Gateway to the Future: Transformation and change

As part of the renaissance-planning weekend initiated by Yorkshire Forward, (the Regional Development Agency), Chrysalis Arts was commissioned by Craven District Council to create temporary art installations to engage people in ideas of transformation and change in Skipton. The High Street has remained unchanged for over 100 years and, as well as being a main thoroughfare for traffic, it hosts a street market on four days of the week.

For the planning weekend, the street was closed to traffic from 6pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday. Chrysalis invited a team of individual artists, makers and local craftspeople to work with the company to create a series of artworks for the renaissance weekend.

During the day, on Saturday 12th July 2003, a team of local dry stone wallers began constructing a low, snaking wall down the centre of the high street. This caused the street to be narrowed down to the minimum width for traffic and had the desired effect of reducing traffic speed to 5 mph as well as generating substantial interest from passers-by. In the evening, the walls were covered in fleece and people were invited to sit in the centre of the road and view their town from a place usually inhabited by motor vehicles. In between the walls, artist Sue Flowers installed 'Wheel of Change', a kinetic sculpture wrapped in fleece which challenges our perception of our everyday environment. The motion of the wheel reminds us that change is occurring every second and the notional reference to the ferris wheel invites the idea that change can be fun.