Title
Co-research with Kirkgate communities
Year
2021-2
Location
The Kirkgate and All Saints School, Cockermouth; Netherton Infants & The Settlement, Maryport
Partners and coverage
Kirkgate Theatre, Cockermouth; The Settlement, Maryport; Arts Council England; BBC Radio Cumbria Helen Millican; Times & Star
Description
A question was raised by the Kirkgate Centre, 'how might the centre listen to their communities, and be newly inspired by them'. The term 'community' was broad, with loose suggestions of approaching groups in areas where there had been positive relationships with the Kirkgate in the past.
I was invited to create a project around this. We settled on neighbourhoods in Maryport as well as Cockermouth. In order to get to know the members of each area, (through working with All Saints C E Primary School and Netherton Infants in Maryport), I suggested I research alongside them for several months each. Obviously I was 'the guide', but I wasn't determining the questions or answers.
We would find out what was beneath our nose. Local history societies provided maps, artifacts and anecdotes. Having a preference for experiential learning and re-enactment, I then ran sessions based on local trades such as dyeing and paper-making. For the coastal dwelling children of Netherton, we couldn't simulate building an entire boat, but we built a 2.5metre by 1.5metre model, with every meticulous detail, including who and what was on board. This was underpinned by learning about real families who had made their lives in the international shipping trade and settled all over the world, and meeting a local dog, Paddy, who had circumnavigated the British Isles with his owner.
In unearthing local people from the past, we came across an internationally-acclaimed painter called Dorothy Bradford (1918-2008), who also worked for the CEMA: the Council for the Encouragement of Music and Art, a wartime forerunner of the Arts Council. We found that she was unknown to the local contemporary historians and BBC Radio Cumbria were very happy to spread the word about her. Using experiential learning , we, the children and I, made artwork after her.
A summer programme of workshops followed the research period based on the experiential research we had undertaken, aimed at families as well as adults only, with differing levels of intimacy and support. A final exhibition charted the complete journey, displaying our reenactments and modern interpretations.
The 10-minute film details how this project was carried out and what the participants made of it.
I was invited to create a project around this. We settled on neighbourhoods in Maryport as well as Cockermouth. In order to get to know the members of each area, (through working with All Saints C E Primary School and Netherton Infants in Maryport), I suggested I research alongside them for several months each. Obviously I was 'the guide', but I wasn't determining the questions or answers.
We would find out what was beneath our nose. Local history societies provided maps, artifacts and anecdotes. Having a preference for experiential learning and re-enactment, I then ran sessions based on local trades such as dyeing and paper-making. For the coastal dwelling children of Netherton, we couldn't simulate building an entire boat, but we built a 2.5metre by 1.5metre model, with every meticulous detail, including who and what was on board. This was underpinned by learning about real families who had made their lives in the international shipping trade and settled all over the world, and meeting a local dog, Paddy, who had circumnavigated the British Isles with his owner.
In unearthing local people from the past, we came across an internationally-acclaimed painter called Dorothy Bradford (1918-2008), who also worked for the CEMA: the Council for the Encouragement of Music and Art, a wartime forerunner of the Arts Council. We found that she was unknown to the local contemporary historians and BBC Radio Cumbria were very happy to spread the word about her. Using experiential learning , we, the children and I, made artwork after her.
A summer programme of workshops followed the research period based on the experiential research we had undertaken, aimed at families as well as adults only, with differing levels of intimacy and support. A final exhibition charted the complete journey, displaying our reenactments and modern interpretations.
The 10-minute film details how this project was carried out and what the participants made of it.