Isabella Martin, Open House Artist in Residence 2016, has been working in collaboration with residents and community groups in North Cambridge to create a new map of the area.
Martin and a team of Artist Facilitators have been gathering local stories, memories and ideas for the future of the area. With all this information Isabella has drawn a new map which locates all these stories of one place.
“I noticed that the only public maps displayed in North Cambridge were of the city centre. I want to create a map of the local area which celebrates the things which are important, special and meaningful to the people who live here.” – Isabella Martin
At the end of November the map was revealed at a temporary print studio and exhibition in Arbury called Make Your Map where visitors joined her to make their own print of the map using a silk screen. The exhibition featured works from Kettle’s Yard’s collection including pieces by Ben Nicholson and Alfred Wallis, reproductions of historic maps which inspired Martin from Cambridgeshire Collection and the Scott Polar Research Institute and artworks created by participants at workshops and projects throughout the residency.
“[We] liked doing something interactive in the community that’s for the family. We brought our neighbour – its local so we can do that! It’s great to expose the kids to different kinds of art. We love the maps, it’s neat seeing the history of the area.” – Visitor to Make Your Map
Artworks made by projects with community groups were also exhibited across North Cambridge concurrently with the Make Your Map event.
These included:
Making Memories made by Year 5 pupils of the Grove Primary School with artist Anna Brownsted displayed at Arbury Court Library. The pupils created 3D visual archives of memories shared by residents of Alex Wood House care home when the pupils interviewed them about special moments in their lives.
You Are Here Postcards displayed at Brown’s Field Youth & Community Centre are a set of images captured by members of Chesterton Camera Club of the local area.
Remember is a film by Toby Peters capturing memories and stories of places important to residents of Cambridge Manor Care Home following music and movement workshops with Filipa Pereria-Stubbs.
Future Posters were installed on the hoardings of Kettle’s Yard during its development. These were the wishes for future North Cambridge, real and imagined, shared by people at local events during the summer.
Creative Collections is the outcome of time spent together by artist David Kefford and local resident and Community Panel member, James Lees. Displayed at James’ regular stop-offs of the Meadows Community Centre, St Andrew’s Hall and Arbury Community Centre, the displays feature poems and oil paintings by James Less and documentary photographs by David Kefford.
An Arbury Walk by Cambridge Community Arts Visual Arts Alumni Group with artist Joanne Chapman are a series of poster-based interventions across North Cambridge.
Open House is a three-year creative programme in partnership with communities in North Cambridge and Kettle’s Yard. Each year we work with an ‘Artist in Residence’ who is selected by people who live and work in North Cambridge to deliver an exciting and innovative programme of arts activities. Open House is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Cambridge City Council.
Find out more about Open House.
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Twitter: @OpenHouseCam
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