News

Wednesday 24 May 2006

Chatham Vines wins top art award

A row of vines planted in a disused church in the centre of Chatham has won a Nottingham Trent University academic a top art award. Professor John Newling’s ‘Chatham Vines’ – which brings together contemporary art and urban regeneration – has scooped the Rouse Kent Public Art Award 2006. The award is given each year for the best piece of public art created in the county.

The award is sponsored by Liberty Property Trust UK (formerly Rouse Kent Ltd) the developer of the Kings Hill business park, West Malling; Kent County Council and Arts Council England, South East and is for artwork to which the public has access and which leaves a lasting legacy.
 
The prize money for the main award totals £15,000 and is divided between the commissioner of the winning work and the artist. The winning commissioner will also keep the Rouse Chair for a year.
 
Chatham Vines was commissioned by Medway Renaissance, Medway Council in collaboration with Rochester Diocese. Thirty two Pinot Noir grape vines were planted in the central aisle of St John's Church in Railway Street, positioned either side of a 15 metre steel construction. Louise Francis and Laura Knight, Directors of FrancisKnight Ltd, project managed the installation.
 
The vines were planted in September 2004 and grown for one year, using hydroponics technology. At night the church was lit from within and two cameras were installed which continually streamed images of the project via the Internet to a dedicated website, www.chathamvines.com.
 
Time lapse imaging brought a condensed focus to the planting and growth of the vines, the crop's harvest and eventual dismantling. More than 70,000 hits were recorded throughout the duration of the project, with interest from as far as Japan and America.
 
Before the vines were removed, the grapes were harvested and made into wine, some of which was used in the Easter Sunday Eucharist Service at Rochester Cathedral and the rest will be available in September 2006.
 
The winner was announced at a VIP dinner at the Kings Hill Golf Club.
 
Internationally acclaimed art critic Richard Cork chaired the award's judging panel. Other panel members were Professor Elaine Thomas, Rector University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester; Kent design champion Piers Gough; Janet Hodgson, artist and a prize winner of the award in 2005; Stephanie Fuller, South East Visual Arts Officer (Public Art and Architecture), Arts Council England, South East; Jo Richards, Marketing and Corporate Manager, Hillreed Homes and Vivien Taylor, Associate Director, Architect, Liberty Property Trust UK.
 
Richard Cork said: "The judges were immediately impressed by the boldness of John Newling's decision to install a pathway of Pinot Noir vines in the central aisle of St John's Church. Starting with an austere structure of vertical tresses, it changed into an overwhelmingly rich and sensuous experience for everyone lucky enough to visit the site.
 
"In full bloom, it must have been a magical experience, even for visitors who knew nothing about contemporary art. And it turned out to be a powerful, poetic symbol of regeneration for a disused church waiting to be transformed in the regeneration of Chatham town centre."

Professor Newling said: "I was delighted to have won the award and equally delighted it was for Chatham Vines. Chatham Vines would not have been possible without a dedicated team of people trying to make something happen which had never happened before."

                                                                      ENDS

Notes for editors: Thirteen artworks were entered for the award and of those, four were shortlisted. As well as 'Chatham Vines', the other shortlisted entries were 'Lamb' in Canterbury; 'Four Shores ' in Sheppey and 'Somewhere We Meet' in Hextable.
 
Find out more about the Rouse Kent Public Art Award by visiting www.rousekentpublicartaward.co.uk.

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