STITCH will connect the historic boot and shoe making villages of Wollaston (Dr Martens) and Earls Barton (Barker) via 8 laser beams across the Nene Valley and Northamptonshire night sky. The installation takes place Fri 5th – Sun 7th Oct from 7.30pm – 10pm and is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT is a celebration of Northamptonshire’s unique boot and shoe heritage and surviving industry through a mix of art and heritage events.
If you are out and about around the Borough over the weekend look out for the laser lights – its not an extra-terrestrial phenomenon …. but it should look fantastic…!
PRESS RELEASE
STITCH – A new art installation that binds together the historic villages of Earls Barton and Wollaston with a 3 miles long laser beam. Jo Fairfax’s path of light skims across the beautiful Nene valley, pinpointing two prestigious boot and shoe-making factories Barker Shoes and Griggs, home of Dr Martens.
5th – 7th October
As part of the countywide GLOBAL FOOTPRINT project, artist Jo Fairfax and the FLOW team will deliver a new laser art installation in Northamptonshire – STITCH – this time connecting the communities and shared boot and shoe heritage of the historic villages of Earls Barton and Wollaston across the Nene Valley.
‘I have worked in Northamptonshire over a number of years and have come to learn about its rich and varied history. Following a recent visit to Barker Shoes Factory they kindly talked me through their exhibits and the process and history of boot and shoe-making. I love the process of shoemaking and how it links the different elements – engineering, human craftmanship, landscape and animals (leather). This sense of connection – of a holistic pathway from one element to another – is a crucial heart for a site-specific piece of work.
The landscape represents a working relationship where land, people and animals combined to make the wonderful craft of boot and shoe-making. The communities are joined by creative action and I propose joining them by light – an ambitious artwork where we project eight laser beams across the Nene Valley from Barker Shoes in Earls Barton to Griggs and the home of Dr Martens in Wollaston, creating a vast stitch across the Northamptonshire landscape. Two terrific boot and shoe-making factories and villages connected by 3.5 miles of laser stitching.’ Jo Fairfax
STITCH is the latest Fairfax / FLOW collaboration in the county which most recently saw the delivery of the Northampton LIGHTHOUSE laser light art installation on the National Lift Tower earlier in May marking 2012 hours to go before the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games www.flow-northamptonshire.com
STITCH is one of several new artworks commissioned by the GLOBAL FOOTPRINT project which has been designed by Northamptonshire County Council and core partners Northampton Museums and Art Gallery, University of Northampton and Northampton Arts Collective (formerly Fishmarket Gallery).
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT is a new initiative that for the first time aims to deliver a countywide project that celebrates Northamptonshire’s defining creative economy, its boot and shoe industry. It is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and regional IGNITING AMBITION Festival, supported by Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Northamptonshire County Council and Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.
In addition to the arts programme, a series of heritage workshops will be taking place at locations across the county that are synonymous with the connected with the boot and shoe industry. If you have a story to share or work in the industry today the GLOBAL FOOTPRINT organisers would be keen to hear from you via globalfootprint2012@yahoo.com
Selected art installations to look out for around the county in the coming months include:
- Foot Steps – a parade of characters from Wellingborough’s history can be found in nine scenes painted on the town’s pavements as a form of do-it-yourself theatre puzzle for all the family;
- Field – an eco-artwork depicting a grass-like field installation created from over 200 unused boots, shoes and trainers, and 600 green shoelaces, soon to be on display at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery;
- Finale Event – further details to be announced, but likely to focus on one of the counties major shoe-making factories.
For more information on these and other exciting events go to: www.globalfootprint.co.uk
ENDS
EDITORS NOTES
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the East Midlands and is supported by Igniting Ambition. Igniting Ambition invests in projects and people that take the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as their inspiration to create once-in-a-lifetime cultural opportunities for audiences and communities right here on our doorstep. Igniting Ambition is a programme for the East Midlands, funded by Legacy Trust UK, the European Regional Development Fund and the East Midlands Development Agency, with the support of Arts Council England and many others.
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT has been supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council England Grants for the Arts scheme and the Heritage Lottery Fund Your Heritage programme.
Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity set up to create a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from London 2012 in communities across the UK. The Trust is funded by a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), Department for Culture Media and Sport (£6m) and Arts Council England (£5m), and is a Principal Funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. Please visit http://www.legacytrustuk.org/
BARKER SHOES
Barker Shoes have been making shoes using traditional methods in the Northamptonshire village of Earls Barton since 1880.
Its founder Arthur Barker was a skilled craftsman and natural innovator, whose waterproof peg-sole boots were highly sought after (the pegs would swell when wet and make the sole waterproof). Over successive generations the Barker brand has gone from strength to strength as Arthur’s three sons joined the family business, taking the brand into new markets and territories. Top quality materials, craftsmanship and distinctive classic design remain the hallmark of Barker Shoes today.
DR MARTENS / GRIGGS
The Griggs family factory in Cobb’s Lane, Wollaston, is the original and unique home of the internationally renowned Dr Martens boot and shoe brand. The factory has been producing footwear since 1901 and today continues to manufacture the famous Dr Martens Made in England brand range. Within these modest factory walls work a close-knit family of people steeped in traditional shoe-making methods.
For more information about the project or for interviews contact Graham Callister gcallister@northamptonshire.gov.uk / T. 01604 236909