Question: What do the following have in common…?
a ceramic urinal in New York (1917)
a pile of fire bricks in London (1966)
a circle of shoes in Horsham (2020)
Well done if you said, “They have all been controversially labelled ‘art’!
It was 47 years before Tate London bought a copy of “Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp. It was six years before they bought Equivalent III by Carl Andre. They won’t be buying “Deed of Dedication”, by Morag Warrack because my family and I are still using those shoes! (And that’s possibly not the only reason, to be fair.)
What’s it supposed to be?
It’s an invitation to see more than just the material ceramic, bricks or shoes. It’s a challenge to explore the way we see the world. It’s a way of communicating ideas without words.
We can’t see an idea - it’s invisible- so the picture is a way of easily sharing an idea in a similar way to a graph, a diagram or a tube map.
28 May 2020 Rookwood Golf Course- Under threat of 1,100 dwellings being built here.
So what do the shoes represent?
‘Deed of Dedication’ represents my fears and hopes. Fears that so many diverse people, young and old, golfers, walkers and joggers will not be able to enjoy this natural green space for much longer. And my hope is that with a Deed of Dedication, the landowners, Horsham District Council, can preserve this beautiful area for all the people in perpetuity.
But can a circle of shoes really change the way we think?
Ideas take time to catch on…there are still members of the Flat Earth Society out there.
If a picture paints a thousand words, then maybe, just maybe…
““It’s up to all of us as normal, quiet people...all it takes for terrible things to happen is for good people to do nothing.””
How Can I Help?
Write an email based on the points set out below this photo.
Send it to the Horsham District Cabinet members, via Write to Them or HDC website.
Visit the website https://www.keeprookwoodgreen.org/
To read more, scroll down…
It is we ordinary people who need to stand up for something that makes a difference.
Deed of Dedication by Horsham District Council
Horsham Councillor, Jonathan Chowen (Chairman of the Leisure and Culture Group), explained to Friends of Warnham Nature Reserve in March 2020, that even if we manage to prevent plans to build 1,100 homes here on Rookwood Park this time, there will always exist a possibility that this land will be used for housing. Horsham Council has asked the Government to reduce our housing target numbers. They have asked for a time extension for further planning. But no response has yet been acknowledged.
Encouragingly, the Government’s Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick MP, recently stated, “people need parks”.
The wealth of green spaces is not evenly distributed throughout the District. There is a bias of roads and urban development around Horsham town, so targeting intervention here to protect this green space will have the greatest impact on the health and wellbeing of people in the District.
HDC stated in their 2020 Local Plan, Natural Green Space Guidance, that “88 hectares of green land would be needed to meet the guidelines”.
Fortunately, Rookwood Golf Course, which they own, is 90 hectares. Perfect, one would imagine, especially as it has been cared for in a safe eco-friendly way for over 20 years and has won two awards for being ecologically sound. (2005, 2006. After this the staffing was cut)
A Deed of Dedication would allow land to be protected in perpetuity for future generations to enjoy, and the charity Fields in Trust is offering development managers who work alongside landowners (HDC) to achieve this.
Revaluing Parks and Green Spaces May 28 2020 report finds that regular users of parks visit their GPs less frequently, resulting in savings of £111 million each year for the NHS. It also found that communities who have easy access to parks are also happier, safer and economically thriving.
“So how wonderful for our council to REALLY thank the NHS like this - by looking after the physical and mental health of its population in perpetuity!”