Writing From Radius

The Poetry Research Centre from Royal Holloway University London undertook a five month residency in the Denbies landscape around our Radius artwork. Starting with a site visit in June, five students and four research professors took different aspects of the landscape from its geology to the bat life and the folklore to the site’s history. 

‘Working with Surrey Hills Arts on this Writing from the Radius project has been a delightful experience. The site itself is very engaging, with panoramic views over Box Hill and Dorking, as well as the dynamic art piece Radius that incorporates the shapes of the landscape within the bench. The pieces we were asked to create allowed us to engage with the landscape in different ways, looking at the animals and insects there, or thinking about what the landscape is made from, and the layers of local history and folklore of the surrounding area. This flexibility with the ways we could engage with the landscape led to a diverse collection of writing. It has been an exciting opportunity to work with Surrey Hills Arts in collaboration with Royal Holloway Poetics Research Centre and Osmosis Press’. 

Jade Hainsworth-Walsh

Our Writing from Radius event in October was a culmination of these works performed on a circular journey through the woods to the hilltop around Radius and down through the vineyards to the ancient oak. We processed the route at dusk with lanterns as the only light as we ended in darkness. 

The writings were compiled into three booklets ‘Radii’ and published by Osmosis Press. They are divided into three headings: Subterranean Terranean Superterranean

Photos by Sam Jones