Beneath The
Trees Festival
The Bradleys
Coventry Arts Collective
'A lo-fi eco-large village fete... Come see, watch, sing, dance, eat, play together all Beneath the Trees.'
'Beneath the trees' was an awesome urban village fete that brought together music, food, dancing, performance, and storytelling for the entire family by Coventry Arts Collective. It offered a stage for musicians, dancers, puppeteers, and other performers, and also provided a space for artists, makers, crafters, and workshop presenters to showcase and sell their work.
The one-day event took place at beautiful Naul's Mill Park in the heart of the city and featured a range of exciting on-stage activities, workshops, and opportunities to connect with eco-organisations.
The event was part of the #GreenFutures programme, supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund and the #LoveCoventry initiative. I was invited to participate inviting passers-by to collaborate on creating a textile mural.
Repurpose, Re-use & Recycle
Often, the starting point of any community collaborative project is to consider the resources available. It was fortunate that my next-door neighbours had donated a huge pair of curtains just in time for this event.
I might as well confess, 'My name is Amanda, and I'm a craft hoarder.'
My strong desire to be resourceful guides me in my daily life. People have noticed this about me, and as a result, I often find bags of textiles left on my doorstep or get asked to collect them. I rarely turn down these offers because I never know when I might need these treasures. This trait proved advantageous for this event.
'...take time to determine what is really ‘trash’ and what can be repurposed into something new. Keep an open mind and experiment to see what’s possible.
Vanessa Barragão, Textile Artist
Piecing Process Together For A Public Project
The reality of community arts engagement is that there is seldom enough time or budget. From this and other projects, I have learned that it is worth accepting that 80% of the event is administrative work and only 20% is creative (VAA Curation Course.) Brainstorming, sketching, and trialling are integral parts of the process. For Beneath the trees, the starting point was the large curtain with a beautiful mottled cream lining and a desire to make the piece interactive not just in its making but also in its finished use.
My typical process is:
Invitation
Analysing the request, understanding the resources required in terms of time and budget, and considering whether the ethical culture aligns with my own are essential steps for me.
As an artist committed to being as inclusive and carbon-sensitive as possible, it is important to ensure that the project's aims and objectives align with my own. Brand integrity is incredibly important to me as I have worked for years to refine my process and beliefs.
Prepare
In preparation for this project, I started by laying out the curtain and examining the materials I had collected. I had a variety of vintage light-colored fabrics, which I pinned and stitched onto the background to add visual interest. I also received some denim scraps from a jeans factory as a gift. 'Coventry Blue' was a dye color I had been researching for another project. Interestingly, there was a decayed, oxidised piece of cloth in the Herbert which was claimed to be the last remnant of Coventry Blue.
Collaboration
One of my passions is networking and collaborating with creatives from different disciplines. I believe there is so much to learn from such partnerships.
I met Katie O, a muralist, when I visited Coventry Peace Orchard while working on my 'clootie' project. Katie was creating a live nature-based mural alongside me at the 'Beneath The Trees' festival. Since Katie specialises in painting natural forms on a large scale, she agreed to sketch out the outline of the phoenix wings on the day, within which the feathers would be stitched.
Meeting & Visiting
Whenever possible I like to meet the organising party and visit the site.
The site was a large open recently improved community 'green' area. The organisers and the council were keen to encourage the local population to visit and see the improvements with the aim to encourage them to use it as a wellbeing space as part of the #greenfutures initiative.
For this project the challenge was creating a vertical co-created mural that would be strung between two trees with scaffolding equipment.
Rehearse
I wanted to make a pair of outstretched phoenix wings using individual denim feathers that festival goers could apply on the day of the event.
However, creating each feather from scratch took too long and required more skill than most people would be prepared for.
To solve this, I pre-cut various sizes of feathers to mimic those of a bird's wing, added a wire centre, and practiced hand stitching the feathers onto the prepared ex-curtain backdrop.
Delivery Day
I admit that I feel anxious before an event, and I don't really relax until I achieve 'flow' (if I ever do!) In my experience, community collaboration requires a lot of courage, upbeat energy, and positivity.
I see myself as the event cheerleader, always present, encouraging, and praising.
This event required managing various public points of engagement - the feather station and the banner application site between two trees. I enlisted some help.
Luckily, the weather was kind.
Brainstorm
This phase involves sketching, taking notes, daydreaming, chatting, and sometimes finding solutions through dreams. It's important to keep a notepad handy.
The phoenix best represents the objectives of this stage for me. Coventry has embraced this symbol since it rebuilt itself after the devastation of World War II.
Naul's Mill Park, the project site, is undergoing renewal and rebirth.
Communication
I communicated my vision to the festival organisers to ensure that my idea aligned with their requirements.
I also verified the schedules for setting up, conducting workshops, site access requirements, and available equipment and resources at the site that I could utilise.
Reflect & Review
I have written about the power of holistic introspective appraisal in my blog. In this case, I had to conclude that this project would initially be a loss, but would offer future benefits. The time spent preparing the piece exceeded the budgeted hours.
However, since the piece was not completed on the day (in fact, there was a lot more work to do), I had a community engagement activity that could be offered with little effort when needed again.
To Repeat, Or Not To Repeat, That Is The Question
In wrapping up, the Beneath the trees event at Naul's Mill Park was an absolute delight. I recognise the excessive time that this project took but in terms of learning my craft, networking and gaining a credible position in a new artistic tribe - it was priceless.
It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with the local community and contribute to the festival's creative and eco-conscious atmosphere. Working alongside other artists and the event organisers was a real joy, and I was grateful for the chance to bring my artistic vision to life in alignment with the festival's overall goals. The process of creating the textile banner was both challenging and incredibly fulfilling, and the enthusiastic response from festival attendees was truly heartwarming.
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