THE people of Basingstoke are being given the chance to shape an ambitious project which bids to sum up the town.

Destination Basingstoke is working on creating an art installation for Basingstoke that, in its words, ‘earns the acceptance and affection of the whole community, as well as enhancing the image and reputation of the town for years to come’.

The project, called Basingstoke – Letters from the untold story, will consist of eleven three dimensional, 1.5 metre tall letters individually designed and painted by local artists working collaboratively to produce one final showcase piece of art, spelling out the word ‘Basingstoke’.

The designs for each letter will be inspired by Basingstoke’s culture – past, present and future.

Residents of Basingstoke will be able to shape the designs for each letter in a number of ways.

One way to contribute is via an online survey with which Destination Basingstoke is seeking to gain people’s positive memories of the town and its history.

To fill out the survey for the project, go to surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NVCW885.

Mood boards put together through community engagement on social media, visits and workshops where local people will be encouraged to share their family history in Basingstoke and ideas, will also be used in order to gain inspiration for the letter designs.

Each letter will be sponsored by a business to assist with financing the project but also to encourage the interest and involvement of the wider business community.

On completion, the letters will be temporarily displayed around the area to generate interest and anticipation before final unveiling as they are assembled to form the whole word at their permanent position, an as yet unconfirmed location

Destination Basingstoke managing director Felicity Edwards said “After the success of Sitting With Jane, and how well the benches were received, we wanted to work on a more permanent art installation to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

"As with all of our projects, we have to find the funding and at this stage we have some great commitment from many local organisations and will be working hard over the coming months to whet the appetite of businesses and secure the all-important funds required to make the installation happen. Destination Basingstoke will keep Gazette readers updated as to the progress of the project.”