Scour: The Hidden Landscapes of Forge Mill

Scour: The Hidden Landscapes of Forge Mill

Elizabeth Turner

Keith Ashford

2016 1

Scour: The Hidden Landscapes of Forge Mill Redditch, a small town in Worcestershire, produced most of the world’s needles during the second half of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. Forge Mill in Redditch is unique in being a working water powered needle scouring mill and its surrounding landscape of Bordesley Abbey is one of the few monastic sites in the country with an entire precinct surviving as a complex set of earthworks. The Cistercian monks diverted the River Arrow and constructed a complex water management system that influenced the immediate Mill sites including Forge Mill. Forge Mill houses the national needle collection and a history of the Redditch needle industry. In 1963 Redditch became a designated New Town; Forge Mill and Bordesley Abbey remain a link to its past and industrial heritage.

Scour was an eight month artists’ project lead by two West Midlands based artists Elizabeth Turner and Keith Ashford in and around Forge Mill, the last remaining water powered scouring mill in the world. It was funded by Arts Council England, Redditch School of Art Trust and Redditch Borough Council and supported by a partnership of Forge Mill Museum, Participate Contemporary Artspace (PCA) and Recording Redditch Through Art Group (RRTAG).

It was a highly research-driven project, enabling the artists to focus on detail and make new connections in their work between the largely C19th museum machinery, its extensive needle making collection and the immediate landscape of Bordesley Abbey and its waterway engineering. The Forge Mill Museum is a museum of contrast with its rooms full of working scouring machinery alongside meticulous displays of delicate needles. It was this exciting contrast that formed the initial inspiration for the Scour project at Forge Mill. During the project Keith and Liz began to unravel the relationship between the mill and the surrounding landscape. In particular the reshaping of the brooks and the river in order to power mill machinery by the monks of Bordesley Abbey and the later needle making industry.

The project produced highly successful artworks combining sculpture, video, sound, drawing and photography in new and experimental ways, welcomed over 905 visitors to exhibitions in the Mill and the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, and involved 146 participants in creative workshops.

This evaluation describes its processes and highlights and explores the lessons that have been learned in the complex creative partnerships that developed.

Liz Turner

Keith Ashford

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Key Project Aims 1. To research and create an exciting body of contemporary art to interpret the heritage of the site.

2. To explore contemporary resonances of the cultural history of Redditch needle making.

3. To make new artistic collaboration to research and create joint artworks for exhibition at a national level: develop joint career pathways and raise aesthetic standard and content of our collaborative artwork.

4. To raise the profile of the museum and create new audiences.

5. To consolidate partnerships.

Summary of achievements The project outputs largely exceeded expectations as we produced more artworks, had more exhibitions, ran more workshops with a higher number of participants and employed more artists on the project than expected.

Identifiable changes in the artists’ collaboration produced significant improvements in the works and the residency processes.

The partnerships formed and deepened during the project are proving enduring and mutually beneficial – we all learnt from each other and modified processes as we went along.

Feedback from participants was unexpectedly positive and has engaged a wide audience for future local work .

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What We Learnt The greater paid time allocated to research and development of joint artworks was crucial to successfully raising our standard of collaboration.

The collaborative and partnership elements of the project enabled us to develop richly creative productive working with a specific historical site, focusing on details of the collection alongside a wider landscape.

The new aesthetic demands of these artworks created demand for new skills and training, which we were able to source within the budget and project plan.

Although our local public profile was raised, we were not able to reach wider audiences, especially in the field of critical arts review. We are looking for further mentoring to help develop this on a national scale.

Our public profile was largely local and did not support our long term aim to tour or secure commissions further afield. Therefore we are preparing a presentation about the artwork and project to send to other industrial mills, galleries and art centres.

A longer lead-in time than was available was needed for “Exchange� workshops (local communities sharing knowledge and craft skills). However, the workshops were attended by a very knowledgeable local group who contributed stories about the local area, partially meeting this aim.

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The exhibition at a non-traditional venue, the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, reached ‘new audiences’ for art and was very productive in terms of story collecting and making new contacts to take forward especially with extoolmakers, engineers, fishing rod makers.

