ARTWORK including stained glass, paintings, tapestry, jewellery and documentary photography is being shown on Bradford’s big screen as part of an artist’s choice exhibition.

The move is part of the Not Just Hockney project set up by Silsden art enthusiast Colin Neville to showcase the work of local artists.

With Bradford bidding to become the City of Culture in 2025, Mr Neville hopes the daily big screen presentation will support its chances.

He explained that Not Just Hockney, in association with Bradford UNESCO City of Film, which runs the big screen, will be inviting a range of local artists to choose three of their artworks to display in the digital display.

Of the latest selection, which runs throughout January and February, he said the mix of local professional artists taking part in the big screen presentation spoke volumes for “the range and diversity of visual artists who live locally”.

“This spread of talent in the visual arts will help us win City of Culture award for the district in 2025. And it’s not just the visual arts that will help us hit the spot; the judges will weigh up all the other creative talent in a city - the music, dance, drama, writing, and all other activities where people use their imagination and inventiveness.

“People often question the point of applying for City of Culture status, thinking it a waste of money. But it’s not. A recent report by the University of Hull, evaluating the impact of Hull’s year in 2017 as City of Culture, identified real economic and social benefits for the city. It found 800 new jobs had been created in the leisure and hospitality industries, and that over half of businesses surveyed reported increased turnover in 2017. It also raised the profile of Hull, nationally and internationally, bringing millions more visitors into the city, all spending money. The University estimated that the value of increased tourism contributed around £300 million overall to the Hull economy.

“It wasn’t just a monetary pay-off either. Many Hull folk reported that they felt more pride in their city and had increased their involvement in cultural events on their own doorsteps.

“So, Bradford as the City of Culture for 2025 - bring it on, I say!”

The six artists involved this time are:

Jonathan Cooke is a stained glass artist. He said: “In contrast to the demands of monumental scale work such as Cliffe Castle’s grand staircase window, which I completed last year, I create small, intricately detailed, often quirky narrative panels using traditional stained glass techniques - to commission, for exhibitions, and sometimes simply because an idea won’t go away.”

Chrissie Freeth is a tapestry weaver. She said: “I weave tapestries on a large traditional loom using hand-dyed wool. My work is inspired by academic research of medieval tapestries but reimagined for contemporary relevance. At the loom I confront and reshape my own memories and experiences and seek to capture a more universal female experience.”

Margaret Naylor is a jewellery designer. She said: “My jewellery design is primarily influenced by the connectivity between elements in their raw state and their potential to be made into expressive items of jewellery. Texture and scale are important aspects to much of my work, and through the combination of flowing lines and geometry, I attempt to create individual pieces that display qualities of timeless elegance and fluidity.”

Ben Snowden is a contemporary artist. He said: “My artwork explores the relationships and ideas between subject and emotion, and is inspired by the natural world, poetry and memory. I use the language of abstraction to create work that emphasises mood and expression to determine the overall feeling of the paintings. I predominantly work with enamel, spray paint, graphite and household paints on materials such as paper, board, card, textiles, and wood that I find.”

David Starley is an artist and painter. He said: “I am a professional artist, based in Saltaire and also run the Bingley Gallery as an outlet for my own and other local artists’ work. I paint in oils, which are applied thickly in an impasto technique using a painting knife to produce an almost sculpted image. Whilst perhaps best known for my views of trees and woodland, other subjects include local landscapes and mountain scenery.”

Simon Sugden is a photographer. He said: “I’m a local photographer, based now just outside Keighley. I’ve been doing photography now for over 10 years with a passion for landscapes, urban decay and architecture amongst other things. The photographs on the Big Screen are all taken from my new book, ‘Derelict Britain: Beauty in Decay’. This is my first book, and I’m proud to say that it’s already received recognition from the Royal Photographic Society.”

For more about the Not Just Hockney project, visit notjusthockney.info.