Businesses rise to the Basildon art challenge

1:25am Tuesday 27th May 2008

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A DRAGONFLY made out of shopping trolleys is among the weird and wonderful sculptures set to wow shoppers at the Eastgate Centre in Basildon.

Dozens of companies from across the district are entering artwork into a week-long green art exhibition, being held at the centre to promote enviornmental awareness.

Some 45 paintings, pictures, and sculptures will go on display for shoppers during a week-long exhibition outside Debenhams.

The extraordinary exhibits include a dragonfly made out of recycled shopping trolleys and a five-foot tree constructed from recycled materials.

There will also be a garden waste wheelie bin sprouting a giant daffodil and a life-size bust made entirely from recycled rubbish The exhibition, called the Basildon Art Challenge, is expected to become an annual event and is being organised by the Green Business Forum. The forum, which is funded by Basildon Council, offers free advice to help businesses reduce their impact on the environment and make efficiency savings.

Colin Stroud, from the forum, said: "We challenged local businesses to come up with artwork that reflects their view on how green Basildon is.

"We are delighted so many companies have shown a commitment to adopting greener ways of working by entering the competition.

"We hope the exhibition encourages both shoppers and businesses to become more environmentally aware."

The artwork will be on display for a week before a panel of judges picks a winner from among three categories - best under-16, best over-16 and best professional artist.

In the last year, businesses working with the forum have saved nearly a million pounds through environmental improvements.

Forum experts helped businesses save £735,000 on energy, £165,000 on cardboard waste and £17,000 on water.

The exhibition, which opens on Friday, is being sponsored by English Partnerships, Basildon Arts Trust, Eastgate and International Financial Data Services, based in the town.