Fibonacci Flowers was a seed of an idea whilst I studied Fine Art at Falmouth University.  Thanks to the support of  Falmouth Cultural Services, Feast and Cormac the idea grew into a year long Community Arts Project in West Cornwall.

This Project, began last spring with visits to schools and community groups in Falmouth, Penryn and Penzance to help people plant their own sunflower seeds.   With over 300 sunflower seeds planted, most of them grew and flourished over the summer.  When the seed heads bent over and turned yellow they were harvested and then dried out.

In early January 2019,  a series of painting workshops began with the schools and community groups.  Everyone painted their own individual sunflower seed head.  The Fibonacci pattern was highlighted in the seed heads and participants were encouraged to  use this as a basis of their design whilst adding their own creative interpretations.  The result was 250 beautiful, original and intriguing seed heads which hung together in a colourful collective community art exhibition in Falmouth Art Gallery.  No two sunflower seed heads are the same either in nature or in this exhibition.  

I was delighted when FEAST, Falmouth Cultural Services and Cormac agreed to provide funding  for  Fibonacci Flowers Community art project.  For me it has been a really exciting  project because of the many different elements of interest and creativity.  From the fun  and rewards gained from growing plants from seed to learning about the incredulous mathematical Fibonacci sequence which appears throughout nature and which is so wonderfully  illustrated in the sunflower seed head.  The project has created space for creative mindfulness and provided a unique opportunity for the community to come together and produce this intriguing, individual and beautiful artwork.

This project has been funded by Falmouth Cultural Services, Cormac and Feast. Feast is a programme to make great art happen across Cornwall. Investment for Feast comes from Arts Council England and Cornwall Council and the programme is managed by Creative Kernow.

Candlelit Vigil in Celebration of the Cornish Miners.
            
A free and a rare public gathering at Gwennap Pit with informal performances of art, music, words and song.

"Jo instigated the idea of a candlelit ‘Vigil’ and her creative energy and vision became the catalyst for the generosity of spirit that ensued. Her approach allowed the creativity of others to thrive but its clear that her sensibilities, preoccupations and themes were imprinted in every element of a significant and profound performance. "   

Jesse Leroy Smith.  Artist and Curator of Picturing the Mines.

photography courtesy of James Hankey and Andrew Watkins