Context 78 - March 2003

# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 2 # ( -)2)!- ,%6). -EMORY "LOCK BUILDING A PICTURE OF THE PAST )T IS RARE FOR CONSERVATIONISTS TO ASK THE PUBLIC WHAT THEY FEEL IS SIGNIFICANT ! PROJECT IN ,IVERPOOL HAS BUILT UP A PICTURE OF THE CITY S PAST THROUGH PERSONAL MEMORIES @/UR GOAL IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE RESPECT AND CELEBRATE THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF %NGLAND S HERITAGE IN ALL OUR ACTIVITIES 3O SAYS %NGLISH (ERITAGE S STATEMENT OF SOCIAL INCLUSION GOALS PUBLISHED IN -EMORY "LOCK IS A COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECT AIMING TO FIND OUT THROUGH DISCUSSIONS AND THROUGH ART WHAT HISTORY MEANS TO PEOPLE )T HAS INVOLVED WORKING WITH NINE DIFFERENT COMMUNITY GROUPS IN ,IVERPOOL TO EXPLORE IDEAS ABOUT MEMORY PLACE AND IDENTITY IN A SERIES OF ART WORKSHOPS CELEBRATING THE MULTIPLE VOICES AND MEMORIES THAT MAKE UP ,IVERPOOL S PAST -EMORY "LOCK CAME ABOUT IN RESPONSE TO A NEED WITHIN THE (ISTORIC %NVIRONMENT OF ,IVERPOOL 0ROJECT (%,0 TO INCLUDE AN ELEMENT THAT GAVE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN ,IVERPOOL AN ACTIVE VOICE AND A CREATIVE ROLE IN THE PROJECT )T HAS TACKLED IN A POSITIVE AND PRACTICAL WAY ISSUES OF ACCESS INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY BY DRAWING IN SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE NOT TRADITIONALLY AN %NGLISH (ERITAGE AUDIENCE /FTEN OUR HERITAGE EXHIBITIONS START FROM THE PREMISE THAT %NGLISH (ERITAGE n @THE EXPERTS n TELLS THE PUBLIC WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THE PAST KEY BUILDINGS DATES EVENTS AND IDEAS )T IS RARE THAT WE ASK OUR AUDIENCE WHAT THEY FEEL IS SIGNIFICANT -EMORY "LOCK CHALLENGED THIS BY BUILDING UP A PICTURE OF ,IVERPOOL S PAST THROUGH THE PERSONAL MEMORIES OF THE PEOPLE LIVING THERE 0EOPLE VALUE THE PAST THAT THEY SEE AND RELATE TO EVERYDAY ON THE STREET AND IN THEIR HOMES NOT JUST IN THE OFFICIAL HISTORIES OF TEXTBOOKS AND MUSEUMS 4HROUGH OUTREACH WORK WE TAPPED INTO THESE FEELINGS AND DREW COMMUNITIES IN TO RELATING TO THE PAST IN A WAY THAT WAS MEANINGFUL FOR THEM ,IVERPOOL IS THE PRODUCT OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED THERE WORKED THERE DREAMT AND DIED THERE IN AN EVER CHANGING ROUND OF SETTLEMENT AND MIGRATION )T IS THE SUM OF THE FINGERPRINTS LEFT BEHIND THE STORIES THE MEMORIES THE HOMES AND THE MONUMENTS -EMORY "LOCK CELEBRATES THESE PERSONAL VISIONS OF ,IVERPOOL AND WHAT ITS PAST MEANS TO PEOPLE !N IN DEPTH CONSULTATION PROCESS IN ,IVERPOOL IDENTIFIED APPROPRIATE COMMUNITY GROUPS TO APPROACH TO TAKE PART IN THE PROJECT .INE GROUPS n PEOPLE IN TOTAL n WERE SELECTED 4HEY VARIED IN ETHNIC ORIGIN CULTURE AGE AND GENDER AND REPRESENTED AS FAR AS WAS POSSIBLE A CROSS SECTION OF ,IVERPOOL S COMMUNITIES 4HE GROUPS PARTICIPATING WERE !SHANTI #ARIBBEAN 9OUTH 'ROUP #HINESE %LDERLY ,UNCHEON #LUB 'REENHOUSE -ULTICULTURAL !RTS 0ROJECT (AROLD (OUSE *EWISH #OMMUNITY #ENTRE -ARYBONE 9OUTH #ENTRE 2ICE ,ANE #ITY &ARM 2OTUNDA #OMMUNITY #OLLEGE THE 3OMALI 7OMEN S 'ROUP AND THE 9EMENI !RABIC #LUB "ETWEEN *ULY AND /CTOBER SIX WORKSHOPS FACILITATED BY LOCALLY BASED COMMUNITY ARTISTS WERE HELD WITH EACH GROUP IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY CENTRE $URING THESE WORKSHOPS THE ARTIST DISCUSSED WITH THE GROUP HOW THEY FELT MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE INSTITUTIONS REPRESENTED THE PAST AND LOOKED AT ALTERNATIVE MORE PERSONAL WAYS OF VALUING HERITAGE $ISCUSSIONS WORKED AROUND THEMES SUCH AS IDENTITY AND LOCALITY EXPLORING PEOPLE S PERSONAL AND CULTURAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE PAST 4HE CREATIVE FOCUS OF THE WORKSHOPS WAS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TRANSLATE THEIR IDEAS ABOUT WHAT HISTORY MEANS TO THEM INTO ART %ACH PARTICIPANT WAS GIVEN A CLEAR PERSPEX BUILDING BLOCK SHAPED BOX ABOUT CM -EMORY BLOCKS REFLECTING ,IVERPOOL S HISTORY AS A CENTRE FOR THE SLAVE TRADE RIGHT AND MEMORIES OF A HOLIDAY IN %GYPT FAR RIGHT 0HOTOGRAPHER $AVE &ARRELL 4HE EXHIBITION MEMORY BLOCKS CREATE WALLS SHAPES AND STRUCTURES 0HOTOGRAPHER $AVE &ARRELL

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=