There Be Monsters, illustrated by Sarah Kay
The project
There Be Monsters is a project that was created in partnership with Workshop & Company. This is an organisation that forms part of the Central and North West London Mental Health Trust
.
Devising the project
The project was inspired by the Map and Atlas collection within The National Archives. The aim was to use devices and imaginary creatures inscribed on some of the oldest maps to inspire adults with experience of mental ill health. They would create a sculpture that was to be placed within the grounds of The National Archives.
The project included workshops at The National Archives led by conservators, map specialists and participants of the Outreach team for the service users from Workshop & Company. These sessions provided participants with the opportunity to handle original documentation and talk to experts about the conservation and care of these pieces of history. The project also involved skilled artists (mosaic, ceramic and model making specialists) working with the group to enable them to design and build the finished piece.
There Be Monsters was developed during April and May 2004, with a submission for funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund made in mid May. Permission to start the project was given by Heritage Lottery Fund in October and the sculpture was unveiled in February 2005. This case study describes our experience of working on the project. It records the experiences of the partners involved and includes the views of the participants themselves. It features our own learning on the project and does not aim to provide a definitive guide to working with mental health users.
Top of pageWhat were our objectives?
Our main objectives, agreed with all partners were:
- To host workshops at The National Archives that would enable the participants to learn about the role and functions of The National Archives and the various departments involved in collection, care and interpretation. Other workshops off-site would include Model-making, Ceramics, Sculpture and Mosaic-making, as well as a fact-finding visit to Goodwood Sculpture Park
- To encourage participants to view and handle original maps and atlases and to study the motifs and drawings contained within.We provided copies so that participants would have permanent stimuli to shape their inspiration in creating designs for the final sculpture
- To set a design commission for the participants that would result in a mosaic and ceramic sculpture situated within our grounds. The brief given to the participants set out guidelines to ensure the final sculpture would adhere to regulations on planning and on health and safety
- To celebrate the project with an unveiling ceremony and display
Submitting the designs
Inspired by what they saw and learned, the participants experimented with different sculptural techniques and created paper designs and maquettes in 'plasterzote', a type of foam. You will see depicted mermaids, fish, animals, shells and 'monsters' among the designs and on the sculpture. These were created in response to mythological creatures drawn by cartographers who romanticised about a wider world while betraying fears of what lay beyond their known boundaries.
On 26 November 2004, the members came to The National Archives to present their ideas and a final design was agreed. This design brought together many of the group's ideas and the committee's own requirements.
The process
The group worked both at Workshop & Company's premises and in a rented studio where they were able to carry out the commission in an appropriate, creative environment.
The globe was made of concrete, cast in two parts with a Northern and Southern hemisphere. The project participants have drawn the countries according to an atlas of 1698, by John Seller, hydrographer to the King. (A hydrographer is a person whose business it is to make surveys and to construct charts of the sea, its currents etc.) Mosaic tiles have been applied to the globe and ceramic figures fired and positioned on the land and seas.
The sculpture was delivered and installed in the grounds of The National Archives in February 2005 and mosaics, ceramics and final touches were applied to the plinth and base. It was unveiled formally on 11th February 2005.
Building 'the Monster'
Our own visits to see the participants and view their progress on the sculpture cemented relationships and showed our commitment. It also enabled us to see the project progress! As we got to know the participants, any fears of unpredictable behaviour or 'scenes' diminished and we felt increasingly comfortable with their visits to us or on our visits to their premises. So it is that, with knowledge, fears of the unknown were overcome on both sides.
Unveiling There Be Monsters
The sculpture was unveiled by the group at a wellattended event on February 11th with speeches from representatives of The National Archives, Heritage Lottery Fund,Workshop & Company and, most importantly, from the participants. Following the unveiling, we visited the participants at Workshop & Company to gauge how the project had gone.
The feedback about the project's success was very positive. Participants volunteered that they had learned from the project and would feel more confident in undertaking another commission. They had enjoyed the project and felt more self-confident as a result. There is even talk about setting up an independent mosaic studio.
The outcome
For Workshop & Company, There Be Monsters has been a very special opportunity to move out of a traditional health setting and into a community based studio. It has fostered teamwork and developed the many talents of the participants. For The National Archives, it has been an important new venture, demonstrating that our collection can be used to inspire creativity and reinforcing our belief in the value of working in partnership with community groups.
Facts and figures
Globe Inspiration:
'Atlas Maritimus', designed by John Seller, 1698
Weight
The sculpture is approximately one tonne.
Decoration
The piece is decorated with approximately 15,150 cut mosaic pieces from Italy, mirrored glass and 40 ceramic 'creatures'. These include an armadillo, an elephant, a squid, as well as mermaids and other imaginary creatures. Can you spot the vegetable and fruit moulds (garlic bulbs, okra, peppers and strawberries) used for the ceramic figures?
Time to build
Approximately 650 hours
