Turner Prize nominated artist, Guest Director for Brighton festival 2018, and Brighton resident, David Shrigley, will be designing a giant snail sculpture for ‘Snailspace’, a unique public art event in aid of Martlets Hospice.
Run by the team responsible for the immensely popular ‘Snowdogs by The Sea’ art trail in 2016, which raised over £310,000 for the Martlets Hospice, the trail of 50 giant snail sculptures will take place across the streets of Brighton & Hove this autumn from 15th September to 18 November 2018, to help raise funds for the Martlets Hospice.
Popping up throughout streets of Brighton & Hove, each snail will be sponsored by a business and individually decorated by an artist, and will be on show for nine weeks, encouraging locals to be tourists in their own city and generating a giant snail sized ‘feel-good’ factor.
As well as businesses, schools and other organisations, local Brighton celebrities, author Peter James and DJ Noman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim), have both also designed a snail sculpture.
David Shrigley’s contribution is being sponsored by leading local printers One Digital, and his snail will be sited outside the Grade 1 listed Brighton Dome on Church street.
Best known for his dark and funny drawings that comment on the absurdity of modern society, David Shrigley was nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize in 2013.
Last year, he created Really Good – a seven-metre-high bronze sculpture of a thumbs-up – for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth.
This year in May, Shingley became the first locally-based Guest Director of the internationally-acclaimed Brighton Festival, which saw him involved in more events than ever across the programme, from his exhibition Life Model II at Fabrica, which invited everyone to take part in a life drawing class with a difference, to the world premiere of alt/pop rock musical Problem in Brighton at The Old Market.
Commenting on his involvement in the Snailspace project, David Shrigley said: “I’m very happy to participate in this project and to be able to help the wonderful work of the Martlets hospice.”
Snailspace is in aid of the Martlets Hospice, a charity that cares for people living through a terminal illness in and around Brighton and Hove and neighbouring areas.
Imelda Glackin, CEO of the Martlets Hospice said: “We’re delighted that David Shrigley is designing a snail for our Snailspace public art event and it is highly fitting that it will be displayed at Brighton Dome, in the year that he was Guest Director of the Brighton Festival. We’d like to thank One Digital for sponsoring this snail and supporting our campaign which will ultimately help fund our life-changing care.”
Lynn Brazier from One Digital who are sponsoring Shrigley’s contribution said: “Our connection with Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival extends many years and we have happily supported the Festival and will continue to do so. To have the opportunity to sponsor the snail, designed by David Shrigley and to be positioned at the beautiful Brighton Dome, was most welcome and a very easy decision to make. Above all we are very pleased to be involved with helping raise money for Martlets Hospice and support the amazing work they do. Let’s hope we beat last years’ fundraiser – we do love a challenge!
The giant snail sculptures will also be joined by a host of more than 50 smaller snails as part of the Junior Snailway. This will see more than 50 nurseries, schools and youth groups decorate their own snails, which will be displayed in accessible locations across the city.
At the end of the trail there will be a celebratory Farewell Event – a chance to see the snail sculptures together. Finally, the giant snails will be auctioned to raise money for Martlets and its life-changing care.
Snailspace is being produced in partnership with Wild in Art, one of the leading producers of spectacular, mass-appeal public art events, which connect businesses, artists and communities through the power of creativity and innovation. It has created trails for events such as the London 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Snailspace will launch in Brighton on September 15th and run until November 18th. You can read more about the Brighton and Hove Snailspace campaign #BeMoreSnail, online here.
