Common Ground Archive
With world leaders recently meeting in Glasgow to discuss climate change and the environment it seems fitting that DHC have accessioned the archives of Common Ground, a community project and charity set up in 1983. Its aims were to encourage people to be more aware of their immediate environment and the importance of conservation through various art and community-based projects.
“Between 1986 and 1988 Common Ground helped communities in Dorset commission new sculptures for the local landscape. These artworks included ‘Turning Point’ at Godmanstone by Christine Angus, ‘Entrance’ by Andy Goldsworthy at Hooke Park, ‘Chiswell Earthworks’ by John Maine on Portland, ‘Wayside Carvings’ by Peter Randall-Page near Lulworth Cove and ‘Grains of Wheat’ on the Weld Estate by Simon Thomas.”
New Milestones – Common Ground
Involving local organisations such as parish councils, environmental groups, women’s institutes, farmers, landowners working closely together with artists, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, photographers etc. Communities were encouraged and supported by Common Ground to commission public works of art that sit comfortably within the landscape and environment rather than in exclusive art galleries and museums.
Originally set up by Sue Clifford and Angela King, Common Ground was a national enterprise, but one of the pilot projects was New Milestones in Dorset.
Chiswell Earthworks on Portland was the inspiration of John Maine, a sculptor who had worked on Portland for many years and knew the stone and the local masons well. It consists of several low walls set into the rolling hills going down to Chiswell almost mirroring the waves which come crashing down on to Chesil beach. Constructed with the help of Portland schoolchildren, stone masons, quarreymen and prisoners from the Verne he used various strata of the quarried stone to build these walls which anyone can sit on to enjoy the views. When asked his opinion of the sculpture Skylark Durston, a respected Portland stone mason, answered that it was about perhaps time that the stone was commemorated rather than people from history.
All the above images are taken from the Common Ground archive which include the following associated publications:
New Milestones. Sculpture, Community and the Land (Joanna Morland for Common Ground. 1988)
Super interesting, a significant expression of site specific art for Dorset