Project Shed (2017) — Social Art Library

By

Beth Barlow and Lower Kersal Young People and Community Project

Photograph of a bench cushion embroidered with fragments of handwritin

Exploring giving and reciprocation in a community labelled deprived.

After working with LKYPCG for several years artist Beth Barlow and group lead Thomas Lever MBE decided to explore the extraordinary amount of giving and reciprocation that they saw in the community. Lower Kersal is in an area of Salford, North West England described as deprived and yet there seemed to exist an untold story of giving and sharing. A network which kept those who might otherwise have sunk afloat. We felt it was important to highlight the many things which more fragmented communities could learn from this pocket of generosity. “Project Shed” took the groups allotment shed as its head quarters. Here we staged group discussions and events exploring people’s ideas on giving, highlighting incidents of it and looking into how it practically worked within the community. The shed was transformed into a studio space where discussions and practical activities took place. A temporary exhibition space where community made products such as stained glass windows, stitched text works on cushions, spoken word bird boxes, gifting events and hand made card vouchers were showcased. Then finally it was transformed into a gifting shop where products were created for free and given away for free and a tea party where we discussed some of the findings of the project. A flavour of the project and some of the ideas discussed are in this booklet which was created to accompany the final exhibitions.

More information: http://lkypg.co.uk.gridhosted.co.uk/

To read the Project Shed publication, scroll through the PDF below:

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Beth Barlow

Beth Barlow has worked as a socially engaged artist since gaining a 1:1 fine art degree and later an MA. Her MA looked at social interactions within the common room of a local hostel and also online in chat rooms. Here her work manifested as very small interventions and a publication. For two years she abstained from making objects and took all her artwork online and none material based. The germs of her works grow from social ideas and materialise in a whole host of relevant mediums. She has staged 2 large scale project using yarn. "Knit A Year" where people knitted their moods for a year and contributed their strands and stories to group exhibitions and "Like It. Lump It. We Are All Connected". Using yarn allows Beth to engage with those who might not ordinarily align themselves with conceptual art. Through the slow comfortable pastime of knitting or crochet people can explore deep issues in a less confrontational manner. Other large scale projects have culminated in gifting shops where everything was created, given and taken for free and "Starvation Diet" where weight was lost, money saved given to charity and the process documented through spoof artefacts. Beth's current project is looking at Facebook posts and uses painting to explore how people's personal photo posts have altered during 2020. She has also worked with underworked artists to set up remote art classes to help those isolated now and ongoing.

www.bethbarlow.com