
Ray Brooks CV
2015
Been a strange time since my very good friend and colleague, Ben Platts -Mills, died suddenly in November 2014. Still been busy carving, some schools and lots of big carvings in Lea Valley Park and Bedfords Park in London. A nice Earth mound Dragon in Dunorlan Park in Sevenoaks.
Also made a new Bandstand Stage for Michael Eavis at Glastonbury – with Ian Wimbush – Mostly steel !!
Easing of a bit now, sort of transitioning from the noisy and very physical work of chainsawing and outdoor constructions towards working with people again, been training in Energy Healing and Reiki.
2000 to 2010
I still seem to be busy with latest love of chainsaw carving ( click for link to www.treesculpture.co.uk) working in a field at Coney Weston in Suffolk – visitors welcome)
Over the last year or so I have done several projects working with kids in schools in Clacton, Colchester, Harwich, Norfolk
A project for 2006 -7 was a big outdoor sculpture on the Lambton Estate near Durham . This involved creating a large Earthworks and twenty -four monolithic sandstones from Alston Quarry in Cumbria.
In 2005 , amongst other projects , I was asked to create a War Memorial , part of a commemoration for the end of the 1939 – 45 war in Europe. As I am still, as ever , a peace loving old hippy, I did not feel I could do this , but did offer to build them a “Peace Monument” .
This resulted in some very moving and powerful work , during the days following the London Underground bombings , with over 800 kids and staff at Coppins Green School, and a number of war veterans, British Legion, local politicians and councillors.
“Love Life , Seek Peace, Stop War “
Meanwhile here’s some things I did 2000 to 2006
2004/5 Has been a time for focussing mainly on large scale wood/tree carving with chainsaws. This has meant some project work, in Kings Lynn, Clacton, Bury St Edmunds, Market Weston, etc., a range of private commissions, and lots of just carving and sculpting.
2004 – 5 Public Art – Coppins Green School Clacton / British Legion , Peace Monument , ceramics project.
2005 Public Art – Woodside School, Norwich. Water Feature
2003 – 4 Producer/Director for new community based arts project with Signals Multimedia – in Colchester. My first Film derived from big outdoor performance with 5 schools/1000 children and community of 3 villages in Essex
2003 – 4 Harwich Charter 400 – Lead artist/manager of community art project to
create new artworks in 2004. #
2002 – 3 Public Art – Ollerton, Notts. Working with community and school to create new sculptures for the Dukeries Centre. #
.2002 – 3 Public Art – Catton Grove School, Norwich . With school and Architects to design and create a ‘Secret Garden’, chainsaw carvings in Oak and Cedar, sculptural seating , mosaics., water feature
2002 – 3 Public Art – Thameside School, Essex. Outdoor interactive sculpture project. Mosaics.
2002 – 3 Public Art – North School, Colchester. Design and creation of artworks for new school extension.
2002 Jubilee Fire Sculpture. Needham Lakes Festival.
2002 – 3 HOO Sculpture Trail – Project manager and new chainsaw sculptures for ‘Hearts of Oak’ , Suffolk..#
2002 Jubillee Arts Carnival – Boreham Village, Essex. Director and lead artist for event involving 800 people/children, six artists/musicians. Sourced Lottery funding for project.#
2001 – 2 Artist Consultant – Essex County Council. A major long-term project working with a team of Architects and building cotractors on the design and integration of artworks into the buildings and grounds of the new Debden Park High School. Work includes : design of fencing, internal flooring and walls, outdoor mosaics and carved oak seating . Included commissioning five other artists for sculptures.
2001 Lead Artist – Design and creation of lanterns for the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
2001 Community Project – Creation of ‘Human Sundial’ at Cressing Temple, Essex #
2001 Residency – Burnt Mill School, Harlow. Essex.
2001 Public Art – ‘Stupa’ – En-situ ceramic firing at Tuttington, Norfolk.#
2000 Exhibition – Glazed ceramics, tour of Essex Libraries
2000 Residency/Public Art – Project with the National Forest at Ellistown, Leics. Creation of a Village Feature involving community and children with the local brickworks and builders.#
2000 Millenium Arts Festival – Boreham, Essex. Artist consultant, fundraiser and lead artist on lottery funded project Village sculpture, mosaics and music event with local composer. #
2000 Exhibition – Work from “Essentially Essex” project.’ First Site’, Colchester
2000 Public Art – National Forest, Marston Vale, Leics. Sculpture from locally fired bricks. With other artists.
# Indicates some community involvement ,workshops and participation.
And more , from 1989 to 2000
Projects and Commissions
1990 – Trinity College Dublin – Scrap car sculpture.