We learned that we need to start preparation earlier and build longer term relationships with youth groups in the area and find out more about what they want from a project like this. The group we worked with successfully became engaged through an early initial personal visit, a group chat and cup of tea: we need to take this personal approach in order to engage with young people and achieve the inter-generational activities we aim for.

The development of the needle graffiti art work under the Parkway and Coventry Highway flyovers has given us an art form skill which may appeal to young people.

The Needles Under Flyovers was a concept we hadn’t initially planned for, but considered an idea worth pursuing. Fortunately we were able to reorder our budget to complete some examples of the artwork. A larger contingency fund than we included would have improved flexibility in the project.

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Taking it Forward Our artists’ partnership has been strengthened by the Scour experience and we have learnt a lot about partnership working. Our work has often been based on research, but this project gave us the opportunity for more meticulous, deeper and a richer research and creative process. We aim now to: 1. Build on initial partnerships in Redditch.

2. Develop new artworks for the landscape.

3. Apply to a wider range of grant bodies for funding.

4. Put together a pack to apply for exhibitions in other mills and galleries.

5. Take forward family stories from industry makers, contact more groups in Redditch eg history group, youth groups.

6. Prepare new proposal and funding bids for project to build on this one.

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The Scour project included two exhibitions, one at Forge Mill below left and one in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre below right

Forge Mill Needle Museum. 10th June to 3rd July 2016. 10 art works. Visitors; 40 at launch event 12 to 2 pm on11 th June, 270 on Farm Day event, 26th June. Total 537 visitors. Four artist days staffing. Six artist days setting up and one taking down.

Shop unit, Walford Walk, Kingfisher Shopping Centre. 1 st August to 13th August 2016. 12 artworks. 24 days staffing, used for gathering anecdotal responses to the project. Five days setting up and one taking down. Visitors 368

There are currently a further two exhibitions of Scour artworks at Ditherington Flaxmill, Shrewsbury and at The Bertie Crewe Gallery, Palace Theatre, Redditch, until end Oct 2016

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Comments book was provided in both exhibitions

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During the Kingfisher exhibition we recorded our conversations with visitors in the project diary

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Artwork Research Research included observational drawing; examining the museum collection and walking in the surrounding landscape, filming, sound recording and photographing. Two walks along the river either side of the mill, upstream to Batchley and down stream to Ipsley were undertaken.

Sketch of mill crank shaft

Research sketch map and photos

Sketch for planning location of cameras on mill machinery

Sound recording around Bordesley Abbey

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The Temper of an Angel Visitors liked it because: It needled me, but in a nice way It represents its form well Reminded me of water I liked the light on the embossing which defines the needles, and the films for movement It made them think of: Needles in space Life The flow and fishes

The Temper of an Angel is a sculpture of paper and wood. Embossed images of fish hooks taken from 19th Century catalogues in the collection play with the idea of surfaces; the paper is displaced through the embossing process just as water is by a splash. The fan like structure implies ideas of dispersal and cut outs and folds suggest refraction as hooks plunge into water, a reminder that needles and hooks from Redditch were dispersed around the world. The title is taken from a description by George Selwyn Marryat that the ideal hook should have: “The temper of an angel and the penetration of a prophet; fine enough to be invisible, and strong enough to kill a bull in a ten-acre field� Ten days artist time making.

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Barrel Roll Visitors liked it because: It was dynamic They were pretty Of the reflections It made them think of: How solids can become liquids and phyoplastic flows How good water is

Barrel Roll has a cascade of needles reflecting light rolling in a barrel, the drying part of the scouring process. On the right in the video a flow of water from the mill overflow catches light as it emerges from the pipe. The video was displayed alongside a set of photographs of details of the water flows in the River Arrow. One artist day editing film. Video and photographs from research time.

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Batchley Brook To Beoley Mill Visitors liked it because: It shows you what you can make out of needles The use of needles and other materials It represented local history It was a beautiful way of portraying this Of the materials that were used and the silver river The shape of the metal strips Reinterprets our understanding of the landscape Of its linear quality It made them think of: What you do with metal

From Batchley Brook to Beoley Mill is a sculpture laser cut at Park Farm industrial estate, taken from an Ordnance Survey Map of 1883 when three mills were in operation around the Forge Mill site. The meanders of the River Arrow contrast with the straight man-made sections and the unexpected height differences of the mill ponds. The sculpture plays on light, reflections and layers. The reflective surface reminding you of winter floods where the water reflects the grey skies and flattens out the undulations of the landscape. Within the title is a geographical journey downstream; Batchley to Beoley to Park Farm, and an historical journey; brook to mill to industrial estate. Cost ÂŁ600 laser cutting and display stand. Artist making time 7 days.

Where I work with the needles Bringing back the industry to Redditch/West Midlands Interesting art forms Water’s reflection How rivers flow How an industry was created from the natural landscape of Bordesley and the river running through it The river and the life it gave to Redditch

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All Our Labours All Our Labours is a digital drawing assembled from copies of needle drawings from catalogues in the museum collection.

Based on an earthwork map of the Bordesley Abbey site it is reminiscent of the manufacturer’s framed needle displays upstairs in the museum. “All Our Labours” refers to the time taken to assemble the drawing, even with the benefits of modern technology making still requires time and effort. Cost £500 framing and printing. Artist making time 12 days.

Visitors liked it because:

It made them think of:

It combined the landscape and archaeology with its products

Mechanisation and how technologies and therefore people alter the landscape

Reinterprets our understanding of the landscape

How an industry was created from the natural landscape of Bordesley and the river running through it

Of its creative take on the old earthworks map of the Abbey precincts It represented archaeological landscapes, something that I am interested in

Summer at the archaeological dig with Reading Uni working at the Abbey and fish ponds Traces in the landscape

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Reedbed and Betweens

Visitors liked it because: It is simple but effective It is elegant and linked the needles with the landscape It is exquisite It merges art and product It is about metamorphosis, industry back to land/nature It made them think of: This is a delicate cast and silver plated sculpture of 4 different needles with grass blades growing out of their eyes. The piece is laid out in a display cabinet next to which is shown a small video of reeds moving gently in the wind on the old abbey fishponds. Two small needle packets from the collection sit either side of the sculpture like seed packets. Cost ÂŁ200 casting, Three half days travel, two artist days chasing casts, two artist days creating moulds.

Beautiful jewellery Nature and movement and the elements Nature vs. industry

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Through the Eye Journey on a Beam Through the Eye. Sketch studies of needle eyes from the museum collection.

The sculpture pictured here imagines the beams of light as wires passing through the eye of a needle. This construction was placed on a wooden beam of a thickness similar to the beams in the mill machinery. The needle packets are for sail and harness needles. Two sculptures were made together with a drawing of ten different needle eyes.

Visitors liked it because It was a play on words How light passes through the eye and ends upside down It conveyed to me the power of the needle- the tiny thing that makes so much!

I liked a lot actually- thank you!!

Visitors liked it because:

Journey on a Beam is a horizontal split screen video of machine movement over flowing water. The camera was fixed to a moving beam on the mill machinery. The moving water videos are from a series of shots taken on a walk along the River Arrow. The machine has a walking rhythm and you are on the machine, below you water moves through the landscape. The mill fixed in the landscape has become the moving object. One artist day editing.

Light, sound and water and the contained mechanics It made them think of: Water and how wonderful it is

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Needles under Flyovers

Alongside the exhibition at Forge Mill a temporary artwork was created by the artists at the Coventry Highway and Parkway flyovers. The artworks helped promote the museum and exhibition in the wider landscape.

Needle images from Forge Mill’s historic catalogues have been copied and sprayed onto the concrete flyover pillars in the Arrow Valley Country Park alongside the River Arrow. These flyovers are very much part of the New Town Redditch. The idea came from a research walk from Forge Mill to Ipsley Mill and the experience of seeing the rows of supporting pillars.

Getting immediate permission from the Highways Department to create these artworks was an opportunity not to missed!

