Kazz's contribution to the bus shelter project

I heard that the Brimscombe and thrupp Bus Shelter Arts Project was formally opening tomorrow, so I thought I'd go and have a look at some of the decorated shelters. I'd noticed a couple of them when driving along the London Road, the main road along the Golden Valley, which links Brimscombe and Thrupp parishes to Stroud town.

The first shelter I saw was literally a couple of hundred yards from home, outside the bus depot in Bowbridge, built on the site of the original Bowbridge Mill's millpond. The mill was demolished many years ago and the pond was filled in soon after. The Lime Brook behind our house used to feed that pond, but now drains straight into the River Frome about forty yards from this shelter.

When I approached the shelter I realised that the artists were actually at work on the installation which seemed fortuitous. I introduced myself and asked permission to take pictures which they readily agreed to. In fact Kazz Hollick was accompanied by her friend Jess, who was helping with the final touches. The other co-artist, Isa Clee, was not there; the gentleman was also a friend I think. This was the first photo I took which I think shows the whole shelter, but I took a few more from various angles with some more detailed close-ups. I really liked the way that they have introduced lenses and materials which change the light. I guess that it will not only allow people waiting for the bus to see out on the world in a variety of ways, but also to be seen. I'll definitely go back to see it in different light conditions.

On the website I have linked to above you can read about the context and history of the project. But I have extracted the following to add some direct information.

Bus Shelter Arts Project
2020 saw the beginning of a community initiative to use the oft-neglected bus shelters of the parish as a location for local artists.
This project was inspired by the undercover makeover that one of our shelters near Brewery Lane received last year. A simple thing: just adding a chair, a shelf, some bunting and a sign that read "Stop in the Name of Love" hit the national news as a feel good story and got the local community interested in using the space as a book swap, message centre or just somewhere to rest.
This got the Parish Council to thinking about these public spaces and their importance to our parishioners and the opportunity to make them landmarks and potentially community hubs. Making a link with Studio 18 was the first step – a new community based music and arts venue on the Hope Mills Industrial Estate, and once Zac the owner was convinced and a brief was written we went out to the local artist community and asked for their responses. We were blown away by the take up - the creativity on our own doorsteps – and how each concept was completely different.


Bowbridge. Artists: Kate Hollick & Isa Clee
'Welcome to the Magical Wonderland Bowbridge Bus Depot Perikaleidoscope Bus Stop!'
It's all the fun of the fair as you step into a world of blue skies, fluffy clouds, rainbows and magical mirrors. See the world from a different perspective while you wait.
The first bus shelter along the London Road trail at the Bowbridge traffic lights is a collaboration by local artists Kazz Hollick and Isa Clee.
Kazz is a visual artist who started with photography at Brighton University, then on returning to Stroud and working with a variety of artists and musicians, has experimented with mixed media and community/public installations.
From a very early age Isa began investigating the world from different angles, looking at the tiny and the magnificent through different lenses. From holding a shiny surface on the pages of story books to alter the illustrations, to walking on the ceiling with the aid of her mothers makeup mirror, the ability to change her view through the bottom of a glass, a tiny hole or coloured sweet wrapper was fascinating to her.