News from the Mill

Kelly's News from The Mill - The Butterfly House

Had a busy time at Habergham Mill in SW Burnley; it's a former textile mill and still a hive of activity where small businesses operate from a series of units. Houses surround the mill, so much so that from the main road you wouldn't know it was there. As you enter the yard you're hit by the sounds of industry, machinery, especially the saws from the wood yard and the clatter of the metal recycling. The proximity of industry and housing was one reason I wanted to set-up in this space - the domestic and industrial sit cheek by jowl.
Industry was the engine for Burnley's development, textiles, coal and engineering drew people from far and wide looking for work. The town has a rich and celebrated industrial heritage, most evident in the Weavers' Triangle. SW Burnley sits adjacent to this, forming its own awkward triangle, located between Manchester Road, Rossendale Road and the south side of Accrington Road (where the M65 runs). Manchester Road and Accrington Road don't join-up to form a neat triangle, they are linked via Trafalgar - where the Weavers' Triangle begins.
Standing at the southern tip of this truncated triangle, looking down towards Accrington Road and the hills on the horizon you see a largely residential area, where the grid iron pattern of nineteenth century terraces gives way to more widely spaced semis - especially the council estates. Looking at the roofs of the buildings you can see a distinct angular shape to some of the council semis - these are the Butterfly Houses, large family homes situated at the corner of streets and avenues.

This butterfly shape came to the fore in the 1920s when municipal housing was given the green light and the country set to work building Homes fit for Heroes. The municipal housing schemes built in the years between the two wars expanded the population of SW Burnley; Stoops, Bleak House and Hargher Clough estates were built on green fields, all three take their name from local farms.

I was really struck by the Butterfly Houses because they were built as big family homes and I've spent some time doing family history with residents at The Orchard in SW Burnley. A butterfly is a symbol of transformation, the magic of one thing turning into another, and this seemed to chime with family life, with a process of renewal and the new emerging from the old.

With this in mind, and with the help of artists I've worked with previously (David Pugh & Vincent James) a scale model of a butterfly house now sits in Habegrham Mill.










    We began with a model in card, then built the wooden structure - working out the angle where the two pitched roofs joined was tricky. Once this was done, Emma, a local volunteer helped with painting. Emma was impressed with the structure but she questioned why build it here and why paint it white? I explained my thinking. Building a structure within a structure makes me aware of different kinds of spaces. Outside we walked from residential through to the industrial and once inside we again entered a different kind of space - as we entered this new space we were aware of how the sound of our voices changed, and how the sounds from outside were muted, the light changed and the scale of our immediate environment shifted too. I also liked the idea of a domestic structure within an industrial space - we move through industry and return to what remains - the houses, the families.
At this point Emma's mum arrived, at the same time as two council workers delivering chairs and tables. They were also curious, so I started to explain - "it's a model of one of the houses from the estate". One of the council men replied "I can see what it is, what's it doing in here"?
I continued with my explanation but was struck by the way they were busy identifying where the windows and doors should be - this was a blank wooden structure which referenced the houses - it had no representational detail - but they all recognised it - the shape of the Butterfly House!

Eventually, the structure was painted white and now it seemed to shine, a clean white object sitting beneath a north lights roof in a dirty industrial space. Emma's response? "It's sick". And that apparently is high praise indeed!

So why were the council workers delivering tables and chairs? The Butterfly House will go 'live' in the second week of September. Hopefully, different groups will help to decorate the house, which can now be collaged with photographs I've been collecting from people in the area. The space will also be one of performance, with a community choir, drama performances, a craft group and photo walks in the local vicinity.

So watch this space (literally).

Kelly



Lights, camera, action!

We've been documenting with Caroline Wright, as she created a pop up photographic studio in a home. Working with photographer Andy Ford, they set about recreating old posed black and white/sepia studio shots.  Local resident Fiona kindly offered the use of her home for the day, and a lot of residents turned up to be involved in the project.
This was the prep room - hair/make up, food and drinks. It also doubled up as a friendly meeting room, a place to chat and meet new friends, a place to get excited about the photo shoot, and to discuss how well it went after having the photos taken.

Fiona's front room was where Andy had set up the photo studio, and he used different backgrounds for the participants. He took lots of shots of each person, and you can see the old photos that Caroline sourced on the side, that were being used for inspirations. 




























It looked like a lot of fun to be a part of - and if I'd been a resident I'd have been taking part! We also did quite a few interviews with participants in the back yard/garden area, asking people about the day but also more general questions around community, sense of place and their feelings about projects like this one.



















