Showing posts with label Art Gallery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art Gallery. Show all posts

Friday, February 02, 2024

Art Mini Golf at The Minories in Colchester

An art-based Mini Golf course has been created at The Minories in Colchester, Essex.


An art-based Mini Golf course has been created at The Minories in Colchester, Essex

The artist created minigolf course will be open from the 11th February to the 25th February.

Friday, March 06, 2020

Artainment and the world of minigolf

A look at how minigolf has been used in artistic creations.


We've seen the worlds of art and minigolf combine a number of times over the years.


A relatively new term for this combination is 'artainment' - where art and entertainment mix to immerse visitors to an exhibition, gallery or installation in an interactive experience.


Playing Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at York Art Gallery
Playing Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at York Art Gallery in 2017

We've seen a number of art trails created in the last couple of years and they are becoming a popular part of 'retailtainment' and 'shoppertainment' where entertainment options have been added to the high street or shopping malls to help attract and retain customers.

Crazy Golf and art.


There is currently an art installation pop-up Crazy Golf course at Coal Drop's Yard in King's Cross, London. It's playable until the 29th March. Club Golf is a combination of sport, art and retail entertainment. Artists Baker & Borowski created the 9-hole themed Crazy Golf layout inspired by the rave culture in the King's Cross area back in the 1980's and 90's.

Club Golf at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London
Club Golf at the Coal Drops Yard shopping and dining area in King's Cross, London

Minigolf is a very visual thing and each course is a work of art in its own right. We love seeing time, effort and thought put into the design of a minigolf hole and when they are aesthetically pleasing it's marvellous.

Playing hole 1 of Putt Putt #2 in Croydon in 2014
Playing hole 1 of Putt Putt #2 in Croydon in 2014

My favourite miniature golf layouts are Arnold Palmer Putting Courses. They are a design classic and look wonderful. They are also a real test of putting skill and incredibly playable today.

The old Arnold Palmer Putting Course from The Rotunda amusement park in Folkestone was turned into an art installation in the seaside town back in 2008.

18 Holes by Richard Wilson in Folkestone
18 Holes by Richard Wilson in Folkestone

New art-based minigolf courses in 2020.


This September the Creative Folkestone Triennial will play host to an amusement arcade and crazy golf-themed art installation by the artist genuinefake (Rachel Stella Jenkins).

My friend Jack Hurley aka Loud Ribs of Rubbish Seaside fame has also let me know about an art-based Crazy Golf course being created at Saltaire in Bradford over the May Bank Holiday weekend.


The art-based minigolf courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour include:


18 Holes by Richard Wilson in Folkestone in 2010.

18 Holes by Richard Wilson in Folkestone
18 Holes by Richard Wilson in Folkestone

Crazee Golf at the Tintype Art Gallery
in London in 2012.

Crazee Golf at the Tintype Art Gallery in London
Crazee Golf at the Tintype Art Gallery in London

Bompas & Parr's Big Rooftop Tea & Golf Party saw a 9-hole London & Cake-themed Crazy Golf
course created at Selfridges Oxford Street in London in 2012.

Bompas & Parr's Big Rooftop Tea & Golf Party Crazy Golf at Selfridges Oxford Street in London
Bompas & Parr's Big Rooftop Tea & Golf Party Crazy Golf at Selfridges Oxford Street in London

M!MS Empire Sunset Nine Hole Mini Golf
course in Bedford in 2013.

M!MS Empire Sunset Nine Hole Mini Golf course in Bedford
M!MS Empire Sunset Nine Hole Mini Golf course in Bedford

Putt Putt #2 by TURF Projects in Croydon in 2014.

Putt Putt #2 by TURF Projects in Croydon
Putt Putt #2 by TURF Projects in Croydon

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at the New Art Exchange
in Nottingham in 2016.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
in 2017.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery

Our friends Gareth and Lurlyn Holmes played Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at the Venice Biennale in 2015.

Doug Fishbone’s Leisure Land Golf in Venice. Photo by Gareth & Lurlyn Holmes, 2015
Doug Fishbone’s Leisure Land Golf in Venice. Photo by Gareth & Lurlyn Holmes, 2015

Also in 2015 our friends Matt and Helen Dodd played the Mini Gulf course at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare.

Mini Gulf course at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd, 2015
Mini Gulf course at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd, 2015

There was Crazy Golf at Clerkenwell Design Week in 2014. But we didn't get to play the course.

There were plans for a Visionary Golf course to be created in Trafalgar Square as part of the London Design Festival in 2016. However, the funding campaign was unsuccessful.

There was a Post-Apocalyptic Minigolf course at the Now Play This festival in London in 2017. However, we didn't manage to get along to play it.

Art and minigolf in the USA.


Our friends Tom and Robin at A Couple of Putts in the USA have also played on and created a number of art-minigolf holes on their adventures, including Sparkle City Mini Putt in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The team at The Putting Penguin have seen and reviewed a number of art designed courses over the years too.

We're looking forward to seeing where the next art-based minigolf course pops up.


Related blog posts:
- Art
- Art Trails
- Crazy Golf
- Minigolf

Monday, September 04, 2017

Leisure Land Crazy Golf at York Art Gallery

Playing Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at York Art Gallery.


Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
A look at the first three holes

On Sunday 3rd September we swung by York Art Gallery to play Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course. The 7-hole layout became the 451st we've played and 763rd visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Playing hole 2

In our match-up on the course I picked up the win with a score of 16 to Emily's 38.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at York Art Gallery
My score was enough to top the leaderboard - the previous best on the day had been 26. Although when we walked back through the gardens just as the course was closing a score of 15 had been made later in the day

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf

The minigolf layout consists of holes and obstacles created by different artists from the contemporary art world.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 1 - Reactor - Alligator Resort

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 1

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 1

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 2 - Yinka Shonibare MBE - Football Cloud

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 2

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 3 - Eyal and Ines Weizman - The Bridge of Königsberg

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
My favourite hole - it's always great to score less than 1 on a hole!

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 4 - Hetain Patel - Coloured Processor

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 4  not the easiest hole(s) to play!

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 4

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 4

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 5 - John Akomfrah - The Turkey Shoot Galactico

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 5

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 5

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 6 - Doug Fishbone - SOS

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 6

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 6

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 6

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 7 - Ellie Harrison - Life Raft

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Hole 7

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
X marks the spot

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
The green on hole 7

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course was open at York Art Gallery throughout the summer following its installation as part of an Art Happens campaign to bring the course to York. It was originally created for the Venice Biennale in 2015 and last year was in Nottingham and Derby. I played the course in Nottingham - it was 10-holes then. And indoors.

Who knows where it'll be installed next...

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Emily playing hole 2

Minigolf is a popular theme for artists and we've played a few other art-installation pop-up crazy golf courses on our travels. Our friends of at A Couple of Putts have also created a few holes, obstacles and courses for art galleries and shows!

Visit the York Art Gallery website for more information on the exhibition.

Links:
York Art Gallery

Related blog posts:
- York
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf in Venice
- Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf in Nottingham

Videos of the course:
- Hole 1
- Hole 3 - scoring a '2'
- Hole 3 - scoring another '2'
- Hole 3 - scoring a hole-in-none!
- Hole 4
- Hole 5
- Hole 7

Friday, April 07, 2017

York Art Gallery to host Leisure Land Golf this summer

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf travels to York Art Gallery.


York Art Gallery will be hosting Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf this summer, with the Crazy Golf course open from the 3rd June to 3rd September. The miniature golf layout consists of holes and obstacles created by different artists from the contemporary art world.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf by EM15 at the Venice Biennale, photos by Gareth & Lurlyn Holmes

Our friends and minigolf rivals Gareth and Lhurlyn Holmes were lucky enough to play Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at the Venice Biennale in 2015, while I got to have a game on the course in a visit to the New Art Exhange in Nottingham with another friend and rival Jam Trubridge last summer. The art-installation Crazy Golf course became the 401st played and 682nd visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Alongside more traditional collections, York Art Gallery endeavours to bring a variety of artworks to the gallery including contemporary pieces by cutting-edge artists.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf will be open to the public from the 3rd June to the 3rd September 2017 in the Artists Garden. Created during York Art Gallery’s recent refurbishment, the Artists Garden is a free public space used to display a changing series of art installations, offering a place of reflection and inspiration in the heart of the city centre.

Playing The Turkey Shoot Galactico by John Akomfrah at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham last summer

York Art Gallery recently ran an Art Happens campaign to bring the course to the city. Entry to the Artists Garden is free. For a small fee, or for those donors who selected one of the higher rewards in the Art Happens campaign, visitors can play a round of crazy golf during garden open times.

We're looking forward to playing the course in its new location this summer. Emily and I love visiting York and Yorkshire. Now we live up north we're hoping to visit the area even more in the coming weeks, months and years.

Check out the York Art Gallery website for more information on Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf in Nottingham

Playing Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at the New Art Exchange.


Last summer our friends and minigolf rivals Gareth and Lhurlyn Holmes were lucky enough to visit Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at the Venice Biennale. This year the course came to England.

Playing Pleasure Seekers by Candice Jacobs

Last week the art-installation Crazy Golf course became the 401st played and 682nd visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

One of two holes I scored an ace on - The Turkey Shoot Galactico by John Akomfrah

It was brilliant fun to play and very well built. It was also pleasing to defeat another minigolf rival and friend Jam Trubridge in our match-up. At just £2 per player it was a bargain to play too.

Jam playing the first hole on the street in Nottingham

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf is at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham until the 19th June. It then moves on to the Derby QUAD.

Hole 1 was unique to the New Art Exchange's layout of Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf

Definitely an Alligator

Jam on the hand cranking 9th - Coloured Processor by Hetain Patel

Playing the 9th

Putting through a hole in the wall

The Bridge of Konigsberg by Eyal and Ines Weizman - very interesting as you automatically score a zero!

A view of Putting a Hole in the Wall by Yara El-Sherbini and three other holes

Doug Fishbone's Costa Concordia hole

 
We both scored a 20

We found there is a knack to playing the 'Life Raft' hole by Ellie Harrison. It's quite different to how the hole was last year in Venice

There was some great minigolf merch on sale at the New Art Exchange too

The beermat scorecards and branded balls & pencils look excellent

On our travels around the world we've played some interesting courses, including some designed for art shows, exhibitions and as playable sculptures.

We've played art-based minigolf at the one-day only M!MS Mini Golf course in BedfordCrazee Golf at the TinType Gallery in London, the Bompas & Parr food architecture course on the roof of Selfridges and Putt Putt #2 by TURF Projects in Croydon. We've also not played art courses in Clerkenwell and Folkestone - where the remnants of the old Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course were used to create a series of beach huts!

We were also recently involved in the London Design Festival's Kickstarter campaign to build a Crazy Golf course in Trafalgar Square.

Links:
New Art Exchange (NAE)
Doug Fishbone

Related blog posts:
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf
Art
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Nottingham

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