Collecting experiences during strange times
Our Pop-up Museum started as a community arts project led by Belford resident and Artist Sarah Riseborough. We had been exploring the value put upon handmade objects, object made not to sell but that kept a valued place in the home and activities of its owner or maker. Sarah has immersed herself in the community, its objects and value judgements responding with a documented collection, Museum installation and story-telling. This process has enabled us to explore the notion of value but to also gain insight into our community, the village and the elements that make it unique.
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This year we extent our community exploration to the whole of our festival family and invite those in Belford and NOT IN Belford to explore what has been of value to us during the Covid-19 pandemic and the rather strange times we have found ourselves in - in lockdown, social distancing and now an easing of restrictions. We invite you to join in with our project and send us a submission for our archive - we are looking for pictures and a brief description to be sent to belfordartsfestival@gmail.com - the images could demonstrate any new found skills, document your walks, represent you entertaining (or not entertaining) the kids, it may be seeing the family over garden walls, nervous trips out or you in your brand new face mask.
HOW TO TAKE PART:
Your images can be sent to belfordartsfestival@gmail.com or be shared via social media. Submissions as a minimum include:
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a title,
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the creators name
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place in the world and
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a brief description of the activity and why the image resonates with you.
PERMISSIONS: All we ask is that it is something you are willing to share in our archive collection and publicly (on our website, social media and at future festivals) and that we will be able to use so that our artists can respond to it in the creation of new work about our festival community.
Hidden Histories
As part of Belford Arts Festival 2019 Belford based artist Sarah Riseborough invited you to experience the value of handmade items that aren’t made to sell, but instead used in and around the home.
Sarah’s Pop-up Museum and Storytelling sessions questioned how we can measure the value of the Handmade? Is it through skill? Time taken? Effort? Or is it the through learning the stories of how these objects communicate touch, and how in turn they touch our lives each day?
The museum collection has been shaped through participation from the community and the Pop-up exhibition celebrates our community through ‘The Handmade’ bringing together a collection of objects and materials that acknowledge the creativity and skills, time, effort and ingenuity devoted to making our lives work.