It was a pleasure to welcome an Old Gregorian family and Frome Artists to Downside on 4th January 2023 as part of their project, Artists in Dialogue: War Vocabulary.
In April 2022 Frome Artists were called to donate artwork to an exhibition initiated by a Frome Resident with Ukraine connections. Exhibited artwork was auctioned raising much needed funds to send to Rabka-Zdrój, Frome’s twin town in Poland, to support Ukrainians fleeing the War in Ukraine.
The immensely successful event encouraged seven of the artists to do more and after eventually connecting, via one of the original organisers, a Ukrainian already living in Frome, with a group with seven Ukrainian Artists, in exile in Europe or still in Ukraine. Together they conceived the project, Artists in Dialogue: War Vocabulary (AiD: WV) with the key aim to support the Ukrainian group of artists in whatever ways needed and possible.
Inspired by ‘Heliograffitti’ a method devised by one of the Ukrainian artists, creating large scale three-dimensional drawings or sculptures, in the dark, using fire torches and long exposure photography, the Frome Artists in Dialogue group worked together to make their own Heliograffiti. One Frome artist and a past-parent, liaised with Downside to arrange the use of the Downside Pitches and Cricket Pavillion.
On a cold, damp, windy afternoon in early January, the Frome AiD: WV group, and their “willing” volunteers (a second photographer, first aider, an Old Gregorian, family members and one of our sponsors), kindly overseen by the Downside Development Team, spent five hours mapping, practicing before dark and photographing the ‘Heliograffiti’. Originally planning to use flaming torches but the wind forced them to revert to technology and use mobile phone torches to amazing effect!
One of the Heliograffiti photographs will be used to promote an exhibition of Limited Edition prints of artwork created by each AiD: WV artist inspired by the project. The exhibition, open to everyone, will be held in The Silk Mill, Frome, opening with a magnificent Private View on 17th March, running until 26th March. Institutions, businesses and individuals who kindly sponsor the project will be acknowledged at the exhibition including Downside’s essential contribution. All profits from the event will ensure that Artists in Dialogue: War Vocabulary continues. The artists are currently exploring the possibility of taking the exhibition to Rabka-Zdrój, Poland and Murrhardt, Germany, Frome’s twin towns, where they hope to meet with some of the Ukrainian Artists in Dialogue.
An AiD: WV web page is currently under construction, in the meantime, to know more about the project please follow them on Instagram @artists.in.dialogue.
