Synopsis
“I saw a crocodile and it did exist.” Jolyon Rea, Bristol Bus Driver, 2014.
Words from Dorcas Casey…
My starting point for this project is a contemporary Bristol myth; the story of the crocodile sighted in the river Avon. This story chimes with my practice; I’m fascinated by the symbolism of crocodiles and the unique place they hold in the human imagination. For me this story represents Bristolian playfulness, humour and an appetite for mysteries….
Please watch this project page for more information celebrating Casey’s Crocodile after the project launch at the beginning of March.
“Crocodiles are ancient symbols of resilience and regeneration, creatures that reside at the margins of the unknown, serving as a connection between our present and the deep past. It’s no wonder that stories about crocodiles still capture our imagination.”Dorcas Casey, Artist
“Dorcas has created something really special for Bristol, and a new landmark for Temple Quarter. Themes of creativity, climate change, motherhood, modern myth and folklore manifest and intertwine in the artwork which presents as a surprising and intriguing addition to Bristol’s public realm. It’s been great to see an artist run with this opportunity so fully and deeply, creating opportunities for local communities to contribute their mark in making something that is greater than the sum of its parts, and takes on a life of its own.”Jack Gibbon, CEO Bricks Bristol
Further Reading
Dorcas Casey is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Bristol. She is interested in dreams, intuition, folk rituals, memory and stories. She works with many different materials including fabric, plaster, bronze, and ceramics.
Dorcas studied Sculpture at Winchester School of Art, including a semester at the University of Seville, and completed a Masters in Multidisciplinary Printmaking at UWE. She is an Academician at the RWA and has a studio in Jamaica Street Studios in Stokes Croft.
She makes processions and sculptures for Glastonbury Festival and exhibited her fabric sculptures at Banksy’s Dismaland.
She was nominated to work as a lead artist for Artichoke’s PROCESSIONS in 2018 and awarded a QEST Scholarship to study bronze-casting. Dorcas won the ACS Studio Prize in 2021 and in 2023 she was resident artist at Guldagergaard International Ceramics Research Centre in Denmark supported by the British Ceramics Biennial.
In 2024 Dorcas was shortlisted for the John Ruskin Prize, she exhibited her work in FAUNA at the RWA, and her horse costumes appeared on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival.
Bricks are a Bristol-based charity working with creative, local and social enterprise communities in and around the South West. They produce public artwork programmes, deliver creative collaborative activities and secure permanent spaces in the city to build sustainable futures.
Bricks believe in the civic role of artists and that through collaboration we can support communities to build mutually supportive resilience.
Where will the artwork be? Dorcas Casey’s Crocodile is launching on March 1st and will be located at the Welcome Building in Temple Quarter.
Welcome Building, 4 Glass Wharf, Temple Quarter, Bristol, BS2 0PS
Welcome Building® is situated at 4 Glass Wharf, Bristol, in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. It is near the historic Temple Meads train station, the Floating Harbour, significant (and relatively new) commercial buildings at 2 and 3 Glass Wharf, and backs onto the residential neighbourhoods of St Philips and The Dings. It is also located near a range of small independent businesses, which are located in the railway arches on Oxford St.
