麻豆社

In the first of a new series, Clare is in Derry-Londonderry to meet the celebrated children鈥檚 author and artist, Oliver Jeffers. As part of a free nationwide arts project called Unboxed, he鈥檚 created a 10 kilometre sculpture trail, designed as a scale model of the solar system. It starts at Bay Road Park and runs alongside the River Foyle. The trail, 鈥極ur Place in Space鈥�, is there until 22 May 2022 before moving to Belfast, Cambridge, and the North Down Coastal Path.

Oliver says he鈥檚 a 鈥榩retty serious rambler鈥�: he walked everywhere when he lived in New York City, and once led three-day hikes in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.

Explaining his inspiration for the project, he says: 鈥淚f we could look back at Earth from the vastness of the solar system, what would we feel? Wouldn鈥檛 squabbles look stupid from Saturn? Wouldn鈥檛 violence seem senseless from Venus? Forget about 鈥楿s鈥� and 鈥楾hem鈥�, from the perspective of Pluto, it鈥檚 just US!鈥�

Oliver Jeffers collaborated with the Nerve Centre and Professor Stephen Smartt of Queen鈥檚 University Belfast to design the trail which has its own free interactive App to download.

Grid Ref for their starting point: NV 611 818

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer for 麻豆社 Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor