Arts & Culture on the Waterways - Inside: Connecting communities A National Street Art Trail Coventry Canal transformed Into the Hinterlands Flow ...
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Summer 2021 Newsletter
Arts & Culture
on the Waterways
Inside:
Connecting communities
A National Street Art Trail
Coventry Canal transformed
Into the Hinterlands
Flow Photo exhibition
Plus: • Super Slow Way • The Line • WetLab
canalrivertrust.org.uk
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New wave of arts
& culture connect
communities
along waterways
as restrictions lift
Small Bells Ring. Images by Charles Emerson
Covid-safe arts
The Hatchling by
This year, as restriction lift, a
wonderful wave of outdoor arts on
the waterways is with us. Many are
Coventry Canal transformed:
a partnership with Coventry UK City of Culture 2021
Joanna Rajkowska at Cody
Dock, Bow Creek in east taking part in covid-safe arts on the
London part of The Line. waterways activities, making life
Photo credit: Vassilis Skopelitis better by water. The programme is
underpinned by an agreement The Trust’s collaboration with the city of culture has TAKING PLACE IN
(MoU) with Arts Council England led to a series of superb creative engagements on
Connecting communities that places innovative co-creation
and wellbeing at its heart. Key the Coventry Canal this summer.
partnership principles underpin the
new agreement that will lead to Our Community Roots team has issues devised by Highly Sprung the canal. The new Daimler
Most of our 2020 Arts & Culture on the Waterways prepared the towpath and local featuring a unique, fully gyroscopic Powerhouse will launch in August
more artists connecting local
events were cancelled due to the pandemic communities to their local canals, a people for some great projects, flying machine; the performance is this year and will be dedicated to
already sparking a huge increase in part of a year-long collaboration producing outdoor and site-
restrictions, but our canals still managed to offer a focus on areas facing social and
visitor footfall. Small Bells Ring is a with the Trust. specific work at the intersection of
economic hardship and reductions
vital source of creative inspiration and wellbeing for in the carbon footprint of projects. beautiful story-telling vessel art, engineering, environmental,
A programme called Random
many people up and down the country. designed by Studio Morison,
String: The Canal Network(ed)
educational and social change.
Extraordinary events commissioned by Super Slow Way We’re delighted that so many
devised and led by Ludic Rooms
and the City of Culture. This people will be attracted to the
We’re particularly delighted to be a will present outdoor and online
During the lockdowns we continued Words and street art amazing floating short-story library Coventry Canal through these
to encourage people to engage key partner with the Coventry UK performances, workshops,
In another lockdown project in will inspire hundreds of young amazing collaborations.
creatively with our beautiful City of Culture 2021 with some installation and experiments to help
2020 hundreds shared their people in Coventry as artists and
waterways, both at home and along extraordinary events and initiatives people explore water and Further details can be found on the
creative skills for our Words on the writers collaborate with local
the (socially-distanced) towpath. this summer along the Coventry waterways. Coventry’s iconic Coventry UK City of Culture 2021
Waterways writing competition. communities.
For example, we continued to Canal and at the canal basin in the Daimler factory has been website at https://coventry2021.
The winning entry by Will Richards city. Elsewhere, people will CastAway is a wonderful aerial transformed into a new Creation co.uk/what-s-on/
support The Line, a wonderful was chosen by acclaimed writer,
public art walk alongside the experience beautiful street art show about crucial environmental Centre for Coventry, right next to
poet and presenter of BBC Radio alongside canals in Sefton,
Lee Navigation in east Three’s The Verb, Ian McMillan.
London, that allowed Tottenham and Walsall and there
We also managed to will be a family friendly arts-led Castaway rehearsal 2020,
people to benefit transform unloved stretches by Highly Sprung
from spending time Burnley Canal Festival in August,
of towpath with brand new subject to local covid restrictions.
by water in urban artworks on canal-side walls
areas. Our Hinterlands programme will Daimler Powerhouse visioned by Imagineer Productions, Coventry
by talented urban artists – deliver a series of unique,
Ian McMillan
part of our growing national participatory arts activities in
street art trail. Sheffield, Enfield and Tottenham
and new audio works by women
artists are being produced, curated
by the brilliant Idle Women group.
