In every piece of land, the soil has a memory
Public Art Commission for Fanshawe Road Cambridge part of Resonance-Cambridge – connecting people to place as part of the new homes being built by Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP).
We have been commissioned to create new public artwork at Fanshawe Road, situated to the southeast of Cambridge City Centre and was part of the circa 1950s post-war housing development.
The layout of the new homes will create a new, central green space on the site. The rich, biodiverse green space will create better pedestrian and cycle routes for the people into Coleridge Recreation Ground and the wider city.
We are using artist techniques like drawing, ink making and three dimensional sculpture to connect people to the chalk soil, exploring its geological history and the flora and fauna that grows above.
How do these factors make a place unique and asking the question - does soil have a memory?
To discover how you can get involved in the creative programme and helping inform the public art, visit the news and events pages where upcoming workshops and meetings are listed.
Get in touch
We’re always interested to hear of new projects and collaborations, so feel free to contact us.
Theme: Drawing Walks as part of Open Cambridge
We began our engagement programme with a drawing walk through the streets and gardens of Cherry Hinton, uncovering the hidden patterns of its ecology and natural history. Along the way, we explored familiar landscapes through fresh eyes, using a range of experimental techniques and creating drawings that capture both observation and imagination. These works feed into a record of the land and will help shape the public artworks planned for the new homes on Fanshawe Road.
Inspired by the work of Alberto and AnnaRita Ponis and the Land Lines workshop with Kirsty Badenoch at Drawing Matter, our sessions traced alternative ways of seeing, mapping, and connecting with place. This programme is a collaboration between Denman + Gould and Abi Wheeler, a producer and creative engagement practitioner specializing in community and placemaking..
Theme: Chalk & Paper Landscapes: Floor plans in Relief
Textural paper composition and chalk-based painting inspired by the Cherry Hinton Chalk Pit and architectural floor plans of Fanshawe Road
We will use architectural floor plans and site maps as a starting point, exploring how buildings, land, and community spaces are built and their relationship to the chalk landscapes. We’ll translate these plans into layered paper relief artworks, working in both 2D and 3D to explore depth, form, and texture.
Using locally sourced chalk and textured papers, we’ll create tactile 'mini-landscapes' that connect architectural thinking with natural strata and ridge lines. This session combines architecture, mapping and creative exploration. You’ll leave with a unique relief artwork and a new way of 'reading' both buildings and terrain.