1991 – Welfare State International, Barrow – “Golden Submarine” #
1992 – Dublin 2000 Festival – residency for Bicentenary Celebrations
1992 – ‘Dragons Egg’ – Welded steel and aluminium sculpture containing self-firing ceramic kiln and fire sculpture
1993 – Belfast – Lead Artist –residency, community arts event.”The Last Ferry” Welfare State International
1993 – Sandbach – Arts Festival. Giant puppets #
1994 – ”The Clayman”. Sculpture/performance –Suffolk/ Manchester/Notts #
1995 – Glastonbury Festival. Site sculptures and events.
1997 – “Monument” Bedford. # Ceramic and local brick sculpture with school input.
1997 – Marston Vale Community Forest, Bedford. School and public art project #
1997/98 – ‘ Artists in Architecture’, designs and work with schools. For Essex CC . #
1998 – Elmswell ,Suffolk. A Brick path maze and mosaic sculpture . Community Arts Project#
1998 – “Circles” – Exhibition of ceramics. Eye. Suffolk
1999 – “Essentially Essex” Project with Essex CC with five other artist to create a multi-media cultural record and environmental art, for the millennium. Joint Exhibition.
1999 – “Gormenghast” – Model and set building for BBC Film production.
Public Art , Sculptures and Commissions
1989 – “The Woolpit Brickman” – ceramic sculpture and firing
1989 – “Medicine Wheel” – Environmental sculptures. Suffolk.
1989 – ‘Riverside Festival,’ Stockton.
1990 – “Pride of Place”, Durham. Ceramics and paper kilns.
1992 – Water Sculpture, Needham Lakes Summer Festival. Suffolk/
1992 – “Steel Dragon” – Chelmsford Spectacular. Animated 40ft steel sculpture.
1994 – Environmental Sculpture. –Sandbach – Cheshire
1995 – “Water Dragon”, Glastonbury. Public Art. 80ft sculpture /concrete and local stone on steel frame.
1996 – “Two Roses” Warwick. Special effects for Rock Concert.
1997 – “Bandstand” Glastonbury. Welded steel sculptural performance venue. 30ft diam.
1998 – “Angel” — Somerset. Ceramic sculpture fired en-situ. 10ft
1999 – “Wild Horses” –– Halle Concert – Tatton Park, Cheshire
Fire Sculpture
1989 to 92 – Alton Towers – Fire Spectaculars. Images and pyrotechnics.
1990 – Riverside Festival, Stockton.
1992,4,6,7 – Fire Festival. Carlisle Community. Sculptural bonfires and Images.
1993 – “Firebird” – London Symphony Orchestra, Warwick Castle.
1993 to 1999 – Halle Orchestra – Concerts at Tatton Park, Cheshire.
1995,96,97, – ‘ Halloween’ – Fire structures for Annual Event – Suffolk.
1992 to 98 – Many other events in UK and Eire, working with – Welfare State International, Dragonfire, and Theatre of Fire. Fire sculptures combined with large scale puppets and Mobile Images.
Performance Art and Events
1989 – “Golden Submarine” Barrow in Furness.
1990 -“Glasgow all Lit Up”. Welfare State International.
1990 – Houghton Church Festival. #
1991 – “Earth Dragon”, Glastonbury. 40ft Clay sculpture fired en-situ over 4 days.
1991 – “Light up the Bay”, Cardiff. # 80ft Steel ‘Light Sculpture’
1992 – “The Clayman”, Suffolk. Involved excavating old claypits to ‘Unearth’ the Clayman , dig him from the clay and fire in a brick-kiln over 4 days.
1991 – “Lord Dynamite” – Performance event – toured in London , Totnes and Newcastle on Tyne. Giant mobile sculptures in steel and recycled metals.
1992 – “Walk the Plank” – Theatre Ship.# Sculptural structures for performance.
1992 to 1998 – Annual Dickens Festival, Rochester Castle. Over six years , worked with ‘Dragonfire’, designing and building 120ft sets and giant images in Rochester Castle for audiences of 5,000 plus.
1994 -“The Clayman” – Nottingham and Manchester. Landscape sculptures and performances based on the “Woolpit Brickman”. Lottery funded.
1996 – “Transformation” Sculpture/ Performance – Hartlepool . Project Director and lead artist. 60ft floating sculpture with performers and pyrotechnics.
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