I have been commissioned by Dover District Council, to portray Russell Gardens in Dover Kent, the only example of Thomas H Mawson’s garden design in the South East that is open to the public: Kearsey Abbey and Russell Gardens form the Kearsney Parks, the subject of a Heritage Lottery Funded project to restore a unique heritage, community and event venue.
The project is being delivered with Dover Arts Development (DAD) by the Kearsney Parks project, a DDC project with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund Parks for People programme. See more here.
It is a great opportunity for me to continue my research into:
- Gardens/Parks as: curated spaces, spaces of work, recreation, refuge and as shared spaces
- Art as: work, critique
- Film as: curated space, shared space, process of gathering, assembly and bringing together, and into
- The embodied experience of space from different individual perspectives.
I’ve started some research into Thomas Mawson and lines of enquiry include finding out more about the arts and crafts influence on garden design and his contribution in particular with a view to understanding its contemporary relevance. And of course I shall be considering the history of Russell Garden itself and the role of gardens generally as social & sensory spaces, as constructed ‘natural’ spaces existing between culture/nature, order/chaos, leisure/work.
I’ve visited the Park many times as a resident and regularly take my dog for a run in the adjoining Bushy Ruff, so I am really looking forward to getting stuck in.
I’ve spoken to the park keepers and given them a gopro to capture some immersive footage while they go about their day-to-day work and have been in touch with the architect who will be doing the restoration work.
Here are a few photos to whet your appetite!
