The premise of this project is to consider the relationship of Birmingham residents with their local environment during lockdown and its after effects on their lives. I hope to develop knowledge and understanding of the use of space by populations, in particular, through the prism of searching for the unfamiliar within the familiar, informed by theories such as the Tourist Gaze. Many people became adventurers in their own neighbourhoods during this time and I am interested in archiving these travels in an attempt to encourage and continue the legacy of the mental health benefits of engaging in slow, imaginative, local travel.
STUDIO RESEARCH PRACTICE
Birmingham street map trials; Place of Solace
White wash of acrylic
Black ink on map.
Cut out of route
Layered cutout on original map.
Reverse of ink map
Photographs using vintage 35mm black and white film and camera, displayed as part of Place of Solace
SOCIAL RESEARCH PRACTICE
Example postcards
The project culminated in, Place of Solace, an art event where participants were invited to think about where had been a 'place of solace' to them during the lockdown periods in the UK. The participants were encouraged to do 2 activities; one was to write a postcard to the place they chose (thus inverting the normal function of a postcard). They were also free to decorate the front with a 'piece' of Birmingham: a section of a street map of the city they were given. The second activity was to draw on a map the route which they had taken on their daily walks. This was layered to create a collaborative, colourful drawing that could be displayed as a permanent archive of the use of space during this time.
Artwork and film work was also displayed during the event, which took place in a lecture theatre during 2 lunchtimes.
Still from projection film Place of Solace
Postcard gallery wall
Postcards in detail
Postcards in detail
Initial collaborative map drawing, with ordnance survey map below to help.
Final layered drawing