Creative Cullompton is working on an exciting Community Artwork project with highly acclaimed local ceramic artist Chris Speyer. This exciting project is well underway and will see four pieces of ceramic artworks created for and by the community and will be installed along our historic high street in the autumn of 2023.

This community artwork project has engaged with more than 200 members of the Cullompton Community who each brought ideas, passion, skill and creativity to create the final artworks.

‘Wool Wall’
This artwork sees an exciting collaboration between ceramicist Chris Speyer and owner of Fudges Wool & Haberdashery and Community Crochet Champion Cara-Jane Brameld and will be installed on the Baptist Church in the Higher Bullring.

Wool Wall celebrates Cullompton and the surrounding countryside’s long history of wool farming, spinning and weaving through a collaborative community artwork.

Each ceramic tile in the artwork will be press-moulded from a cast taken from a knitted or crocheted woollen square. The squares will include traditional patterns and original designs created by Cara. Cara’s designs will be based on motifs found on buildings in the High Street and on imagery appropriate to the Baptist Church where the finished artwork will be situated. Knitters and crocheters of all ages were invited to take part in the project.

A woollen wall hanging version of the artwork will also be installed inside the church as another legacy of the community project

‘Home’
Home has been created with more than 120 primary school children from St Andrew’s and Willowbank Primary Schools through a series of hands-on workshops. This artwork will be installed on number 7 Fore Street.

This project and resulting ceramic artwork explore the concept of ‘home’ through 3D modelling and writing. Sessions were led by ceramic artist and writer Chris Speyer.
During the first workshop at each each school, Chris asked the children to consider which particular feelings, sensations, people, activities, pets and objects make a place home for each of them. During his next visit each child created a small 3D model of the building in which they live, or in which they would like to live. Chris then mounted the little buildings in rows on clay tiles and imprint between the rows of houses the children’s written responses to the prompt “Home is…”

In addition, ‘Home II’ has also been created due to popularity of the project and large numbers of children involved. It is hoped this artwork will be installed on a wall in the garden of The Hayridge to ensure the work of all the children is displayed.

‘Selfie’
This artwork celebrates the people of Cullompton and has been created through a series of workshops with Key Stage 4 students at Cullompton Community College as well as a successful community workshop where 18 members of the Cullompton community took part.

Each participant had the opportunity to create a low-relief ceramic tile. A close-up selfie was taken on a mobile phone and participants were then guided to build a self-portrait on a raw clay tile.

More details about the fourth community artwork to follow.