“This project will give the Grantham Museum the opportunity to work with one of the country’s most established public participation artists Ali Pretty” Rosemary Richards, Festival Director. Gravity Fields.
The Gravity Fields Festival 2014 has drawn to a close up in Grantham, with the successful completion of walks by Ali Pretty, Richard White and a strong cohort who have followed in the footsteps of Sir Isaac Newton for two days.
The walks were the result of a collaboration with historian Russell Newton, local community members and volunteers from the Lincolnshire’s Age of Scientific Discovery project, and aimed to retrace Newton’s life and family connections in the South Kesteven landscape. Ali and Richard used ViewRanger for the planning and route making of the routes and then tracking social media to create a social media trail.
Prior to these weekends walks, Ali worked with locals to produce a series of six stunning flags that reflected key locations along the intended route and were inspired by the local environment and Newton’s roots in the area. These beautiful flags were presented along the way and carried by the participants to help tell Newton’s story. One smaller flag was also created with Rev Eric Lomax to fly proudly above Colsterworth Church for the weekend.
The Gravity Fields Festival and the inclusion of Ali and Richard’s project within this year’s events is part of a huge push to put Grantham on the map and maximise the district’s potential as a great investment centre. The festival is aimed at using the connections with Newton to boost knowledge and engagement within the community by combining an exploration of heritage, science and the arts. South Kesteven District Council have confirmed the festival shall be returning in 2016 for and even bigger celebration.
For more information about further upcoming collaborations between artists Ali Pretty and Richard White, follow ‘Now We Are Walking’ on Facebook.
