Step, stretch and dance through Warwick’s new Movement Trail
The University of Warwick Sculpture Park is on the move – literally! A brand-new Movement Trail encourages visitors to enjoy the artworks through dance and playful motion.
With inspiration from the newly restored and much-loved 1989 sculpture The Dancing Man by Allen Jones, people of all ages are encouraged to engage with the park through physical expression.
Ashley Jordan, of Coventry’s Ascension Dance and an Associate Artist of Warwick Arts Centre, has created a series of interactive cues encouraging visitors to engage with the artworks in a fresh, active way.
Follow the trail and scan QR codes on five sculptures to watch a short film by Ashley Jordan and Anthony Shintai. Inspired by Ashley’s work with Coventry primary school children, the films share movement ideas for you to try – so jump in, try them out, and let the art move you!
Speaking about the trail, Ashley said: “The physical body has a deep, intrinsic relationship to sculpture and visual arts. The appreciation of shapes in space starts at a young age as you jump, spin and play around everyday objects for fun.
“This Movement Trail is simply a way to tap back into that child-like mindset and, for a moment, find ways of understanding and interpreting sculpture through movement.”
University of Warwick’s Principal Curator Sarah Shalgosky explained the idea grew from watching how freely children engaged with the artworks.
“We realised that movement gave the children so much freedom to express their ideas – they came up with wonderful, creative responses to the works. We wanted to give other families and visitors that same opportunity, and I’m really pleased Ashley was able to create this trail for us.
“What has been lovely is seeing people standing in front of the film outside the Mead Gallery and moving their hands and bodies in response to Ashley’s movements. It’s a great encouragement to be more active outdoors, no matter what your age!”
The sculpture known as The Dancing Man was generously gifted to the University by Eric and Jean Cass through the Contemporary Art Society. Recently, thanks to a grant from the Henry Moore Foundation, it has been carefully restored to its true bright colours.
Liz Dooley, Art Collection Curator, said: “Our conservators were able to research the original colours and found that in some places, the bright yellow had been painted over. It looks so much more vibrant now. I think people will really respond to the brilliant colours and the sense of movement in the work.”
The Sculpture Park is free to attend all year round, with maps available from Warwick Arts Centre and the Mead Gallery. To watch all of Ashley’s videos, visit the Movement Trail webpage.Link opens in a new window
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more on the Allen Jones restoration, visit:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/art/artist/allenjones/wu0904Link opens in a new window
For more information please contact:
Stevie Connoll
stevie.connoll@warwick.ac.uk / +44 (0)7824 540791
About the University of Warwick
Founded in 1965, the University of Warwick is a world-leading institution known for its commitment to era-defining innovation across research and education. A connected ecosystem of staff, students and alumni, the University fosters transformative learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and bold industry partnerships across state-of-the-art facilities in the UK and global satellite hubs. Here, spirited thinkers push boundaries, experiment and challenge convention to create a better world.
About the Sculpture Park
The University of Warwick Sculpture Park features 26 modern and contemporary sculptures by important artists on show across the University of Warwick campus. Artists include Tine Bech, Richard Deacon, Avtarjeet Singh Dhanjal, Laura Ford, John Newling, Atsuo Okamoto, Peter Randall-Page. People can spend as much or as little time here as they like, visiting one or two sculptures or challenging themselves to find all 26. The sculptures are installed across the campus, along footpaths in green spaces, in woods and by lakes.
Maps and trails are available from Warwick Arts Centre.
The University campus has a supermarket, cafes and toilets that are open to everyone. The park is easily accessible via the X12 bus from Coventry city centre.
Dogs on a lead are welcome in the Sculpture Park.
Free entry.
11 August 2025