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From Pond to Power family workshop

Building a working waterscape inspired by the 19th Century landscape of the Bordesley Mills. Linked to artwork Batchley Brook to Beoley Mill. Workshop in cloisters of visitor centre with surrounding display of Abbey water mill finds and landscape model. Drop in workshop over two days for family groups. 58 children and 21 carers.

Making model boats

Participants thought: It was incredibly satisfying making things that can be powered by water, great fun Thank you for inviting us to take part, would definitely love to do it again and may even create some water features in our garden this Summer, with waterwheels and boats!

A finished water wheel

Did you enjoy making it? Very much and so did Mummy and Daddy, the waterwheel was fast and powered a second wheel. Wow!

Layout of the model waterway

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Art and Heritage Interpretation Engaging with and interpreting the significance of historical objects through drawing, collage and monoprint in relation to the overarching themes of the artists' exhibition and the museum collection. The workshop was run by Participate Contemporary Artspace director and artist, Jill Impey. 7 adults attended.

In the museum drawing

“I enjoyed the printing and process of ideas and techniques, I would like to explore these ideas more” “Lovely tutor, very nurturing and confidence building” “It made me think about the concept of the eye of the needle and thoughts of the personal and the global” “Discussions re: how we have interpreted the meaning behind the artworks, looking at others (contrasting) ideas, everyone had something to say”

Learning to use the press

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Embossing workshop Exploring how designs changed through different eras and how images from the trademarks were used by Redditch companies to evoke particular sets of values. Participants learnt the craft skill of blind embossing on paper. Related art work “Temper of an Angel”. 7 adults attended.

Participants thought: “This is a completely new skill to me and the workshop has given me confidence to experiment further.”

“The skill can be transferred to my hobby of bookbinding.”

The workshop “expanded my outlook on the mill and it’s surroundings” “A positive, creative atmosphere in a beautiful setting” The exhibition… “expressed things we take for granted in a new and inspiring and beautiful way.”

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Sculpture and Casting A workshop experimenting with clay modelling. Learning the craft skill of plaster casting to create sculpture. Progression of 3D of embossing to high relief sculpture. 7 adults

Chipping out the waste moulds

“The course was perfect. Over the years I have tried a few and can honestly say this was by far the best, beautifully and professionally taught!”

“Our tutors let us develop our own skills after a very clear and interesting explanation” “I feel equipped and enabled to repeat the technique: empowering!”

“My favourite part was the study of objects in the museum and then developing the learning and achieving a new technique.”

“Working in a group and meeting new people, the tutors are great too!”

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How our artist collaboration developed We noted changes in the dialogue in our creative working partnership; one artist had an initial idea for an artwork and the other one developed it and made the final work. This was a development from our past projects with one artist always in a supporting role helping the other to make their own artworks, to much more collaborative pieces with joint ownership. The variety of exhibition venues allowed us to view the artwork in different ways; to see site-specific work embedded in its place of origin and then somewhere different (such as a white cube space).

Some of this closer creative working derived from the skills training built into the project: this was invaluable in raising our morale and excitement about the project as well as enabling us to make more interesting work. For example, the Needles Under Flyovers happened because we both shared the idea and the mutual support gave us the confidence to pursue it with the Borough Council.

New and developing skills/training undertaken as part of the project: Sound recording, digital film and sound editing; training and support from Bill Bannister, an experienced sound recordist who works in the TV and Film industry.

Bit map conversion to vector to industrial CAD for manufacture, self taught with support from L&E Design based in Shrewsbury Market Hall.

Digital drawing and stencil design for street art supported by Participate Contemporary Artspace director and illustrator Phill Evans.

Digital social media training and support from artist Julie Edwards. Project blog: www.scourforgemill.wordpress.com Evaluation processes training and support by Dr Sue Challis.

