Dog has his day at Fields of Vision launch

A sheep dog trial was held on Simon Mansfield’s One Man and His dog artwork field in to officially launch the Fields of Vision land art project - part of the Yorkshire Festival 2014.

The celebration took place at the viewpoint on Cemetery Road, and was attended by representatives of the Fields of Vision team, Worth Valley Young Farmers, Worth the Tour and the local community.

The bad weather was no barrier for hardy farmer Ian Ibbotson and his sheep dog, who were able to bring Simon’s artistic vision to life and successfully drive their sheep into the outstretched hand of the shepherd figure – creating a true piece of living art.

Fields of Vision is designed to animate the route of Day 2 of the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France and is now being delivered by a bespoke partnership co-ordinated by rural regeneration company Pennine Prospects and comprising the Worth Valley Young Farmers, Worth the Tour, local artistic producers, and the Bingley-based STRI, (Sports Turf Research Institute) among others.

Henrietta Duckworth, Executive Producer of the Yorkshire Festival 2014 said: “We have all different art forms including music – from classical to rock n roll - we have film, theatre, sculpture, crafts – and, unlike any other festival, we have land art. Not only has this project attracted great national and international artists, but it has also encouraged local people to get involved and now everyone can come along and see the art.”

She added: “We do have to thank our sponsors for supporting this project - and for making sure we’ve had the most excellent growing period – let’s celebrate the rain as it’s a critical part of this work!”

Mark Turner of Pennine Prospects said: “Fields of Vision is helping us to celebrate and promote the South and really put this stunning landscape on the map. We are certain that these inspirational artworks will catch the eye of the millions of people who will be watching the Tour de France across the globe and encourage them to come and explore our wonderful area further.”

Bradford-based Keelham Farm Shop joined forces with Fields of Vision to offer a member of the public chance to create a land art design. Entrants were asked to draw a simple, bold design which, to them, symbolised Yorkshire. At the launch, Keelham Farm Shop owner Victoria Robertshaw presented the competition winners James Ingham and Poppy Batch with their prize hampers.

MORE FOLLOWS Victoria said: “The Fields of Vision project makes art accessible to everyone. The whole community has been able to get involved with creating the artworks – and everyone can now see them for free.”

The Fields of Vision installations stretch along the Grand Depart route from Blubberhouses to Holmfirth. They have been etched into the hillsides using different colours of grass and various techniques like seeding, pitch marking, cutting, staining, and even cyclists riding in the designs with their tyre tracks. Most of the artworks are now complete, with finishing touches being put to some this week.

Yorkshire Festival 2014 is the first arts festival ever to precede the Grand Départ in its 111 year history. The festival runs until 6 July, visit www.yorkshirefestival.co.uk, Yorkshire Festival on Facebook or follow Yorkshire Festival 2014 on Twitter - YFest2014.

Yorkshire Festival 2014 is supported by Arts Council England, Yorkshire Water, Welcome to Yorkshire and the Local Authorities of Yorkshire.

For more information on the launch please contact Gerry Crookes, Worth the Tour publicity on 0792 126 3298 Email [email protected]

THE ARTWORKS

1. Blubberhouses

Poem for Gustave Courbet and Edward Burroughs – by Robert Montgomery

The poem spells out a salutary warning about the transient nature of victory, glory and hierarchy. This message applies equally to the viewers as well as to the wearers of the TDF polka dot jersey – the Kings of the Mountains themselves.

"ALL KINGS ARE TEMPORARY" refers initially to the spirit of the French Revolution, importing this to the English landscape. It is also plays with the idea of the king for a day- the cyclist versus the terrain- and compares the enduring permanence of the land compared to our own brief mortality. The title - "Poem for Gustave Courbet and Edward Burrough" refers to historic pacifist intellectuals -the 19th Century French painter Gustave Courbet and 17th Century Northern English Quaker and writer Edward Burrough- suggesting invisible links between Paris and the North of England, and with their shared tradition of intellectual rebellion and pacifist dissent...

2. Hainworth

Farm Friends – by James Ingham, aged 8, from Thornton

James who goes to Keelham School, in Denholme, took inspiration from the scenery and animals he sees daily outside his school to depict traditions of farming and food in Yorkshire with a direct and honest approach that is totally beguiling.

3. Haworth

Big Bad Wolf – by Poppy Batch

A fairy-tale creation by Keelham competition winner Poppy Batch, aged 9, of East Morton, Bingley. Poppy, who goes to Crossflatts primary school, opted for a fun design based around the traditional nursery rhyme. A charmingly playful encapsulation of Yorkshire grit.

