Earlier this year the Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway along with Creative Colchester held an open call to local artists to submit their work for a commission in the Innovation Centre.
After an overwhelming response from the art community, the judges consisting of representatives from Essex county council, First site Colchester, Oxford Innovation, Creative Colchester and a member of the ICKG community had chosen their winner.
The judges are pleased to announce Douglas Dodds received the commission for the artwork. It was commented that “his designs will capture the spirit of the ICKG and be a talking point for thousands of visitors over the coming years”
Douglas, an employee of the University of Essex and a local Wivenhoe resident said “I cannot believe it, I did not expect to win the commission, I’m now just excited to get started, this is far bigger than anything I’ve done before and really pleased to have the opportunity to showcase my work on my doorstep.”
Daniel Smart, Centre Director of the ICKG commented “Douglas’s work is really outside of the box, the building is all about breaking down walls and finding Innovative ways to get things done. It’s really fitting to the building and I can’t wait to see it cause a stir with our growing community”
We asked Daniel if we could see the wining artwork and he responded “Yes, when we unveil it” looks like we are all watching this space….
For now we had to settle for a description from the artist himself, Douglas continued “My work is all about the use of shapes and light, the shadows my sculptures cast being as important as the forms they create. I produce work that appears to spring from the walls, the floor, from pages of a book: I call my work Geo-Gami. I discovered this style while studying authorial practice: illustration at Falmouth university, and have continued to develop it since”
Needless to say we are keen to see what pops up on the walls of the ICKG and will make sure we are there for the unveiling. Until then we will keep an eye on the other activity around the newly identified Enterprise zone and their list of events, the ICKG team are driving ahead with some impressive workshops, master classes and free events that focus on supporting growing companies and building Entrepreneurial skill sets of the future.
