Words of Art: Lifelines

This month Salisbury Arts Centre is making visible the experiences of people taking part in the Kingfisher Project, a major writing-in-health care project, through a new visual arts commission by artist Laurence Rushby .

Artist Laurence Rushby is working with award-winning poet Rose Flint, members of the community writing group and Salisbury Arts Centre to celebrate and make visible the work of the Kingfisher Project.  The resulting installation entitled Lifelines, is the second of a three year visual arts commission. 

Laurence Rushby’s response to the brief has created a site-specific installation at Salisbury Arts Centre using a lifeline of red ribbon to link a multitude of personal stories to the architecture of the medieval church building, in which the Arts Centre is housed. Fragments of poems written by The Kingfisher Project’s community group participants hang in the air in this striking and thought-provoking new commission celebrating the importance of art for health and wellbeing.

Laurence Rushby says:
“Lifelines is an attempt to anchor the spirituality of the poems created by the Kingfisher Project community group to the physicality of the place. The project has been running for the past 10 years and the words seemed to be floating in the space. It was a matter of making them visible and alive.

I used the ribbon in my last project, exploring physical, mental and social limits. I wanted to further its life; the collaboration with the Kingfisher writing project was a great opportunity for me to do so, as well as try out the potential of a large scale work.

I have always been aware of the self healing power of art. It is the first time that I have been able to express it in such a physical way.”

Rose Flint is the lead writer on the Kingfisher Project.  She says:
“Working in collaboration with Laurence Rushby on the Lifelines installation has been an exciting and challenging experience for the Kingfisher Project Community Group.

The creative use of line and colour in space has led us into many different byways of memory and knowledge, sometimes inspiring imaginative recall such as a line of light coming through a window, sometimes sending us in the direction of looking at the rigidity and constrictions of linear ways of thinking – as in ‘Lining Up.’ Lines have become pathways into personal history or cool abstract looks at life. The red line itself has provoked and enchanted, its strength and adventure requiring us to meet it, allow it to knot us up or play with new rhythms and potential, its meaning constantly changing as the breath of poetry extends into the air.”

The installation comes at an important time for the Kingfisher Project, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year.  The Kingfisher Project is a major writing in health-care project managed by ArtCare and Salisbury Arts Centre. It is supported by Arts Council England. The Kingfisher Project’s mission is to provide a platform for literature in health and social care settings in Salisbury District Hospital and the wider Wiltshire community.

Lifelines is at Salisbury Arts Centre from Thursday 18 February to Saturday 13 March.  The gallery space is open Tuesday – Friday, 9.30am – 5pm and Saturday, 9.30am – 4pm.  Entry is free.

Laurence will be talking about the installation at a free event on Saturday 13 March. For further details please click here.

For further information about The Kingfisher Project and the tenth birthday celebrations please click here