Our profile was raised Nationally through a first-time exhibition review in Artists Newsletter magazine; https://www.a-n.co.uk/reviews/scour-the-hidden-landscapes-of-fo rge-mill Local press articles: redditchstandard.co.uk/.../arts-project-brings-alive-landscape-aroundredditchs-forge-mill-museum/ redditchstandard.co.uk/.../new-workshops-lift-lid-printmaking-redditchsforge-mill-museum/ redditchstandard.co.uk/.../roll-sleeves-final-workshop-redditchs-forgemill- scour-project/ redditchstandard.co.uk/.../pop-gallery-kingfisher-shopping-centre-lift-lidredditchs-scour-project/

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Impact of the project on our work

The project has had a positive impact on my work. I have been developing site related work over the past six years using Shrewsbury Market Hall. Working independently I had been developing work based on actual and filmic motion as well as observational sculpture. The outputs were exhibited, with an article in the local press, but it wasn’t until I collaborated with Liz for an exhibition “Outside In” that the work came alive in a single piece. It was a “why don’t we try this?” moment that led to an iconic jump. The Scour project has been full of moments like that. The Needles Under Flyovers is an example of that process.

Sharing the process of looking and thinking of the audience led to a more critical approach to ideas for work, so I think there has been a step change in the quality of my art. Much of the work in the project is research and it has left me wanting to develop more ideas and substantial work. My personal connection to the Redditch landscape is an area I hadn’t anticipated I would want to develop, but it is something that has emerged through the project.

Keith Ashford

During 2012-15 I was part of an art and heritage project at Shrewsbury Museum with 8 artists who together formed the group “re:collect”. The Scour Project has enabled me to further develop my artistic engagement with a heritage site and the collaboration with just one other artist has made it a much richer and more focussed creative experience.

For this project I hoped to develop a new language to bring together the domesticity and scale of the needle with the wider landscape. I feel that this happened naturally through the new artworks that combine ideas and images we collected from Forge Mill: needle shapes and patterns with blades of grass, a hand sewing and the meditative movements of the mill, the River Arrow travelling through the landscape and powering the mill.

I also hoped that this project would look at new ways of consolidating art and heritage through public involvement and meaningful collaborative work. I was really impressed with how participants at the workshops studied the collection and created art from their discoveries.

The exhibition at Forge Mill wasn’t able to be as fully integrated into the Museum as we had hoped, this is a direction I would like to try going forward, artworks placed directly alongside museum artefacts, complementing a collection from within.

I feel excited that we have created a coherent body of new work that we can use to approach more galleries and museums with the aim of developing new partnership projects with other heritage sites.

Elizabeth Turner

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What our partners thought Keith and Liz, throughout the project, have been great to work with again. They have been professional throughout despite various challenges during the project, including when the council was planning to deliver the crematorium service from the museum and the impact this could have had potentially on their plans.

The project has been successfully delivered, both in terms of workshops and the exhibitions at Forge Mill, the Kingfisher Centre and currently at the Palace Theatre.

They have been excellent at managing the project timelines, at engaging with all the partners involved and communicating throughout the project.

When we have the facility to provide a unit for exhibitions such as The ‘Scour’ exhibition it allows artists to connect with people who would otherwise never see their work. Our customers want to have an experience when they come here.

The recent Scour Exhibition held in The Kingfisher Centre provided a fabulous showcase exploring the history of needle making and ancient waterways in Forge Mill and surrounding areas. From feedback given by shoppers and indeed other retailers the exhibition was very well received and they enjoyed looking and learning about the exhibits, where they otherwise wouldn’t have.

It has been a pleasure working with Keith and Elizabeth and delighted that they chose the Kingfisher Shopping Centre to hold their exhibition.’

Fiona Faizey, Management, Kingfisher Shopping Centre, Redditch.

Huw Moseley. Arts Development Officer, Redditch Borough Council

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Promoting public engagement Two talks at Forge Mill for volunteers and Redditch Council staff Email contact with potential partners and participants Direct visits to potential partners and participants Manual circulation of flyers and posters to potential audience and participants Visit to the offices of the local paper Publicity plan with Redditch Borough Council PR department Employing artist to assist with publicity planning Questionnaire activity on art under flyovers Launch day for exhibition at museum On site walk at exhibition launch to Needles under Flyovers Staffing exhibition on Farm Day at museum Staffing exhibition in Kingfisher Shopping Centre

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Summary of Outputs Public Workshops at museum target 4, 5 achieved

New artworks target 8, achieved 13

Contacts with local organisations

Four videos

RRTAG

Two video and sculpture combinations

Redditch Arts Council

Three sculptures

Heart of Worcs college

One drawing

Batchley Support Group

Blind embossing

One video and photograph combinations

Five sub-contracted artists provided:

Clay modelling and plaster casting

One large digital drawing

sound recording and editing

Exhibitions: target 2, 4 achieved.

