Date and Time
Wed, 10th Jun, 2026 - Wed, 17th Jun, 2026 at All Day
Artists in Herefordshire turn to folk history, farming knowledge and community collaboration to reimagine the countryside as a site of cultural production, rather than the backdrop.
This summer, artists Chris Poolman and Grace Emily Manning present ‘The Golden Valley Sundial’, a touring outdoor artwork that brings together folk-history, agricultural practices, and the lived experience of contemporary, rural communities.
The work was commissioned by Meadow Arts, a contemporary visual arts charity who work in unexpected and rural places. The work emerges from their Our Place Golden Valley project, a three-year creative health project exploring what it means to live in, and belong to, a geographically and culturally distinct rural landscape.
The Ledbury-based artists have spent a year working with communities in the Golden Valley in Southwest Herefordshire. This process has culminated in The Golden Valley Sundial, a large-scale, modular artwork and interactive game which will tour the county, stopping off at Hellens for a week in June!
Through collaborative workshops and sustained engagement, the artists captured the community’s experiences of ru
ral and agricultural life, and knowledge of local flora and fauna. Constructed from locally-sourced wool, cob and plant pigments, and illustrating a range of new folk-tales, The Golden Valley Sundial reflects the area’s distinctive ecology and culture. It feels both ancient and immediate, solid and seasonal. Proudly displaying the work of many hands, it is testament to the collective knowledge, creativity and lived experience that shaped it.
From Wednesday 10th June to Wednesday 17th June 2026.
There is no admission charge to Hellens grounds and gardens, we are open Wednesdays and Sundays 10.30 am to 5pm, however the Sundial Art installation will be situated in the meadow and along a public footpath so can be visited at any time.
On Sunday 14th June between 12pm and 3pm there will be a number of drop-in workshops:
