Illustrative Art Trails- What are they? How can they work? and Why are they Good?
Lockdown 2020, myself and Liv find ourselves painting 34 b i g fibreglass foxes in Lauren’s family conservatory. The start of our foray into ‘art trails’ was working with Fosse Park on their reopening and launch of the ‘Fosse Foxes’ trail. It propelled us to explore what more could be done when combining illustration with movement in spaces.
We are still learning about new ways to work with clients to make trails come to life but here's a summary of what we have learnt so far and how we think they can solve more problems than you think…
What Are They?
We see trails as a combination of illustration, movement and space. Something that sparks exploration and imagination for anyone.
How can They Work?
Sculpture
If you want impact, why not go for something a bit adventurous. Foxes, Rockets and Grasshoppers have been ticked off our list but we are always keen to try a new form. We have various contacts with fabricators that could help bring a vision to life depending on budget, longevity and size.
Street Furniture
If it ain’t broken… Why not add a splash of colour? We have recently completed a trail project rejuvenating unloved utility boxes in Birmingham and were overwhelmed by the positive response from local residents. All you need is permission from the owner of the box (via email or even on twitter!) and those high street eye sores can be transformed. We have seen examples of planters, benches and lamp posts also…
Stickers
Maybe the budget won't stretch to a sculpture but you want a visual trail. Come on and take a seat vinyl stickers. Size can give impact and colour and character do all the talking to guide an audience around an area.
Printed Shapes
A middle ground between 2d and 3d. Print onto wood or a thick card and hang/display your imagery wherever works for the space you are trying to engage.
Why are they Good?
Let’s move on to the benefits…
Encouraging Movement- Physical activity and therefore better mental health! That’s good to hear.
Activating a Space- Make the most out of the space you have, move people around forgotten spaces and generally improve the look of a space!
Wayfinding Tool- Use trail markers to point out other points of interest you want an audience to interact with.
Increasing Local Pride- A shared space is something the community needs to feel connected to and art is a way to forge that sense of belonging to a space.
Community Engagement- Involve the community in art, whether that be in the ideas stage, chatting to the artist whilst they’re painting or to be a part of a trail after the creation.
Flexibility- Art trails themselves are so flexible they can be as big, small, complex, simple and expensive as you want to make them.
All being considered we are super chuffed to be working within a realm with such exciting things to come. We can’t wait to see what else is out there when it comes to working on art in the public realm…
If you want to start a conversation on your very own trail, feel free to drop us a note in this contact form. We would love to chat about what we could do to help!