Temporary public artworks at two sites in Arrow Valley Country Park

one public workshop

Pond to Power Little Explorers waterwheels Heritage object analysis through drawing and mono printing

Forge Mill Needle Museum 21 days, 537 visitors Kingfisher Shopping Centre 12 days, 368 visitors Bertie Crewe Gallery 32 days, estimated 5,000 visitors The Flaxmill, Shrewsbury Heritage weekend 2 days, 800 visitors New Blog

New and developing skills/training Digital Film and sound editing Bit map conversion to vector to industrial CAD for manufacture

assistance public workshop social media and publicity Vector drawing support Three volunteers provided:

Stencil design for street art

help installing needles under flyovers

Digital drawing

two workshop observations

Digital social media

help making sculpture

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Project timeline 20/4/16

Progress meeting Forge Mill

7/1/16

pre-evaluation meeting with Dr Challis

29/4/16

Evaluation with Dr Challis

14/1/16

Setting target meeting

4/5/16

Batchley research walk

26/1/16

Planning research meeting Forge Mill

6/5/16

Digital drawing with Phill Evans

28/1/16

Social media training

29&30/5/16 Pond to Power workshop at Forge Mill

1/2/16

Week research at Forge Mill

10/6/16

Exhibition opens at Forge Mill

4/2/16

Establish link with RRTAG

20/6/16

Art Heritage workshop at Forge Mill

9/2/16

L&E designs DXF support

24/6/16

Little Explorers workshop at Forge Mill

10/2/16

Film editing

26/6/16

Audience research, Farm Day, Forge Mill

16/2/16

Meeting Forge Mill rearrange workshop dates

27/6/16

Embossing Workshop Forge Mill

27/2/16

Planning meeting with Billy Bannister

3/7/16

Exhibition finishes at Forge Mill

29/2/16

Filming and sound Forge Mill, week research at mill

23&24/7/16 Sculpture Workshop at Forge Mill

2/3/16

Artist talks Forge Mill

1/8/16

Exhibition opens in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre

17/3/16

Film and sound edit with Bill Bannister

13/8/16

Exhibition ends

22/3/16

Filming at Mill

5/9/16

Exhibition opens Bertie Crewe gallery, Redditch

23/3/16

Meeting Sue and Jill at Museum

9 to 11/9/16 Exhibition at Flaxmill, Shrewsbury

24/3/16

Filming at Old Needleworks

2/11/16

Exhibition ends at Bertie Crewe gallery, Redditch

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Acknowledgements and Contacts Elizabeth Turner liz.sculpturelogic@gmail.com Keith Ashford Keithashford.sculpture@gmail.com

Special thanks to

www.scourforgemill.wordpress.com www.sculpturelogic.co.uk

Redditch Borough Council Arts Development Officer Huw Moseley for his constant support and enthusiasm for this project.

Thanks to our funders:

Jo – Ann Gloger, Keeper of Collections and Debbie Lakeman, Education Officer at Forge Mill Museum for being so supportive of the project and generous with their time.

Redditch School of Art Trust via Redditch Arts Council

Thanks to fellow artists who worked on the project with us: Sue Challis

Arts Council England

Redditch Borough Council

Jill Impey Julie Edwards

Jane Bennett, Museum and Visitor Information Assistant, Forge Mill Museum.

Phill Evans

And Ches, Mill Engineer who patiently stopped and started the mill machinery for us.

Sara Mai

Wendy Thompson, Community Safety Officer, Redditch Borough Council

Bill Bannister

RRTAG for sharing their local knowledge and enthusiasm for all aspects of this project.

Bridget Kennedy 28