The initial work by creative practise Dallas-Pierce-Quintero has been inspired by ‘First We Eat’ – a series of creative conversations held by creative practitioners Quiet Down There in 2022 with members of the communities of Whitehouse and Fairfields. These earlier conversations informed the brief for the upcoming public art and furniture commissions, and they then became interested in exploring multiple forms of interaction, communication, and wellbeing through the design commission.
The findings from ‘First we Eat’ highlight a crossover in the community’s aspirations in terms of longing for wellbeing, connecting with nature and connecting with one another.
They started design discussions around their own table. Building upon the learnings and knowledge gathered from these earlier interactions with the community, they found themselves increasingly drawn to the rural and urban threshold condition between Whitehouse and Fairfields and landscape to the west.
With this is mind the team have spent several months visiting the area, and in the site walks they had many opportunities for pausing to absorb the landscape and its surroundings. From these visits it was clear that the communities are well served with open spaces and seating areas, however one important aspect missing during the visits were formalised opportunities for sheltering and chance encounters.
In these past months, they have been working with the project partners to identify specific locations within this edge condition where they can deploy the creative interventions of ‘The Furniture Commission’.
DPQ are currently engaging with different stakeholders to unlock potential sites, including L&Q, Barratt Homes, Anglian Water and The Parks Trust, with whom they would like to collaborate with in one of the potential sites at Hazeley Wood. Additionally, the design process will be supported by the community, and this will be done through a series of workshops in which they will explore the below themes and each sites’ potential.
As individuals we all navigate and understand our world with our senses, and with this commission the team want to invite the community to explore the area, using their hands, eyes, noses, and ears to experience something new from different a perspective and vantage points, opening themselves up to new sensory dimensions and unexpected experiences.
They want to create audio devices so that people can explore the sounds of the woods, heightening curiosity and interest in the nature all around. In other locations mirrors can provide a new vista, framing a scene and focusing on the long views to the rural setting and juxtapose with the urban landscape. They also want to explore the notion of sanctuary or a place for pause, with an artwork sited along the North Bucks Way providing a moment of respite and to contemplate the local setting.
The commission will evoke different senses, engage viewers with nature and their surroundings in a new way, but also provide an opportunity to reflect on the issues of sustainability, ecology and the impact we have on our environments.