Caroline - Huckleberry Films

Location, Location, Location

I've just spent a very pleasant hour driving around SW Burnley with Caroline Wright seeking exhibition locations for the final art work from her residency. Much of the route we took was similar to the walking route from our first photo walk and it was fascinating to be observing familiar areas but from a different perspective. On our photo walk I was seeking out and capturing detail, colour and texture, this time we were looking for public spaces suitable for large portraits of local people to be exhibited.
The conversation and thinking was very different this time as we imagined the photos placed in the environment and considered not just the visual impact of the work, but the emotional impact for the people in the photos and those viewing them (as well as the practicalities of installing them).
Both Caroline and Kelly have approached their residencies with real care and consideration for the people they have worked with, just as we hoped. The relationships they have built, the trust which has enabled people to open up and share their lives, stories and communities is evident in every stage off their thinking and their work.
We did a couple of circuits of the area, each time adding to my own social and emotional map of the area, and ended up deciding on a building that we had driven past, acknowledged but not considered as viable on the first circuit. As the journey progressed it became clear that this building was the best option. It's a building that is well known to everyone in the area which might well explain why we overlooked it in the first place - it was just too obvious. I think we had to do the journey together to help develop ideas and reject some possibilities before the obvious became visible and I really appreciated being asked to accompany Caroline on her scouting mission.
I'll not tell you any more as I'm sure Caroline will. It was also great to hear about the studio portrait day they held yesterday which went on until late in the evening. I'm really looking forward to seeing the resulting portraits.
Cath

Kelly in the Mill

We went to Habergham Mill to document Kelly and her installation. When we arrived she was beginning the construction with Dave and Vinnie, in one of the empty spaces at the mill. There was lots of wood and drilling sounds... and an exciting vibe in the air.




































Kelly is making a replica of a house, and it was great looking through the original full size house blueprints/plans with her to see how they are being re-interpreted in the space.

I'm looking forward to seeing it all completed, and hopefully meeting the local resident who lived in the house that inspired the installation. The mill is a fantastic place to start with - full of interesting textures, peeling paint and a general 'lived in' feel to it... and the addition of Kellys installation and photo archive will make it a very exciting place to be.

Caroline - Huckleberry Films 







Iain

We've been documenting with Iain Broadley as he worked with groups of young people from Burnley.

This was a keyring making session at a community centre, with the young people designing each keyring themselves. They have words and drawing on them, and phrases chosen included 'I love Stoops' and 'I love Coal Clough Lane'.




























































Caroline - Huckleberry Films





The Red Triangle

Catch up and planning meeting with Caroline, Cath, Kelly, Helen, Steph and Caroline and Dave from Huckleberry Films.

We met at the Red Triangle in Burnley, and drank our way through a lot of tea between us. It was a really inspiring meeting full of ideas and plans... and was a great chance to find out what each person is working on. It's good to keep in touch via e-mail, but even better to meet in person to chat.




Caroline - Huckleberry Films

Communities of Practice

I have been reflecting on today's meeting with the fascinating updates on everyone's work for groundUP and also thinking about Steph's recent posts about collaboration.

Two years ago I did a PGCE at University of the Arts in London and in the course of study looked at different models for learning. Of course learning is not collaboration, but there are areas of cross over in looking at how we learn and the essence of being part of a group, a community or in a collaborative relationship.  One of the texts I read was Wenger's Communities of Practice (1999) which keeps returning to my thoughts in relation to the work being done in SW Burnley. 

In essence, Wenger sets out three elements that distinguish a community of practice as opposed to other groups.

These are 

  • the domain - a shared identity defined by a domain of interest, more than a connection but a competence, commitment and knowledge 
  • the community - helping each other, engagement in joint activities and with a group relationship that enables shared learning
  • the practice - shared skills, resources, experiences and stories. the actual practice of working together effectively over time and with constant reflection and evaluation that feeds into new ways of working

Wenger's theory is also about learning through doing and generating meaning through being and this is something I can see is really happening in SW Burnley, for the groundUP artists and the communities we are all engaging with. Wenger doesn't see learning as acquiring knowledge in a pure and separate form but as part of social structures. He calls it Situated Learning - I think I would describe it as Contextualised Growing, Learning and Being since for me learning is about all of us growing as people and as a society together.

