the birds have also been adopted by the community and adorn the
town's rooftops.
Other artworks give a sense of place. Diana describes Lee Quarry, near the
Stacksteads cluster, where bikers interact with the sculptures and
use them to perform tricks, as “an amazing performance space”,
saying: “It's like being on the moon. You can use the sculptures to
find your way around. They give you a sense of where you are.”
New signs and interpretation will help visitors make the most of their
visit to each cluster, and QR codes have been added to the sculptures
which anyone with a smartphone can scan to hear local stories as well
as recordings of the artists and videos of events which have been
held alongside the sculpture trail. Diana gives a macabre example:
“An old mill owner used to throw children into the river in Salford
when they were no longer needed and you can still see the gravestones
along the river. There are little nuggets of stories like this to
bring the trail alive. Children love gruesome stories; it adds
another layer to the experience.” Visitors can also take part in a
monster hunt in Rossendale and a geo treasure hunt.
However, you won't need a fancy phone to enjoy the trail. Diana says: “It's
all very well if you have a smartphone to use a QR code but we also
want to satisfy the rambler in their sixties and seventies. There's a
really wide audience, from families with small children to ramblers
on their annual expedition. We're keeping all these audiences happy.”
The Irwell Sculpture Trail works closely with other venues along the
trail, and sculpture trail activities will tie in with events such as
Bury Light Night and the chocolate festival in Ramsbottom, as well as
the Olympic torch passing through Rossendale and Bury. An exhibition
in light boxes at Piccadilly Station is currently linked up with the
Ghost Cam at former stately home Ordsall Hall in Salford, one of the
attractions which hosts sculptures along the trail, and performers
from Salford's DIY Theatre Company have been bringing alive the Salford
section of the trail. It's hoped future events will
also include guided walks.
Diana said: “The sculpture trail is a free day out that gets people out
and about and walking outside. Because each cluster of sculptures is
part of a bigger project, people visit other areas they might not
have been to before. Visitors might pick up a sculpture trail leaflet
in Salford and end up in Rossendale in Lancashire to see more
sculptures. Some people just go to visit a particular sculpture, but
others might want to make a day of it and go for a walk.” Among the
most popular sculptures are those at Clifton Country Park in Salford,
which draw on the park's past as the site of a colliery. Diana said:
“So many people don't know there's a country park in Salford, but
the park treats the sculptures as an asset.”
With the relaunch of the sculpture trail website, and publication of a free,
32-page brochure in March, there's no better time to visit. The
brochure, which will be available from local tourist information
points, features information on each sculpture, including road names,
parking, bus stops, toilets, places to eat and nearby attractions
such as museums, and the website will host a route planner, ordnance
survey information, news about events around the trail and resources
for schools.
The sculpture trail works with other organisations involved with the
environment and public art, and Diana is looking forward to
collaborating with the Environment Agency. She said: “We want to
experiment and challenge the idea of public art and public art
commissioning. The Environment Agency is working on the Irwell and
getting rid of the weirs, but they're not allowed to get rid of any
of the material from the site so it needs to be reused, which gives
us an opportunity to work with environmental artists. There is so
much potential along the trail.”
Plan your visit to the Irwell Sculpture Trail at
www.irwellsculpturetrail.co.uk.
This interview with Diana Hamilton took place during the writing of an article on the Irwell Sculpture Trail for Creative Tourist, which makes more detailed recommendations of some of the highlights along the trail in Greater Manchester:
www.creativetourist.com/features/get-dirty-look-at-art-the-irwell-scupture-trail
