‘Towers of Concern’
Bishopsteignton Outdoor Art Group (BOAG)
BOAG present 5 themed towers, each depicting resource/environmental issues, created from (amongst other recyclings) willow, plant/animal fibres, discarded fishing nets, ropes and plastic, plaited plastic bags, tin cans, fishing wire, shredded plastic bottles, used cosmetics, pill blister packs, bubble wrap, plastic packaging, plumbing piping and bird feathers.
There are so many more towers of concern we could have made, but here are just five and a few of the issues:
- Farming Today – Solar farms good or bad? Where have the bees gone? Caged chicken, should we eat less meat?
- Seaphenalia – How is your tuna sourced? Plastic in your fish and on your plate! More jelly fish with warmer seas!
- Oil Rigger – Do we need all those plastic toys? Sad dead oiled cormorants; many seabirds die in oil spill disasters.
- Icebergs – Cracks and melting ice. What will polar bears and penguins do when all icebergs have gone?
- Fashionista! – Lipstick tested on monkeys. Fast disposable fashion and high-end brand wastage. Toxic dyes. Huge amounts of water to produce denim.
Bishopsteignton Outdoor Art Group (BOAG) only has one rule and that is: ‘if it stops being fun, we stop’. From humble beginnings in 2005, the group has produced a remarkable number of ‘outside art’ projects.
From an inaugural giant willow wave to commemorate the Year of the Sea, to a number of larger recycled art projects for TRAIL including a life-size car made of run over cans, a trawler made entirely of plastic, tepees made from 1,500 hub caps, a DNA spiral of 10 stone of CDs and a woven picture of our estuary from over 1,000 plaited plastic bags, we’ve had a lot of fun! Most of our sculptures have a life after TRAIL, such as at the Eden Project, Newton Abbot Hospital and Dame Hannah’s at Seale Hayne.
We also hold ad hoc ‘Art & Run’ days where the group go to a site, such as a beach or woods, and make art out of whatever they can find there, letting the weather or tide naturally erase it. Recently we have been producing ‘seasonal art interventions’ for a BOAG calendar.
Anyone in the village or environs can join the group. No particular artistic skills required, but a sense of humour and love of cake is desirable! Please contact Gill Greatorex 01626 779628 or e mail gillgreatorex@gmail.com.