Arts & Culture on the Waterways • Summer 2021 Newsletter
Canal & River Trust
4 5
Street Art to the canalside: 4 June - 10 August 2021
A National Street Art Trail Enjoy a unique exhibition at National Waterways
Museum, Ellesmere Port this summer.
Going with the flow
Following the Trust’s ‘Flow Photo’ Competition in
partnership with Future Water and Parker Harris,
Jonathan Goldberg was appointed as the 2019 Canal
& River Trust Photographer in Residence.
The selection panel agreed that his the waterways and the therapeutic
highly individual, idiosyncratic angle and wellbeing rewards they offer.
We’re creating a national street art trail on our added over the course of 2021 Jonathan Goldberg, Canal & River Trust
Photographer in Residence on people engaging with water
including Sefton, Tottenham We are delighted to showcase the
urban canals. We hope it will encourage people to and Walsall. would lead to a brilliant portfolio.
results of Jonathan’s residency in
use some of the less-visited stretches and enjoy Further details are available Woman texting on Regent’s Canal, by
His collection of new photographs
this unique exhibition.
focused on human interactions with
the work of local artists. on our website at Jonathan Goldberg, Canal & River Trust
Photographer in Residence
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/
The art is made with local people London, Leicester, Coventry and enjoy-the-waterways/waterway-
from different communities, Birmingham, already have some arts/bringing-street-art-to-the-
based on their stories. Cities street art along their canals, but canalside
including Sheffield, Oxford, new art in new locations will be
Canal street art for Morningside in Leicester, part of the Trust’s National Street Art Trail
WetLab on dry ground
Through June this summer an inspiring floating
laboratory created by public works and Assembly,
used the canal network as site as well as subject.
During three days at the National The lab brought together artists,
Waterways Museum in Ellesmere architects, scientists, engineers,
Port, artists highlighted systems technologists and cooks with local
of care and culture in and around people to envisage potential
canals and explored the impact of future uses for the canal.
climate change and pollution on
Wetlab was commissioned by
our waterways. The project
Abandon Normal Devices and
celebrated the networks that exist
Super Slow Way and delivered in
in the local area from the Trust’s
Canal Clinic, a floating lab by
partnership with the Canal & River
teams that care for the old and
public works and Assembly Trust and Wigan Council.
delicate vessels at the museum to
Supported using public funding by
the ecologists that encourage
Arts Council England.
resilient local biodiversity around
the canal-banks.
Arts & Culture on the Waterways • Summer 2021 Newsletter
Canal & River Trust
6 7
Super Slow Way
Rebecca Chesney planting commission, Super Slow Way is a leading arts and
images by Vaida Barzdaite
cultural initiative backed by the
Canal & River Trust.
It was set up in partnership with local authorities,
academic and cultural organisations with funding
from Arts Council England’s Creative People &
Places scheme. It’s a unique programme shaped by
the local communities of Pennine Lancashire who
Pennine Lancashire Linear Park: Feasibility Study, 2021
work alongside local, national and international
artists and producers.
The iconic Leeds & Liverpool Canal runs through the the case for an extraordinary Pennine Lancashire
area it serves and the vision is for the waterway to Linear Park. The idea is to create real opportunities
become a vehicle for bringing communities for people to live, play and be inspired along the
together. Super Slow Way is showing how radical Leeds & Liverpool Canal corridor.
and ambitious art programming by local people can
More details about the feasibility study can be
develop creativity, strength and connectedness
found on the Super Slow Way website at
across and within communities.
https://superslowway.org.uk/news/unlocking-the-
This year, alongside amazing new co-commissions potential-of-the-leeds-liverpool-canal-in-pennine-
such as Small Bells Ring, Super Slow Way is leading lancashire-feasibility-study-launched/
Into the Hinterlands
with nature and the arts The benefits of walking The Line
Hinterlands is a national programme, led by the The Line is a free public art walk in London. It runs between The O2 and Queen
Canal & River Trust and based on the success of Elizabeth Olympic Park, following the Lee Navigation and the line of the
the Super Slow Way programme in in our North Greenwich Meridian.
