‘Community Routes’ @ Roundhouse

Really excited to be part of  ‘Community Routes’ @ Roundhouse, Birmingham, a pioneering collaborative project between the National Trust and the Canal and River Trust with support from Heritage Lottery Fund.

The project, co-created with community members, includes self-guided walks from the Roundhouse, exploring the local area, its heritage, through its people, places and their unique stories. As part of the project, I’ve been commissioned to create artworks inspired by these stories, for exhibition at Roundhouse, Birmingham in the Summer, 2021.

An important part of the creative process was to ensure the involvement of the local community in the midst of the pandemic. To achieve this, I produced a collage kit to enable community members to participate in the project, sharing with us what they love about their community and hopefully enjoy some creative relief during lockdown.

The response to the collage kits was overwhelming and we were thrilled with the range and quality of artwork submitted. We enjoyed the socially distanced walks with community members too, who shared their knowledge and love for the places we visited.

It seemed obvious then, that collage should be the chosen medium to create the artworks. Using digital, creative media with an analogue approach, I then integrated the community contributions. These included collage alongside historical and contemporary heritage photography.

The artworks aim to capture the essence of these places and the changes they go through with the passage of time. Celebrating the old and new, uncovering new elements of the city and embracing the feelings they evoke.

For now, I’m sharing some images of the three kits, participants and a selection of the fantastic range of collages which were returned to us, the exhibition itself opens in July and I’m looking forward to sharing the large-scale collages I created when the project launches!