Steeped in history yet rooted within the present day, The Listening Station embodies a series of responses to World War One. From archive-based material held within The Wilson to contemporary headlines and current affairs the installation considers conflict in its broadest form.
A shrine to War-and-Peace can be found at the centre of the work, surrounded by flowers, flags and protest placards. Quotes from conversations sit side-by-side with inter-generational drawings, song lyrics are placed next to slogans. A series of banners contain historical artworks which mirror, reflect and repeat, like history, they reveal poignant, political and powerful perspectives.
Through workshops, discussion groups and drop-in sessions lead artist Robyn Woolston engaged with Lives of Colour, the African Community Foundation, Cheltenham Borough Homes, Holst Birthplace Museum, P3, Oakley Community Resource Centre, Hesters Way Neighbourhood Project, Cornerstone Centre and ‘Change, Grow, Live’ as well as library, hospital and leisure centre users.
You can find out more about the projects research journey here:
Lead Artist: Decorating and filling insect hotels and bug boxes in a drop-in, town-centre, workshop alongside bookable gallery sessions:
“Inside Outside is about merging the beauty of nature and our surroundings with art. Creative expression is a very freeing and wonderful pastime to develop and explore.”
Corinne Whitham, a trustee of Williamson & Priory Friends
The gallery works will be included in an exhibition later in the year at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum:
REVOLUTION (2017) / National Festival of Making, Blackburn
Mixed media installation
In the first part of Robyn Woolston’s project, tens of thousands of pieces of injection moulded plastic from the factory floor of MGS Technical Plastics, Blackburn, form a vast and immersive installation. Using mis-moulds, ‘sprue’ and ‘purge’, the installation works ambitiously in colour, form and scale to illustrate the nature and scale of industrial manufacturing waste.
In her complementary piece, a documentary film contrasts the 1st Industrial Revolution against our contemporary 4th. The artist’s father spent his whole life in plastic injection moulding and Woolston found herself drawn to the intergenerational narratives emerging in interviews with MGS employees, producing a film that not only draws on their stories but reaches further into our industrial heritage.
As the two halves of her work come together, historical parallels proliferate; design, fabrication and plastic moulding processes are shown in parallel with the ebb-and-flow of the Leeds to Liverpool canal, culminating in a meditation upon Lancashire-based manufacturing and its legacy.
MANUFACTURER:
Passionate about reducing environmental waste and committed to recycling, MGS Technical Plastics is a plastic injection moulding company based in Blackburn, Lancashire. Established in 1974 they are now the production partner of some of the world’s leading brands.The company operates 20 plastic injection moulding machines, weighing from 22 - 800 tonnes, and riveting, heat staking, over moulding and pad printing are all standard processes for the team.
“Having Robyn here has been an exciting change from the ‘norm’. The team have really enjoyed the conversations that have taken place - Robyn is breath of fresh air and will always be welcome here at MGS.”
FESTIVAL BACKGROUND:
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and produced by The National Festival of Making and community-led arts commissioners, Super Slow Way, Art In Manufacturing seeks to develop the ideas of artists in unfamiliar environments and create engaging and accessible new work, as well as encouraging investigation into Britain’s manufacturing heritage, specifically that of Lancashire with direct engagement from staff members in each participating company.
“The ‘Art in Manufacturing’ commission does exactly what it says on the tin; exposing the art at play in countless, largely invisible, factories across this area where hundreds of people embark each day on creative tasks, undertaken with remarkable attention to detail, resulting in the production of the beautiful, the delicious and the complex, from the most delicate to the most durable products on earth. These people, often coming from generations that have worked in these industries, have very generously imparted their knowledge to the nine artists who, in turn, have shone a spotlight of excitement and curiosity onto their formidable skills and dedication.
We think that the outcomes of these collaborations perfectly capture the enthusiasm and mutual admiration that took place in the few short weeks it took to create them and help us all appreciate the creativity taking place in the historic factories and anonymous business parks at the end of our roads. We hope that it inspires viewers, particularly young people, to look to manufacturing as an outlet for their own creativity.”
Hand written (carbon copied) front pages show the nuance and differentiation of potentially different authors. Inside everything is typed.
51st Highland Division. The Capture of Greenland Hill - North of the Scarpe. 18th - 30th August 1918. The Second Battle of the Marne - Valley of the Ardre. 20th - 31st July 1918.
Sometimes sold in commercially available kits and sometimes made out of scrounged thread, feed sacks and woollen cloth taken from uniforms.
