Exhibition by Niki Colclough & Local Young creatives
9 - 31 August 2024
Sankey! But with a twist. Working with the Sankey Photography Archive and a group of local youth participants, Manchester-based Artist Niki Colclough exhibited a series of new Sankey-inspired works in the exhibition, Field Notes. Using a carefully crafted combination of analogue and digital methods, traditional and nontraditional artforms, and inspired by Barrow’s past and present, the work reimagined the leading lights of Walney Channel photographed by Sankey in 1912. The exhibition took root in this photograph, selected out of the archive of over 10,000 photographs, to take visitors on a journey of the senses and an exploration of nature and industry working alongside each other in a unique installation. Blending sculpture, sound, projection, and collage, the installation transformed Sankey into an immersive experience, alongside a selection of Sankey Photographs and work from adult participants created earlier this year.
Throughout the summer of 2024, Niki Colclough explored Barrow’s post industrial sites and spaces of special ecological interest from the Sankey Photographic Archive. Rampside, Sandscale Haws, Birkrigg Stone Circle and Biggar Bank are some of the places that Niki and the young participants connected with through a series of creative workshops exploring filmmaking, photography, 3d scanning and sonic arts.
Participants: Angel, Elisha, Josh, Joss Perie, Kei Hall, Mia, Mosa, Pauline, Reece, Sam Harry, Spencer, Tegan, Thomas Jones.
View a selection of participant work in the online exhibition, Digital Net. Enjoy a variety of digital collage and photographs!
“It’s been interesting learning new techniques like soundscape, 3D scanning, beach combing sculptures. Looking forward to the outcome. ”
– Young Participant
“It’s definitely different to what I am used to, more experimental which I like. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses further and it all coming together. I like the brief because it is open and multi-media.”
– Young Participant
When we consider the complexities of place, we draw on notions of the past, present and future. Our shared heritage can help us connect – to each other and the world around us, it can provide us with values ~ we are hard workers ~ whilst also being a lens through which to dream about the future.
The starting point for this exhibition is the Sankey Photography Archive and a conversation with local young people in which they said they wanted to see Barrow represented more positively, drawing upon its national significance for engineering, energy production and ecological protection.
At the heart of these works is the juxtaposition of peace and progress. Asking, how do we measure progress in the modern world? What does success look like? How do we maintain peaceful communities within shifting social landscapes? How do we heal our more than human worlds?