Caroline (W)

(in case you are wondering, the drawing is from a series
of works made a few years ago exploring relationships)







ground-UP SW Burnley Call for submissions August 2013



ground-UP SW Burnley Call for submissions August 2013
Commission at £16,800.00

Contents:
1: Introduction
2: About ground-UP
3: What we are looking for..
4: Practicalities
5: Submission process
6: Selection Process
7: Submission checklist
8: Appendix and miscellaneous relevant information

1: Introduction
1.1   ground-UP would like to invite submissions for a commission/residency that will help engage local people and raise awareness of and celebrate sense of place in South West Burnley.

2: About ground-UP
2.1 ground-UP is a programme of artist residencies focusing on exploring and celebrating the uniqueness, the individuality, the commonality,` the sense of place in South West Burnley. We are interested in the arts as a process that stimulates dialogue and meaning-making and so we are less concerned with the creation of objects or products. Taking place over a period of twelve months, ground-UP invites the community to be directly involved with the commissioning of several residencies/commissions. This process is facilitated by three Creative Collaborators; two artists Cath Ford and Iain Broadley and ethnographer Dr Steph Hawke. Two artist residencies are currently taking place to conclude in September. The whole project is being documented in film.
2.2 ground-UP does not deal with assumptions or preconceptions. Through negotiation with the residents and working with an open and honest approach, the progress of the work will be allowed to evolve in an organic and reciprocal manner. The nature of ground-UP, partly looking to identify a shared consensus about South West Burnley displays what could be seen as an open invitation to ‘take part’, and also the option of ‘not to’, or ‘pop in and out’ when relevant. The project adopts a principle of ‘sharing’ and ‘giving’ to nurture trust and encourage and sustain the participation of those who would not readily engage.
2.3 ground-UP is managed by Burnley Borough Council and supported by awards from The Arts Council of England & Lancashire County Council and also a section 106 contribution from Keepmoat Homes, other funding may be sourced over the lifetime of the project. All Artists will be contract to and managed by Burnley Borough Council.
2.4 Whether good or bad, South West Burnley is in a time of huge change. This project seeks to identify and celebrate positive aspects of the life and heritage of the area, rather than dwell on the negative. For the purposes of our project, South West Burnley refers to the area bounded by Accrington Road, Manchester Road, Rossendale Road and Trafalgar Street.
2.5 This commission will exist alongside our emerging ‘South West Streets Museum’ project which centres on the collection of stories, memories and photographs which are donated in person and online. ‘South West Streets Museum’ is a discourse that weaves between face-toface interaction and social media. ground-UP want to explore local culture and how people make meaning of South West Burnley. It’s about finding ways of making the intangible tangible, the invisible visible and valuing the everyday. We hope the museum will exist not just online, but will include events and walks, and appear as a pop-up museum around the area. You can visit the museum here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ground-UP-Burnley/366156833465215?ref=hl - !/groups/101901853301346/
2.6 Find out more about the project and the work Ground UP artists, and artists in residence have been up to on our blog: http://www.groundUP.org.uk
You can also find us on our Facebook page for regular updates and to join the conversation https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ground-UP-Burnley/366156833465215

3: What we are looking for
3.1 We do not have a type of artwork or any expected outcomes already identified, however due to the nature of the funding for this specific commission coming from a Section 106 contribution from Keepmoat and aligned to a development there are conditions we have to recognise and explore. The outcome must represent value for money and have lasting impact.
3.2 Submissions are welcomed from artists working in all art forms. The residencies are artist led, it is about the artist's work engaging with the people and the place of South West Burnley and developing through connection with that environment.
3.3 The contribution from Keepmoat requires the public art initiative to contribute to elements of what is now an expired/defunct Area Action Plan. As the contribution was agreed during the lifetime of this plan we still have to recognise some elements of it. For information, relevant extracts from this plan are included in the appendix to this brief. In addition there is an agreement with planning and Keepmoat, that the commission will look to link the new housing and residents with the rest of the area.
3.4 Two residencies at a smaller scale are currently underway and are being documented by film makers. The artist may wish to build on this work. You can find information about the project activities to date on the project blog, referenced above.
3.5  We are looking for artists to submit proposals that demonstrate their unique practice, we want artists to inspire, thrill, excite and have the courage to challenge preconceptions whilst respecting the people and the place. We also anticipate the successful artist(s) will use this experience to develop their own artistic practice
3.6  We are looking for submissions to help engage people in conversation about life in South West Burnley Paramount to the residency is the artist's ability to work with people to creatively identify what is special and distinctive about the area in addition to the things that people have in common. 3.7 Self-motivated and the ability to work independently are essential characteristics for the successful artist(s). Whilst the Creative Collaborators can provide information about the area, topics that have already come up in discussion with residents, potential areas for exploration and some very useful contacts, they are only contracted for one day a week and are busy exploring their own practice during this time.
3.8 The successful Artist(s) will have the flexibility to come without any pre-conceived ideas of the place and will be responsive to the environment. We are looking for Artists who will 'enable' and not 'impose'. It is not essential to have any prior knowledge of the area or even have heard of Burnley. We hope you may unearth some hidden gems in SW Burnley.
3.9 We will expect the successful Artist(s) take part in the ground-UP dialogue and inspire ideas about how the future of the project may play out. In addition we would expect you to reinforce the nature of the whole ground-UP project by celebrating the positive aspects of sense of place that can generate a feeling of pride and self-esteem.

