I crowd funded  a project to run during the ADUR festival

This project was called the Strange Creatures Pet Shop and ran over 2 weeks for the duration of the festival – which was themed ‘Strange Creatures’

I was able to take over most of the shop space at ‘Somting village local’ for the project.  I took a loan from the Brighton natural history museum of insects and birds which could be looked at up close by the children.  I involved 3 other artists in the project, Llayn Marlow, an author and illustrator of children books, A local puppeteer and a local visual artist who works with natural materials.  Each of these 3 artists visited for a day session to enhance the experience of the ‘Strange Creature Pet Shop’

I made a shop sign and turned the space into a making space for local children and families.  The shop was set up for drop-in activity where families could come and make their own strange creature which could be left on display or taken away.  The creatures were made from recycled materials that were donated locally.

Sompting is a small village between Shoreham-by-Sea and Worthing and is often overlooked during the ADUR festival with most of the projects sticking to the busier towns.  Somting has an unusual mix of low and high income families and has been reported to feel very dis-jointed without a strong sense of community.  The project acted to encourage a community spirit from all residents through art and creativity.