How can you picture a place but never hold it still with an anchor of description? was held at Bromley House Library in Nottingham on Monday 12th February 2018.
Conceived by David Gilbert and Kate Genever – Bromley House Library Artists in Residence – to provide, for a small group of attendees, an afternoon of collaborative exploration, reading, discussion and reflection to consider alternative archives and unique systems of recording inspired by both place and practice. It featured readings from items in the Library’s archive by Professor David Matless, Professor of Cultural Geography at the University of Nottingham, and gave the attendees the opportunity to tour the building and visit the ongoing archive work within the Library.
The fourteen attendees were also invited to compile a list of personal archives, which Kate and David then used to inform a series of thematic talks delivered during their residency, at this unique location, hidden in the centre of Nottingham. Kate and David were able to show an initial exhibition of their work to the invited audience and use the event as a springboard for discussion about future events and talks.
The event brought together individuals, many of the whom hadn’t previously met, resulting in new connections being made and an interesting conversation unfolding between the participants. Having a non-arts specialist was useful in generating debate and in extending meaning around the work of the resident artists and that of others, including staff at Bromley House Library.
It was intended as a precursor to a longer process of exploration of the archives and archival processes by Kate and David, and provided Kate and David with a template for a 12-month residency that they intend to seek funding for, which will have a series of public talks/events attached to it, working across disciplines to extend the area of enquiry for artists and specialists from other disciplines. Several of the attendees are in touch with Bromley House about potential projects that were sparked off by the discussion.
All the images are courtesy of the artists and Bromley House Library.
How can you picture a place but never hold it still with an anchor of description? was proposed to CVAN EM’s The Start of Something project, which, through conversation, sought to bring people in the East Midlands together to explore a common goal, share experience and work collaboratively, ultimately to make things happen. CVAN EM supported proposals from groups based in the region, that it considered would benefit the widest community and make the greatest difference within the region.
Find out more about The Start of Something and the conversations that we supported.