Meet the Artists Behind York's Ghosts in the Gardens
We meet the team behind York's Ghosts in the Gardens
Husband-and-wife duo James and Clare Palmer set up Unconventional Design in 2019. ‘Prior to this myself and James worked as freelancers for local scenic theming companies specialising in work for the museum and heritage industry,’ says creative director Clare. ‘We worked on projects such as the Titanic Museum in Belfast, theme park rides, aquariums, The Tower of London and the Museum of Liverpool as well as projects internationally.’ The couple are also co-creators and resident artists at Stockeld Park in Wetherby – a children’s adventure site – where they have worked for almost 20 years. ‘It was during this time we met and got married,’ Clare adds. ‘And we decided to take the plunge and set up Unconventional Design.’
All of Unconventional Design’s work is bespoke. James is a creative joiner and Clare a scenic artist. ‘So between us and our many artisan contacts, there’s very little we can’t create,’ Clare admits. ‘We offer mural painting, sculpture, fibreglass work, creative joinery, bespoke joinery and scenic finishes. We can do creative mini golf courses, children’s playgrounds, retail and catering fit-outs, entertainment venues, museum projects, school projects, bus and camper conversions, shipping container conversions and, of course, our ghost sculptures. It’s pretty endless what we can offer, so it’s always worth asking us if you have a project you think we may suit.’
You can see Unconventional Design’s creations across the county. ‘We have worked on creative shop fit-outs such as The Shop That Must Not Be Named (the Harry Potter shop) in York’s Shambles,’ says Clare. ‘We were part of the design and build team of Spark York’s container park and the Ghosts in the Gardens sculpture trail in York city centre. For Stockeld Park we created many of the sculptures on their woodland trail as well as the bespoke play areas and the Christmas experience walk-through. One of our proudest achievements was all the indoor play equipment and wall murals for The Playhive.’
In 2021 Unconventional Design were approached by Carl Alsop from the York BID to help create 10 chicken wire ghosts for a Halloween trail. ‘We created the ghosts more as people from the past in period clothing to help give them a sophisticated look and create a more realistic experience,’ says Clare. ‘We were blown away by the response people gave them and it’s been one of our most successful projects.’ The project has continued annually, with more characters added each year. ‘It’s been great working with Carl as he has such a great imagination and certainly likes to challenge our creative talents with some tricky ideas,’ says Clare. Now the Ghosts After Dark experience adds an even spookier element to the Halloween trail. ‘The After Dark project came about as so many people asked if the ghosts are lit at night,’ says Clare. ‘So the York BID team decided to set up an evening event where we place the ghosts all in the same space and light them. It really changes the vibe and atmosphere. I love how versatile the ghosts are.’
The ghosts are made using an aluminium mesh which is sculpted and sewn to look like characters and animals from the past. ‘We try to think of characters which have a historical context to York – with its vast history, this is not hard,’ explains Clare. ‘We then agree poses and costume with Carl. We have a team of talented artists who work on the ghosts alongside me – this helps give them all a unique look and not all have the same style. Once the ghosts are sculpted we fit them with a light metal frame to help with stability and then fix them to the ground in the install. They really come to life when they are outside.’
Visitors travel to York from far and wide to see them. ‘They love the challenge of finding them all,’ says Clare. ‘The squirrel is a particularly challenging one to find so we often have messages asking where it is. It’s our most popular project and we get a lot of comments and messages regarding them. We have also been approached by other councils and venues across the UK who are keen for their own ghosts. We have a ghost project coming up in Colchester in the new year which we are excited for.
‘Stockeld Park are preparing for their winter season so we are busy creating exciting things for their Christmas experience. We have just finished our second primary school bus library conversion. We really love doing work for local communities and the school buses are such a joy to work on. The pupils really enjoy our creative work and the little details we pop in the libraries. We are really hoping we get to do more of these. Of course, our diary is always open for any other projects people may have!’