The tradition began in the 19th Century with Queen Victoria who, as an amateur practitioner of textile arts, thought soldiers may find quilting or needlepoint a welcome distraction during convalescence or times of loneliness. The tradition carried on throughout WW1 and the archive at the fort contains some fascinating examples of such pieces.
Materials included paper decoupage, glass beads, metal pins and plastic alongside sequins and braids.
Inscription:
‘Think of Me When the golden sun is sinking, and your mind from care set free, when of others you are thinking, will you sometimes Think of Me’
The activity was mostly undertaken by men and the pincushions were stuffed with a variety of materials including sawdust.
…..this card was included with the previous posted photographs (& with a batch of 67 other images & documents) in the archive at the Fort.
It reads:
FRONT
'God bless my DEAR DADDY at the WAR and keep him safe’
(Original printed notation)
'With little Duncan’s love’
(Handwritten)
REVERSE
'Take this for your Mascot’
(Handwritten)
The owner of these items was Sgt David J McRae, originally a tailor who spent time living in South Africa, he went to France on 1st May 1915. Discharged on 16th February 1919.
The Highlanders’ Museum (Queen’s Own Highlanders Collection) archive covers the The Highlanders (4 SCOTS), Seaforth Highlanders, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, Queen’s Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Cameron’s), Lovat Scouts, Liverpool Scottish, and our overseas allied regiments from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and 7th (DOE) Gurkha Rifles.
WW1 Embroidered Postcards (Handling Collection / The Highlanders’ Museum)
Further information below courtesy of the Imperial War Museum:
What are embroidered postcards? The embroidered silk postcard is a common souvenir of the First World War. They are blank postcards onto which an embossed paper surround has been glued, to frame and hold a central piece of silk. On the silk, a design is hand-embroidered in coloured thread.
Who sent and received them? The embroidered postcards were very popular with British soldiers who often sent them home. They were sold in thin paper envelopes but were seldom sent through the post in them. They were too fragile and, more particularly, they represented quite an investment – they were not cheap souvenirs. Usually they were mailed with letters. For this reason, they are often unwritten, with no marks on the back, any message having been sent in an accompanying letter.
At the end of December 2016 I visited the Highlanders’ Museum (Queen’s Own Highlanders Collection) at Fort George, Inverness, for the first time as their inaugural Artist in Residence.
During the course of the next 6 months I will be focusing upon a section of their archive that contains original letters, diaries, eye-witness accounts and photographs originating from World War One.
My work will concentrate upon what life was like for Highland soldiers in the trenches.
The Artist in residence will work with our First World War archive to bring to life some of the interesting stories and characters which exist in the original letters, diaries and photographs kept by Highland soldiers during the conflict.
‘The Highlanders’ Museum is delighted to announce the appointment of Robyn Woolston as Artist in Residence for the first 6 months of 2017. Thanks to a grant from Museums Galleries Scotland, we have been able to appoint our first Artist in Residence who will be working with our World War One collection to generate a creative response, engage local primary school children and interact with visitors to the Museum. The residency will be followed by an exhibition of Robyn’s work alongside pieces generated from the schools workshops.’
Gill Bird - The Highlanders’ Museum (Queen’s Own Highlanders Collection)
I’m midway through the research stage of my residency at Fort George, a large 18th-century fortress near Ardersier, to the north-east of Inverness, Scotland. Working out of the Highlanders’ Museum (Queen’s Own Highlanders Collection), the museum covers three floors of Fort George’s former Lieutenant Governors’ House.
Project Aims:
To respond creatively to the World War 1 displays and archives at The Highlanders’ Museum (Queen’s Own Highlanders Collection).
To engage with local children and communities
To produce a finished artwork/exhibition to be exhibited at The Highlanders’ Museum (Queen’s Own Highlanders Collection) for 6 months (October 2017 - March 2018)
So far I’ve been working here for three months and completed 5 primary school workshops which have resulted in a wall-based battlefield mural, a series of imaginary medals, a collection of Trench Poetry and a series of letters home to loved ones.
‘We are absolutely delighted to welcome artist Robyn Woolston to The Highlanders’ Museum as our Artist in Residence and are excited about the work she has already been doing. The project will help bring our First World War archive to life featuring some of the interesting stories and characters which exist in the original letters, diaries and photographs kept by Highland soldiers during the conflict.’
Gill Bird / Education and Outreach Officer
From personal, hand-drawn, love letters to military orders, each visit provides a proliferation of compelling avenues for investigation.
It’s a time of immersion and editing, of reflection and navigation through a collection that houses thousands of objects, photographs, paintings, uniforms and reference texts.
