Tottenhoe Court, Colville Road - Artwork based on the history of Cherry Hinton
You can now visit and see the newly installed artwork at the new housing development site on Colville Road, which is based on the local community and history of Cherry Hinton.
Information below is taken from: http://resonance-cambridge.co.uk/developments/colville-road/
Colville Road Public Art Programme: The development of the site at Colville Road saw a creative programme delivered by Alec Finlay and Janetka Platun in collaboration with members of the community.
‘Medius‘ is the outcome of artist Janetka Platun’s research and collaboration with residents.
Medius weaves together unique pieces of local history; the iconic cherry trees commemorating the loss of servicemen and women; the local chalk pits that once quarried clunch, a hard chalk used in local buildings; and the 19th-century discovery of unusually tall skeletons found locally and their resonance with the giant Gog Magog myths.
These histories are brought together at the location of the new Colville Road housing, where the artwork is located. This is believed to be the site of the old village green, a middle place – or medius – between the settlements of Church End and Mill End.
Janetka worked with local historian Michelle Bullivant to explore these themes and together they delivered public walks and talks that traced these histories. Janetka also worked with children, staff and parents at Colville school, delivering workshops that explored students’ perception of where the centre of Cherry Hinton is in relation to their body and height.
You can read more about the project and view further pictures by following the links below:
http://resonance-cambridge.co.uk/developments/colville-road/
https://www.ip-cambridge.co.uk/news/a-new-public-artwork-installed-at-colville-road/
In preparation for the artwork, various events and workshops were held, one of which was the Chalk and Cherry guided tours.
On 11th September 2021 Colville Road artist, Janetka Platun will be hosting a short tour and talk around Colville Road with local historian Michelle Bullivant discovering Cherry Hinton’s history and the inspiration behind the artwork which is being created for the development.
Chalk and Cherry!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the two fascinating ‘Chalk and Cherry!’ walking tours led by the wonderful Landscape Archaeologist and Local Historian Michelle Bullivant.
The event was held as part of Open Cambridge 2021 and provided an insight into the heritage of Cherry Hinton and the origins of the village. Along with sharing the history of the 34 Cherry trees planted to commemorate the servicemen – and one woman – who lost their lives in WWII, Michelle’s walk included hidden wildlife spaces along the route.
The tour shed a light on the aspects of the local area which have informed Janetka Platun’s proposals for artworks for the new homes being built. Everyone who came along also had their heights measured on a Cherry tally stick; these measurements will form part of the final artwork.
For more information about the name Tottenhoe click on the word below:
Tottenhoe