Jo Chapman

Confluence 2024

Browns Wood Public Art Project

Walton Parish, Milton Keynes

Commissioner: Milton Keynes Council

During 2020 and in response to the Covid 19 pandemic, members of the community around the parish and in particular Browns Wood started painting stones and laying these out like a snake in the local park. Sharing this through social media platforms, they captured the interest and imaginations of the wider community, who began to visit and contribute to the snake, ‘Woody’ the snake became a focus for positivity, it represented what people were experiencing but also the spirit of hope and collaboration. This community initiative was developed into a public art project to make these community stones permanent and funding was provided by Milton Keynes Council.

The artwork takes the form of a sculptural bench cast in concrete it consists of two curved shapes that are repeated in multiples to form the flowing shape. The designs from the community stones were photographed and digitally printed onto ceramic tiles to be inlaid in the top of the sculpture.

Creative clay workshops were held with community groups to explore the shape for the sculptural bench. Following these sessions the designs were developed into proposals and presented to the community for feedback. One of the three designs was chosen and taken into fabrication. The new artwork will sit in an open site on the Browns Wood sports field.