20 March — 27 April 2008

The London based artists collective Public Works worked with Bourn map-makers, ramblers, land-owners and local primary school for a year looking at creative ways of talking about the local area. This residency culminated in the exhibition - Cross Country: An Exploration into Rural Public Space.
 

For three days before the exhibition launch a temporary structure was sited at Riddy Lane, Bourn, from where guided walks, talks and rambles took place, followed by map making workshops led by artists at the structure itself and back at Wysing's new Reception building.

Wapke Feenstra from Myvillages.org also took part in both the exhibition and the talks - together with Torange Khonsari from Public Works hosting a one day debate asking ‘What is the role of rural space and culture?’

The temporary structure then travelled to Wysing to occupy the gallery space, joining other works by artists N55, Jose Arnaud-Bello -who had both worked with people of Traveller origin in the area. Wapke Feenstra and the Bibliobox - a travelling archive of rural art practice featured in the gallery exhibition - the culmination of the past year's residencies.

Public Works is an art/architecture collective consisting of architects Torange Khonsari, Andreas Lang and artist Kathrin Bohm, who have been collaborating in different constellations since 1998. Their projects address the question of how users of public space are engaging with their environment and how design and programmatic strategies can support and facilitate physical, economical and social infrastructures in the public realm. Public Works’ art and architecture collaboration is using the methodology of art led processes to explore how existing social dynamics can inform spatial, architectural and urban proposals.