Laxey: Presentation - 24 April 2012

Isle of Man Regeneration: Public Art Programme Presentation - 24 April 2012
(v2 updated 13 July 2012)
Laxey
Noah Rose, Ian Banks, Matt Owen
Introduction Noah Rose & Associates have been appointed to coordinate artistic direction for public art as part of the strategic regeneration programmes for Ramsey, Laxey, Peel and the South West (Port Erin and Port St. Mary). Some limited coordination also applies to separate public art developments for Douglas and Castletown. Information on this programme and on Noah Rose & Associates can be viewed on: http://sevenmanxtowns.blogspot.com/ Team comprises: Noah Rose (Lead Artist & Coordinator); Ian Banks (Public Art Consultant & Architect); and Matt Owen (Associate Artist). As a starting point, the issues that the team considered critical to the successful undertaking of the island-wide project cover 5 key strands - which are: 1. 2. 3. 4. Location and Distinctiveness (a unique sense of place) Community Engagement (arts activity used more as action research) Design Team Integration (being fit for the brief, achievable and sustainable) Broadening Opportunities (facilitating local artists and creative skills etc) Cultural Visioning & Branding (being part of a joined-up cultural & tourism strategy)
Isle of Man Regeneration Public Art Co-ordination - Noah Rose & Associates
Laxey Public Art Brief Strands 1 3 of the more localised brief for Laxey, sets the public art focus on the immediate areas centred around the Tram station and New Road, but also look to radiate out. Ideas proposed are still draft in focus, and will eventually compliment with the earlier public consultation and current regeneration scheme under development by Dalrymple Associates.
Laxey - Identified Sites / Project Ideas Initially, 11 public art ideas have been identified for Laxey itself. Many form optional or alternative suggestions for permanent or temporary artworks. Ideas now need to be tested against community and design team support; available budgets; as well as the local available skills of artists etc. Not all will be possible - though some may lay the seed for future commissions (by others perhaps), including pan-island ones.
01. Artisan Crafts - Rose Garden / New Road Station Connection

