Photos: Andy Trynor
10 Years of Walking Together:- Celebrating Markham Vale Colliery
Project Overview markhamstorymine.org
Markham’s Mining heritage and the disasters hold common threads amongst local people. The Walking together project has invited people to explore the theme and connect with the stories and their history.
“The first thing I notice about the Walking Together Sculptures is the semi-circle cut out of each sculpture, this I have interpreted as a missing piece, this may reflect the overwhelming great loss to families and the community, but I also see the space as a connection point, where a puzzle piece could be placed to link the figures, a space to fill”
Angie’s involvement in the project was to work with young people and the community delivering creative ceramic workshops, linking the participants to their area and the Walking Together project. The intention was to enhance interest, raise awareness and general appreciation.
The idea was to respond creatively to the theme and visually interpret Markham’s mining history using the notion of ‘Pride’ The engagement in schools explored these connotations and focused on celebrating the project.
The young people and community groups engaged on a personal level. The workshops were a catalyst for conversation and discussions. Participants explored their ideas in clay, through a series of specialised ceramic sessions, imploring different techniques through to the completed pieces.
Angie has created a series of ceramic medals with participants, to metaphorically be awarded to each miner, to celebrate what an important job they did, to show community acknowledgment, to mark remembrance, to recognise and appreciate the 106 men as part of Markham’s mining history.
The creations display a rich variety of texture and imagery and have culminated into a creative collaborative body of work forming part of a temporary installation, that compliments and contributes to the impact of the project and the celebration.
After the final event, the work will be collected and kept as a memento of involvement. The work will exist to educate, to inform and ultimately be something to be proud of.
“I feel very privileged to be involved in the Walking Together project. It’s been lovely to enable people of all ages and abilities, to creatively respond to their history through ceramics.”
