I am delighted to be at the beginning of my ABOVE AND BELOW project – Supported using public funding by Arts Council England
How did I get here? My participation in The University of Northampton’s Heritage Accelerator Program during 2023 / 2024 significantly influenced my approach to Above & Below. The 10-month incubator provided opportunities for research and development within the heritage sector, leading to a desire to create a project that has a meaningful impact on the community. The Accelerator informed my understanding of community needs and the potential for art to engage diverse audiences.
When I began thinking about an arts and heritage based project in Corby I started with the title ‘What Lies Beneath, What Thrives Above,’ and I was in a very dark place as my partner had been diagnosed with life limiting incurable, inoperable kidney cancer. I had had pneumonia, ruined sinuses, temporary deafness, and Lyme disease in between his diagnosis and began to rethink my public facing work as I was so susceptible to infections and caring for someone with a weakened immune system. I was thinking a lot about death and our fleeting time on the earth. I was inspired by our trip to The Arc – Archaeology at Chester House Estate, seeing the importance of the traces we leave behind and the knowledge this brings.
I was able to visit https://gardenmuseum.org.uk and meet with friend and author Kathy Page to discuss ideas of Above and Below. I had been to visit her in British Columbia, and she had taken me to see some magnificent ancient forests which had trees which were both dead and alive. This was a pivotal moment as it brought me back into the land of the living and the idea of landscape as a heritage environment. I attended a variety of online writing / literature events, made very bad notes, and attempts at poems. I revisited my love of printmaking and had conversations with several inspirational artists.
I got myself into some tangles along the way as my literal brain insisted on tripping me up! My first application was unsuccessful, but the feedback was so encouraging I went back and looked at everything again and with help from my Accelerator Mentor Suzanne Oliver, Heritage Projects and Partnerships Officer Directorate of Research and Knowledge Exchange, University of Northampton managed to restructure the project and I was awarded the grant.
During the project I want to create space for people to breathe, slow down & connect with their local environment & heritage. It will be transformative experience for both the artists I will be working with and the community, combining art, history, & community engagement. The project has the potential to foster a sense of community pride and belonging, providing opportunities for individuals to see their personal responses reimagined.