4. Worth Valley

Finite Cycle of Time by Razwan Ul-Haq

This artwork is the biggest piece of Arabic Calligraphy in Britain (If not Europe) juxtaposing a Middle Eastern flavour with traditional Bronte Country imagery, blending traditional and contemporary approaches. The Arabic Calligraphy is morphed in the shape of a cyclist on a bike and spells out the Arabic word, al-Asr, meaning, ‘the Time’. The dimensions of the calligraphy are taken from a bicycle ridden by Bradley Wiggins - the first British winner of the Tour de France. The piece creates a thread linking the movement of the , the shift in time represented by Bronte Country’s literary heritage and the time-driven challenges which are the essence of a major sporting contest like the Tour de France. Time is the critical factor in deciding who wins the race.

5. Stanbury

One Man and His Dog - Simon Manfield

A figurative depiction of the country crafts and toils of the South Pennine uplands represented by the shepherd and his sheep dog. The work draws on a sense of scale between the sprawling landscapes of the pasturelands and their livestock. Look out for some living embellishments in the form of the grazing sheep seen dotted around the site.

6. Stanbury

Ravens – by Steve Messam

Etched into the grass, this artwork captures the sound waves from the call of four single ravens in the field. In the choice of the raven, there is a nod to Bronte brother Branwell whose name translates literally as ‘Place where the ravens live.’ Radiating across the field, the imprint contrasts dramatically in scale to the traditional details of the land. The images change the way the fields resonate within the wider landscape – where a solitary raven is a recognisable presence. The piece is cyclical and alternates in colour throughout the programme – reflecting the temporary interruption of the artwork within a working farm.

7. Stanbury

Ripples

Trudi Entwistle’s water-inspired creation focuses on the contrast between cascading ripples over the banking and the strong geometry of the man-made site with the patterns of linear walls and field boundaries that form the backdrop. This site has become particularly iconic as the Yorkshire Water setting for staging the YFest (Yorkshire Festival) launch. 8.

The Leap - by Louise Lockhart

This depiction of a woman dancing, leaping in liberation across the landscape symbolises the emancipation of woman by the bike in the Victorian Era. The invention of the bicycle coincided with the emergence of the suffragette movement and a shifting in perception of women's equality. Allowing women to travel unchaperoned and requiring more practical clothing, it gave them a new freedom, paving the way for today's more equal society.

9. Peckett Well

Field: Trace – Jo Gorner

Developing imagery from her latest body of work ‘Trace’, Jo has used printmaking techniques to create a minimalist landscape abstract, focusing on the field set against the panorama – with the highlighted field brought to the fore. The artwork examines the physical characteristics of the land, its gradient, topography, , underground water and spring as well as the tracks made by the movement of livestock.

11. Ripponden:

Fields of Vision hosts internationally-celebrated artist Imran Qureshi’s first public work in the UK.

Here and There 2014 is created as a reflection of the reservoir water with two splashes moving in opposite directions – one red, one blue - the colours of the tricolour (the French national flag). From a distance, the viewer will see liquid splashes of two different colours, but on closer inspection, you will notice the presence of foliage emerging from within.

Bridging 2014 is an experimental new work using a range of media with the written word and concept for the Tour De France in Urdu text. The artwork aims to bridge the gap for communities who may feel isolated, or who exclude themselves, from engagement in mainstream art, culture and other festivities. This calligraphy, known as ‘sulus’, originates in Turkey - a place which bridges East and West.

11. Elland

Swoop – by Jane Revitt

Jane has created a flowing abstract representation of around 500 starlings swooping across the hillside – linking the dramatic patterns made by the birds in nature with the movement associated with the Tour de France. Here, a large number of bodies moving in unison is seen to mirror the pattern of movement of the cyclists’ Peleton where riders ‘flock’ together to save energy and protect the rest of the group. Appropriately using recycled plastics on the reclaimed landfill site, the piece highlights the iconic nature of the starling flocks but also the worrying decline of the species.

12 Holmfirth

Shift and Spin by Catherine Bertola

This artwork celebrates the textile industry which once characterised much of and the South Pennines, shaping and influencing the surrounding landscape and architecture. The design is based on diagrams and technical drawings of late 19th century machinery used in the production of woollen cloth. A series of cogs, rollers, and chains are drawn onto the landscape, reflecting its industrial heritage and echoing the mechanics of the cycles that will pass through the Last of the Summer Wine Country on Le Tour. ENDS