Earth exchange at the local community centre
Map
Map
Story & Experience
For this Earth Exchange we met at the local community centre and talked about the history and had a look at a map from the 1870s. We realised that the 1970s built community centre sat atop a very old ridge which would have been a focal point for the community.
The group found bits and pieces in the car park: a pallet, a stuffed teddy, sweet wrappers, bits of plastic, and some browning leaves, and placed them within the body of the bird.
We then talked about how we felt about the place. People’s descriptions varied from feeling excited, confused, like the land was oppressed and abused, to loving the place.
For this Earth Exchange we met at the local community centre and talked about the history and had a look at a map from the 1870s. We realised that the 1970s built community centre sat atop a very old ridge which would have been a focal point for the community.
The group found bits and pieces in the car park: a pallet, a stuffed teddy, sweet wrappers, bits of plastic, and some browning leaves, and placed them within the body of the bird.
We then talked about how we felt about the place. People’s descriptions varied from feeling excited, confused, like the land was oppressed and abused, to loving the place.
Why this Place?
Brampton, Cumbria
Brampton has a long history of occupation, warfare, land misuse and poverty. It is also a thriving small community. An Earth Exchange at a place where Jacobean politics, cattle rieving, and poorhouse inhabitants all played a significant part in the history of the town, felt like it could connect the present inhabitants to its troubled past. There are also pressing issues of land use and ecological damage occurring in the present day.
Act of Beauty
As ever, the act of beauty was emergent, a lovely mix of what people noticed to pick up and place on the bird collage, and what they felt was appropriate. At one point, a man asked me who was project managing the creation of the bird. I said nobody is! And you are too! That made us smile. A small dog came and sniffed at the mangy old stuffed toy somebody had found. It felt like it somehow represented a lot about being unloved and misused.
Additional Photos
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