Projects
Involving our community with art
The Garden of Reason interaction programme invites local people to collaborate, create, learn and participate in this contemporary art project. Explore this page to learn about the programme's four strands.
Animation: Elizabeth Dysart's Garden
Regarding Gardens can be viewed in the Garden of Reason resource room
© Carolina Melis
Artist Carolina Melis and poet Simon Barraclough worked with Animate Projects and historian Michael Ann Mullen to produce an original work, Regarding Gardens, which reflects the history of the garden at Ham House. This is accompanied by a series of shorter animations by LCC students, available via a QR trail in the garden. Local families were also invited to collaborate on the project.
Digital Artwork: Urban Interventions
Members of Ham Youth club found a different way to move through the garden
© Tim Mitchell
Two groups of young people were invited to collaborate and explore ideas of 17th-century leisure through a digital artwork. The act of promenading (walking to be seen) inspired one group to display their skills moving about the garden. And local students worked to create a musical score that brilliantly fuses old with new.
You can watch the result, Urban Interventions, below.
Artist's Book: The Gardens at Ham House
The Artist's Book showcases detailed research and original artwork
© Louise O'Reilly, Sally Jeffery
The Artist's Book explores the garden as it was in the time of Elizabeth Dysart.
While developing the book, historian Sally Jeffery carried out research in our archives, while we held workshops with Spear, a local charity working with homeless people.
Limited copies of the book are available in the resource room, or you can view a shorter version as a PDF file.
Urban Interventions
Urban Interventions features a group of young people from Ham Youth Club. They spent time at Ham House and Garden working with producers Rolling Sound and employing their parkour skills to physically interpret the garden. Meanwhile, a group of 17th-century musicians inspired students from Grey Court School to create an original musical score to accompany the resulting footage.
Watch this artwork online here or view it in the resource room at Ham House and Garden.
Young Curators: cultural event training
The group gather with Garden of Reason curator Tessa Fitzjohn
© National Trust
The Young Curators programme offers young people aged 18-24 the opportunity to collaborate in the curation and production of a live event celebrating Garden of Reason. Participants are learning about the history of the house and gardens here, while receiving mentoring and guidance from a variety of arts and heritage specialists. Their work will culminate in a live event held on 19 August 2012.
Get involved
Garden of Reason is looking for volunteers to help run this exciting contemporary art project. You can volunteer weekly, fortnightly or as a three - four week internship to learn new skills, gain experience and have fun.