4: Practicalities
4.1 The total budget for this commission is £16,800 inclusive of all fees, (artist fees to be no more than £4,800 of the budget)
4.2 In the instance that a long-list need to be drawn up and Artists invited to a second round of the selection process each short-listed Artist will receive an honorarium of £300 to work up further detailed proposals, these honorariums will also form part of the total budget of £16,800.
4.2 The successful Artist(s) will be contracted to and managed by Burnley Borough Council.
4.3 The successful artist(s) will complete the residency/commission before end of Dec 2013.
4.4 The successful artist(s) is responsible for arranging and acquiring any necessary permissions, licenses etc. (inc.: planning permission, building regulations, event licenses etc. Any fees incurred must be covered by the total fee of £16,800.
4.5 ground-UP do not have a base in SW Burnley, but we do have good contacts with local groups and venues and will be able to support you to make contacts locally.
4.6 Whilst we are not defining a particular form that an end product can take, we are keen to ensure value for money and quality are achieved.
4.7 Please note, this is not a commission that can be completed remotely, neither is this a project where a ready made/already made work will be appropriate.

5: Submission:
Your submission must include:
5.1 Why you are interested in the commission.
5.2 What will be your starting point and what are your ideas for developing the residency.
5.3 Examples of work that you think are relevant - limit this to 3.
5.4 No more than 5 images, these can be attachments, links to web pages or on CD.
5.5 A breakdown of how you may allocate the budget
5.6 Two references and copies of any recent CRB checks.
5.7 Evidence of public liability insurance. If you are currently without public liability insurance we cannot offer a contract until we have seen evidence that you have acquired sufficient insurance. Whilst we would not recommend any specific insurers we can advise where you may seek suitable insurance cover.
5.8 Your submission should be no more than 2 sides of A4 (this does not have to include your images) and if submitting by email no more than 5mb in size.
5.9 The closing date for all submissions whether by e-mail, post or hand delivered is 9am on Monday 26th August 2013.
5.10 Please forward your email submission to hjones@burnley.gov.uk and also Cc your message to all@g-UP.org.uk
5.11 Submissions sent by post, please clearly mark your envelope with ground-UP submission and address to: Arts Department, Burnley Borough Council, St. Peter's Leisure Centre, Church Street, Burnley, BB11 2DL6

6. Selection Process
6.1 The submissions/proposals will initially be long-listed by members of the Arts Department and the Creative Collaborators in line with the submission criteria.
6.2 The submissions/proposals will then be shared with members of the community and from there a short-list will be drawn up.
6.3 Interviews are likely to take place mid September the format of these it to be decided with the community.

7: Submission checklist
Have you made sure....
o   provided correct contact details?
o   say why you are interested in the residency?
o   included examples of work?
o   ensured your electronic submission is no larger than 5mb?
o   have you Cc'd your electronic submission to all@g-UP.org.uk?
o   included a prospective budget?
o   that you can do what you propose within the budget as there are no other monies beyond the advertised fee?
o   checked the contact details of your referees are correct?
o   included evidence of public liability insurance?
o   checked that it will arrive before the closing date?


8. Appendix and miscellaneous relevant information:
SWBT SIT3: GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE: The Council will improve the safety, convenience and attractiveness of footpaths and cycle routes across South West Burnley and Trinity. A strategic network of routes will be established with priority being given to those routes shown on the Proposals Map. A network of "Green Routes" will be developed linking existing and proposed open spaces, and connecting residential areas to open spaces, Scott Park, the canal and the open countryside. The Green Routes will also link residential areas to local facilities and public transport infrastructure. The Routes will be created through environmental enhancements such as tree planting, landscaping and improvements to existing roads and footpaths for the benefit of pedestrians and cyclists. Signage and street furniture will be designed in close consultation with residents and community groups to promote the local identity of the South West Burnley Green Routes Network. The Green Routes will be landscaped to encourage biodiversity, and will link into the existing Wildlife Corridors.