Contemporary crafts commission. Typographical paving and wall pieces to interpret Laxey community and history in hand-cut stone-carved letters. Possibility of similar exploration into use of decorative cast & embossed lead or etched zinc work linking to Laxey mine subject to skills availability. Possible links to Manx Litfest 2012 & IoM Poetry Society. Linked to linear interventions in terms of hard landscaping and interpretation along route from Laxey Wheel via Rose Garden development and redeveloped public space(s) and new connection through off New Road to the tram station.
02. Tram Station and Approaches - Interpretation Seating Subject to any agreed conservation measures and design & aesthetic, artisan crafted street furniture placed around tram station and adjacent public realm. With discrete text interpretation and soundscape applied via integral MP3 players headphone port (people to provide own). Potentially interchangeable with wayfinding proposals and transport information.
03. Laxey Glen Sculpture Trail Looped public art trail from New Road through Laxey Glen linking to current features of the gardens, the Pavilion and also the Institute near its entrance. Linked to wood and other sustainable and sensory themes and exploring not just sculpture but also seating and sitooterie type micro-architecture bothies and covered seating. Existing participatory arts events programme further developed and enhanced to compliment.
04. Sci-Art Interaction Sci-Art and engineering exploration linked to the Manx Electric railway and about-to-bereplaced 1935 Mercury Arc Rectifier, via a powered and interactive Van Der Graaf generator, clock, soundscape or other engineered / digital automative. Link to weather and tram timetable (webcams and satnavs on board trams i.e. Snaefell Sunset Diner Service). Adds to existing IoM webcams as well as links to redundant historic equipment previously housed in Laxey.
Snaefell Webcam / Satnav Sunset Diner
05. Tram & Coach Gateways - Wayfinding / Interpretation Traditional Information points as well as location-specific apps for wayfinding and QR Tag interpretation (Linked to Laxey Wheel, coach station and tram station Laxey Glen Gardens etc as local hub and gateway with red telephone boxes perhaps used as mini information points?). Possible free Wi-Fi zone to station and Geocaching?
Laxey Walking Tour Tram Station
This is the lower terminus of the Snaefell Mountain Railway, and is therefore the island's only dual-gauge station.Next link
06. Stamps Linking the local post office bus and with tram station via Church Hill (or new pedestrian route made from New Road), artists to create new contemporary stamp series for Laxey on electric / transport themes and also exhibit via light projection, shop windows, street banners (New Road) and other printed media (could be one set for each town or similar). Contemporary nature anticipated. Exemplar artist case studies as example, include the recent Internment Camp artist series and the current Paul Smith Olympic designs. Manx Electric Railway 120th anniversary in 2013?
07. Laxey Light & Water Festival Pop-Up linear temporary intervention of lighting, projection and sound or music up to Laxey Wheel along meandering River and trails from centre (or beach) to create temporary winter festival event. Could celebrate new Hope (after Lady Isabellas husband Lieutenant Governor Hope).
08. Working in Silos
Painted lettering, graphic art or light projection (temporary & permanent etc) to Laxey Glen Mills silos (subject to permission). Either visual art or graphic advertising.
09. Laxey Working Mens Institute Suggestion of further enhancement of Institute as both physical gateway to Laxey, community hub and arts host & focus combined. Lack of any outdoor public space and beauty of orientation looking down onto deep glen. Potential architectural deck set at tree canopy height or artist lighting or projection installation from windows.
10. Rose Garden & Pavilion Creative exploration of current park pavilion in terms of opening up its sight-lines and structure, as well as exploring the parks creative use as both seating area and performance space. It is noted that there is also a community expressed interest in WC provision at this location.
11. Miners Memorial New Miners Memorial in more permanent material and with high artistic quality commissioned to the site of the existing memorial (pictured below). Possibility of new covered waiting structure explored in addition or as alternative.
12. Arrivals Orientation & Washing Floors Observation Platform Holistic exploration of bus drop-off including interpretation & orientation; zinc-cast relief map; architectural toilets; traffic calming and wider road crossings; and cantilevered observation platform widening the pavement and overlooking the vista below to the washing floors and Snaefell Wheel.
13. Snaefell Mine Wheel / Washing Floors Power conversion of currently unharnessed kinetic energy of the relocated Snaefell Wheel (brought back from Cornwall) and linked to brief for a kinetic movement and lighting sculpture or sound and light projection possibly linked through glass and neon to the old Mercury-Arc Rectifier about to be replaced and the River Laxey flow. Possibility of installation at compass point to pull views down to the Washing Floor area of Laxey.
14. Funicular Exploration Temporary Transport Pilot & Shuttle Tour Mindful of the evaluation to current bus pilot, temporary seasonal intervention to explore sustainable transport. Tours up and down Church Hill and Glen Road via artist walking, Steam Carriage (linking water propulsion history) or pilot community white bike sharing scheme - to link the station, wool mill and beach - plus other destinations as identified during holiday season. Horse drawn carriages considered but gradient is likely to be major issue.
15. Raad ny Foillan (Isle of Man Coast Path) Public Art Trail Connection of both old (i.e. Douglas Camera Obscura etc) and new public art commissions linked to the current Isle of Man regeneration public art programme for Douglas, Laxey, Peel, Port Erin, Port St Mary and Castletown. Clusters of town and village based commissions linked ideally with other coastal path commissions along the trail funded separately (such as Point of Ayre, Jurby and Kirk Michael).

Laxey: Presentation - 24 April 2012

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Isle of Man Regeneration: Public Art Programme Presentation - 24 April 2012

(v2 updated 13 July 2012)

Noah Rose, Ian Banks, Matt Owen

01. Artisan Crafts - Rose Garden / New Road Station Connection

Snaefell Webcam / Satnav Sunset Diner

Laxey Walking Tour Tram Station

08. Working in Silos

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