Stitching Stowe
Garden design conceptualised in mix medium textiles patchwork and stitched piece, created by Samanta Chaitoo
The project came together through a collaboration between Fox Yard Studio, Modece Architect and our combined kickstart team. By delegating tasks and working together we discovered what community space mean to the public and how we can enhance the enjoyment of those who experience the garden.
Our aim is to make the garden an environment where people want to gather to socialise, to learn, to inspire exploration. We considered the diverse variety of people who would be using the garden – from providing a more accessible space for those with disabilities, designing secret adventures and educational trails for children to explore and enjoy. Utilising the courtyard as a canvas space for local artists to take over and make their own, paying tribute to the town and its people.
Researching Stowmarket as a town was a big part of our process; diving into the depths of Stowmarket’s history, pulling references of fairy folklores, ancient mulberry trees and legendary dahlias from Arthur Hollingsworth’s book ‘The History OF Stowmarket The Ancient Country Town of Suffolk (1844). It’s from this same book that we got part of a project titles name, learning that Stowe is Saxon for ‘The Place’, which we felt was fitting for our inspiration behind the garden being a place for people to gather and enjoy. In our research we came across old photographs of Stowmarket street parties and cultural landmarks. We want to incorporate the local area into the garden, paying tribute to ‘The Place’ and stitching together different stories and experiences to create a new lasting legacy within Stowmarket. We’re planning on running workshops where the community can come along and participate in the redevelopment of the space, creating little mementos through painting bricks and slabs, repurposed from the existing space and used to create colourful pathways around the garden.
Final design visualised in colour by Becky
The Fox Yard Studio team is excited to provide opportunities for local artists to get involved in the space as well, through creating large scale paintings that will the wall space of the garden. Are you an artist and would like to get involved? Stay tuned for more details and to keep up to date with the latest FYS news don’t hesitate to sign up to our mailing list!
‘Stitching Stowe’ is a collaborative project between Fox Yard Studio, Modece Architects and their Kickstart team together with Suffolk Libraries, The Mix and Red Gables.
The Stowmarket Garden Project - ‘Stitching Stow’ has been commissioned by Suffolk Libraries who are generously funded by Arts Council England.