‘God bless my DEAR DADDY at the WAR and keep him safe. With little Duncan’s love.’ / SGT DAVID J MCRAE 240180
‘Take this for your mascot’ / SGT DAVID J MCRAE 240180
It’s also a time of contemplation in terms of the ‘axis’ that embodies ‘where’ creative response meets military rigour. Of considering how suitability and juxtaposition may highlight-and-handle harrowing conflict-based narratives. I’m conceiving of plans which will both comment and illuminate with the intention of partially pushing aside many of the traditional conventions, or norms, in terms of museum display. Questions arise as to ways in which one can effectively honour tradition whilst reigniting/reframing perceptions.
S U M M E R H A S B E E N
T U R N E D T O
W I N T E R B Y T H E
G U N S
(A label found below a photograph housed deep within a section of the photographic archive not open to the general public)
I’ve been exploring WW1 medals, honours and awards with a group of local primary school children. We’ve taken inspiration from medals found within the collection at the Highlanders Museum, Inverness.
The workshop also considered shape, design, context & colour when creating our imaginary awards.
I’m lucky to have spent some concentrated time delving into the archives (photographic + object based) at the Highlanders’ Museum at Fort George, Inverness, over the past 6 weeks. It’s provided a fascinating, funny, and at times, incredibly poignant window onto the everyday lives of families, soldiers and regiments during World War One.
Naturally there are War Diaries, which detail strategic manoeuvres and life-saving co-ordinates, but there are also highly personal notes like the one sent from son to father which signs-off ‘Your dying son’or the postcard which reads ‘God bless my DEAR DADDY at the WAR and keep him safe’
Out of this densely woven web of narratives I’m beginning to navigate some ‘pathways for expression’ which will lead to an exhibition on-site from October 2017 - March 2018.
Image: The photographs above show my working space at the museum. It’s an ‘open-studio’ of sorts where I can communicate with people visiting the site, explore ideas and get a feel for the over-arching narratives that are emerging out of my residency.
Whilst working at the archive and museum today I was utterly struck by the embedded intricacy of this painting. Layer upon brushwork upon detail; soldier beside solder. It manages to convey an epic sense of magnitude alongside the minutiae of war. From the ragged, upstanding, flag to bare and bereft trees….
Title: ‘The Seventh Battalion at Hill 70, 1915′
Painter:Joseph Gray
Background:The painting shows the 7th Camerons after taking Hill 70, one of their objectives during the battle of Loos, 25th September 1915. The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel JW Sandilands, is depicted rallying the survivors of nine different battalions to hold the hill against German counter attacks. The painting was presented to the Regiment by Miss Eveline Barron. Her father, Major J Barron, died of wounds at Loos on 27th September 1915 while serving with the 7th Camerons.
Biographical info:
‘Gray joined the 4th (Dundee) Battalion, The Black Watch Regiment after the outbreak of World War One and fought with them from August 1914 to March 1916, in the battles of Neuve Chapelle, Festubert and Loos.
There were a number of journalists who joined the 4th Battalion in the early stages of the war and they referred to themselves as ‘Fighter-Writers.’ Once he reached the trenches Gray’s talents as a draughtsman were quickly recognised. He was appointed an observer, a role which involved many expeditions into the firing line to make sketches of enemy positions. He was also called upon to duplicate trench maps, as he did before the Battle of Festubert, marking out the positions of the men of his battalion.
During 1915-1916 Gray sent back many reports to the Dundee Courier but was eventually invalided out of service in March 1916. Back home he was appointed official war artist at The Graphic illustrated newspaper and contributed drawings and articles about different aspects of trench life. All his drawings were based on original sketches made during his time in the firing line.’
“Here are shown no… glittering swords, and noble horses, but plain, steadfast, unconquerable men, standing with their faces to the foe and grasping their fixed bayonets in the firm determination to win or die.”
WAR AS IT IS. THE SEAFORTHS AT NEUVE CHAPELLE / The Inverness Courier, 23 September 1920.
The upcoming exhibition of works from my residency at The Highlanders’ Museum (Queen’s Own Highlanders Collection) at Fort George, Scotland, has been extended into 2018.
It will now run from October 2017 - March 2018
Watch this space for further updates or follow the project blog for research posts as the story develops:
Photo credit: My research photographs show a newspaper from the archive at Fort George. ‘Prisoners of War’ by Jean Pierre Laurens is a testimony on the German occupation during the 1st World War.
It can be found within the Seaforths documentation (No’s 80 - 133 + 84 - 101)
