News Story
To celebrate the confirmation of the first public nominations to Buckinghamshire’s Local List, Farnham Maltings, in partnership with Buckinghamshire Council’s Heritage and Archaeology Team, commissioned two artists, Keziah Furini and Henry Rice, to respond to two public nominations with new pieces of art that celebrate place and history.
Buckinghamshire has a large number of locally important heritage assets which are valued by local people and contribute to the local character and identity of the county. These heritage assets, which may be buildings, archaeological remains, parks, gardens or public works of art, sometimes have little or no protection, and over time can be lost. By adding these heritage assets to a Local Heritage List their local importance is recognised and taken into account in the planning process.
Keziah was chosen to respond to the mound at Maids Moreton, nominated by the Maids Moreton Conservation Group. She has created an illustrated timeline of the site's history, including key dates and stories, which showcases the original purpose of the site, how it has related to local people at different points in history and the importance of the site today.
“For this commission my creative process has been centred around working with the site’s local community. I’ve been gathering information, images and stories from the local conservation group in Maids Moreton. This included a visit to the site and viewing the objects that were discovered there during the archaeological digs. Once I’d collected the stories and images I then mapped out the shape of the timeline and what images and historical facts I’d include. When all the drawings are complete I arrange the timeline and check that the stories will visually integrate with each other. It’s important to me to show the history of the site accurately but also keep it engaging for the viewer.”
Henry was selected to create a piece inspired by the disused Thornton Canal Bridge, nominated by the Buckingham Canal Society, using a technique called Mapping; taking pictures of the same place across a 24 hour period which are then layered and fused to create a single image that represent the mood and transience of the location.
With a connection to Buckinghamshire, his father moved to Tingewick after his parents’ divorce, Henry literally retraced old routes and explored his memories on a journey to visit the site in early November 2022.
“After multiple trips to the bridge across the day, I chatted with Terry (Cavender, Executive Officer of the Buckingham Canal Society). I was conscious not to lose the vibe of the place, trying to get the balance of the nature that has reclaimed the site, the nostalgic dream of the canal and how it affected and created the landscape as it is now.”
These pieces of artwork will be used to celebrate the public interest in the project and the importance of Buckinghamshire’s heritage assets to the local communities who nominated them.
This project has been made possible through a grant from the Rothschild Foundation.
