Tour de france – community banners project
The world's biggest cycle race, the first stage of The Tour de France, was due to pass right through the village of Pool in Wharfedale on 5 July 2014, and we were commissioned to create something dynamic that would not only highlight this small village but also leave a legacy that the community will remember for years to come. After a great deal of thought we came up with a concept that not only involves the children of the village and their families but be bright, colourful pieces of art that could be seen by all who pass along the route.
We began with three collaborative artwork sessions, involving more than 80 children, their parents and a host of helpers. The children were encouraged to be as creative as possible in their drawings to replace the front wheel of a bicycle. We didn't want to restrict their creativity in any way; whatever they drew would be paired with a comment, however eclectic, that could be related to the great day of events to celebrate the passing through of this world famous event. Every child was also photographed, using the magic of 'green screen', as if sitting on a real bike.
FEEDBACK
The response from everyone has been incredible, better than we could have hoped for! The children were really thrilled and it was clear to see their pride in the project, along with their parents, relations and friends, that created a buzz of anticipation throughout the whole community. Three stages of the project were featured on the ITV News and there have been numerous complimentary newspaper reports.