West region. The Trust is proudly supporting The Featuring an evolving programme nature and heritage for free. The
Line, sharing a commitment to of art installations, projects and changing seasons and tides mean
The socially engaged arts projects In the midst of the 2020 lockdowns, bringing the distinctive wellbeing events, The Line illuminates an no two visits are the same. Recent
are funded by Arts Council England artist Rebecca Chesney managed benefits of spending time by water inspiring waterways landscape installations next to, or bridging, the
and the Arts Council of Wales and to develop a creative monitoring kit to urban areas. where everyone can explore art, Lee Navigation are The Hatchling, a
led by experienced creative for local residents to observe plant giant ‘sound egg’ by Joanna
producers. Although interrupted by and insect species and also to note Rajkowska at Cody Dock and a
the pandemic, artists are other qualities such as colour and work straddling Bow Creek
Buff-tailed bumblebee
at Pontymoile Basin re-grouping and co-creating mood/wellbeing. This culminated in celebrating the work of the well
projects in Pontymoil in South a spring 2021 planting commission known outside artist Madge Gill
Wales, Sheffield and Enfield and alongside half a mile of the (1882-1961). Upcoming sculptural
Tottenham in London. Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal’s works by Rena Begum, Eva
near Pontymoile Basin. Grass Rothschild and Tracy Emin are
cutting was reduced and Rebecca’s expected to be installed in coming
team planted three beautiful native months.
species – yellow flag iris, purple- Olympian, Christine Ohurougu is
loosestrife and meadow sweet. one of the advisors for this fast-
growing charity, strongly
advocating the health benefits of
Purple loosestrife The Line and the waterway it
follows.
A celebration of artist Madge Gill, by The Line. Cody Docks, Bow Creek. Image by Simon Myers
Arts & Culture on the Waterways • Summer 2021 Newsletter
Canal & River Trust
Upcoming creativity
The Trust is also • Canal Laureate and Towpath • Mikron Theatre boat tour:
Poems: The Trust’s ongoing This acclaimed touring theatre
delighted to be partnership with The Poetry boat will be presenting two
supporting more Society will manifest as poems as wonderful new outdoor plays by
street art along towpaths in canals across England.
thought-provoking, Sheffield and Sefton, and the
collaborative initiatives • Experiments with Everyday
appointment of a new Canal
Objects: Exhibition by the artist,
later this year and into Laureate.
writer & boater, Harun Morrison at
2022: • Appetite: A new partnership with Eastside Projects, based in
this amazing Stoke-on-Trent Birmingham. From the Lee
organisation that enables more Navigation in London to
people to take the lead in Birmingham’s canals, Morrison’s
choosing, creating and taking part boat became a floating ‘pinhole
in art experiences in the places camera’ and a vessel for on-going
where they live. Supported creative engagement and debate
through Arts Council England’s about waterways.
Creative People & Places scheme,
• Alarum Theatre: Poetry and
the partnership will create new
creative writing workshops will be
light art, street art and
offered by this well-known canal
environmental arts projects made
based theatre group. Details can
with the people of Kidsgrove by
be found on their website.
the Trent & Mersey Canal.
Tim Eastop
Arts & Culture Partner,
Arts & Culture on the Waterways programme
Canal & River Trust
@CanalRiverTrust
Enjoy. Volunteer. Donate. /canalrivertrust
canalrivertrust.org.uk @canalrivertrust
0303 040 4040 @canalrivertrust
Charity Number 1146792 July 2021. ICM 13861
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