Post on 19-Mar-2016
description
an urban mosaic.
an urban mosaic.
Colin Lorne
an urban mosaic.
Engaging artistic visions for
Kidderminster through walking and
instant photography
Project led by Colin Lorne
All the quotations and
photographs created
for this booklet have
been produced by
artists and creative
people in
Kidderminster.
Without their input,
there would have been
no research.
An Introduction
This collaborative project worked with artists and creative individuals in order to take a different look at Kidderminster. By combining art and geographic research, we sought to explore what ideas, possibilities, stories and alternative visions could be brought to the town’s ReWyre Initiative regeneration plans. This was achieved by engaging artistic imagination in a unique way.
Cultural and creative arts projects have become increasingly popular within British urban regeneration schemes over the last decade or so. In particular, there has been a surge of interest in encouraging artists to work within community-led projects. I wanted to try something a bit different,
something which provided artists with a greater capacity to be autonomous, reflective and even critical about aspects of Kidderminster’s town centre. Rather than sitting and talking in an office, each artist was asked to lead me on a tour of ‘their’ Kidderminster. They decided where we went and therefore no two walks were the same. Each artist was handed a Polaroid instant camera. This was to help the artists frame their thoughts and to think carefully about the built environment. It also made the research process fun.
The name ‘an urban mosaic’ was influenced by David Hockney’s use of Polaroid photography to assemble a large collage of photographs which transcended singular perspective and
scale. Similarly, I hoped the Polaroid camera would help to represent a multitude of thoughts about Kidderminster whilst shaping a narrative for the project.
The artists weren’t asked any set questions. There were no rules determining what was to be photographed and discussed and I had no idea what ideas would unravel throughout the walks. The act of wandering around the town was the prompt for discussion. For some this was a chance to celebrate Kidderminster’s histories, for others it was a form of “walking meditation”. We talked about buildings, graffiti, the people we bumped into, carpet manufacturing and the once-overwhelming smell of sugar beet as just a few examples.
Twenty people took part in these walking interviews between autumn 2010 and spring 2011. The definition of ‘artist’ and ‘creative’ was never defined in order to draw in a wide range of perspectives and voices. However, everyone who took part knew Kidderminster, either through living or working in the town. The project involved shared experiences and events. Whilst I may have set up this work, each walk around the town was a co-creation between geographer and artist, even if our identities were increasingly blurred over the course of each wander.
This research started off as work for a project at the University of Birmingham. However, through
meeting people working on the Re-Wyre Initiative for regeneration in the town, these words and images were re-used several times to reach out to a wider audience and to provoke new discussion. The work was used in a ‘pop-up’ consultation event on Blackwell Street, Horsefair, one of the areas planned for redevelopment. Later it was displayed in the more formal setting of the town gallery where all the photographs were stapled to a big map of Kidderminster to present all the research together. Finally, this booklet has been produced as a way of recording these ideas and stories in a more permanent way.
About Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town with a population of over 55,000 and an average age of 39 (UK Census 2001). It is within the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is roughly seventeen miles to the south-west of Birmingham and fifteen miles north of Worcester.
The town has a rich carpet industry heritage including ‘Brintons’ manufacturers which were founded in Kidderminster in 1785. The industry has been hugely influential upon the local economy as well as the built environment in the town centre.
“Well, you’ve got to have
progress. You need to
create new things, but at
the same time to lose
something is tragic,
especially something
that has a lot to do with
history. History is one
thing you can’t buy. You
can’t put a price on it.”
“This is the Wyre Forest,
this little area! It’s a
lovely spot and it gives
you that sense that
nature matters, but it’s
lost by a road and fence.
They are definitely
imprisoned organics and
they ought to be allowed
to break free.”
“This is my favourite
building. It’s so different,
it’s stuck here amongst
all these horrible
buildings but it’s like it’s
making some kind of
statement as if to say
“you’re not getting rid of
me that easily!” I’ve
always loved it.”
“...a lot of what
Kidderminster has got
that is really nice is
above eye level. I think
there’s a need to look up
and then you see...
they’re really beautiful.
Don’t you look a lot
prouder when you’re
looking up?”
“This building is just
amazing. If you look up
it’s got a domineering
character… not in a
threatening way, but an
old man with something
to say.”
“You can’t see in, they
can’t see out. You could
have had a beautiful
square by the canal side
and look what you’ve
got... there’s a canal, can
you see the canal?”
“If you stand here and
look at that shape that
runs through and just
admire the college, it’s a
gorgeous keyhole shape
and I’m always aware of
it every day, it’s there,
it’s a little bit of a relief
from the rest of this
which is a dreadful,
dreadful space.”
“The underpass is like
an abattoir to walk
though, it’s so inhuman.”
“The ring road has to go
round the town not
through it”
“...there are all sorts of
people coming through
and the regular users
protect it. I think Subway
Deluxe instilled a bit of
ownership... It was about
the people rather than
just the place.”
Acknowledgements
Thank you to all the artists and
creative people that took part in the
series of walks. Without your time and
effort there would have been no
research project, booklet or
exhibitions.
Thank you to Loz Sameuls for all the
help arranging many different aspects
of the project, as well as Jane Puzey
and everyone at MADE*, Jayne Bradley,
Joe Holyoak, Phil Jones (the transport
planner), Matthew Barker and Wyre
Forest Council for exploring new ways
of listening to and communicating with
the people of Kidderminster.
Significant hanks to Phil Jones (the
geographer at University of
Birmingham) for all the
encouragement, advice and
supervision throughout the research
process, as well as Jamie Peart and
Kevin Burkhill for helping with the
Polaroid stock and exhibition prints.
- Colin, July 2012
About the author
Colin Lorne is a Doctoral Researcher in
the School of Geography, Earth and
Environmental Sciences at the
University of Birmingham.
His research interests relate to
architecture, urban design and
regeneration, in particular, how people
engage with and shape spaces over
time.
Interests also seek to incorporate
innovative research methodologies,
original ways of using research beyond
the academy as well as questioning
what geographers do.
Contact
Email: cal747@bham.ac.uk
or colinlorne@gmail.com
Telephone: 07929 364707
Look back at the research process at:
anurbanmosaic.wordpress.com
For current research about buildings,
working and the ordinary, as well as
random musings see:
colinlorne.wordpress.com
Cover photo by Luke Perry Colin Lorne 2013