Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, in conjunction with Artichoke, is delighted to present Babylon Gamelan, a series of mechanical sound sculptures and interactive installations coming to Bedworth.
It takes place in the Miners’ Welfare Memorial Park from Thursday 26 to Saturday, 28 September, from 12:00pm until 7:00pm with the finale, Goodbye Babylon Gamelan! on Saturday, 28 September, from 7:00pm until 7:30pm.
This is not your usual sedate art exhibition, and you will not find any signs saying ‘please don’t touch’.
Instead, visitors will be urged to pull, push, strum and drum to make as much noise as possible during three days of late summer fun.
An art trail of things to bash, stretch and shake will lead visitors through the park to three interactive artworks designed by Nuneaton artist Spencer Jenkins.
The trail ends at the fantastic Babylon Gamelan, a four-metre-high sculpture and mechanical sound machine by Rag & Bone, created by artist Dave Young.
More than 300 local people and school children have been involved in the creation of these noise-making machines.
They use an array of scrap metals, found materials and recycled objects, and together hark back to the area’s recent industrial past.
The colourful art trail has been designed by local artist Julia Snowdin and created with instruments made by local people during drop-in workshops led by Artichoke’s Learning and Participation team.
During Spencer Jenkins’ workshops with Aspire in Arts, young people aged 11 to 18 created instruments using scrap metals and plastics, and suggested a multi-percussive pyramid structure that would allow audiences to play instruments on all sides.
In another workshop, Year five pupils at Race Leys Junior in Bedworth learned about soundwaves and explored how materials such as plastic, wood and metal can make different sounds.
Helen Marriage, CEO of Artichoke said:
“We first came to Bedworth in 2022 when we produced Sanctuary, a national Covid memorial, designed by US artist David Best.
“It was a great introduction to the town and area and got us thinking about the possibilities for some kind of future regular event.
“We are testing the waters with Babylon Gamelan, a smaller project that puts the local community very much at the centre of things, and we’re keen to know what people think.’’
Cllr Tim Jenkins, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Communities and Health, said:
“This promises to be a unique and highly entertaining three days for our borough.
“We have already enjoyed several highly successful events this summer with our new cultural strategy.
“These have included Art on the Streets, Imagine Bamboo and the Harmony Project, and I am sure this will prove to be equally as popular.
“It’s also wonderful to have so many local people involved in this project from both Aspire and Race Leys School.’’
The event is a segment of the the Creative Borough summer events programme, as part of the Council's new Cultural Strategy.
Babylon Gamelan is supported by Arts Council England, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, National Lottery Community Fund, The Alan Edward Higgs Charity, Everyone Active, Nuneaton Signs, MPL Fabrications and Philip Bates Trust.