I wear many different hats - photographic artist is one. Despite the many pressures of other things I do, I like to complete at least one creative project each year and so I am always looking for interesting ideas to pursue.
In July 2021, a commission was advertised on a service called Curator Space. Each week an email comes with different opportunities for artists. On occasions there is something interesting and I have successfully applied for some projects in the past - most of which have involved paying for work to be published or displayed.
This time, the post was from Wakefield Museums and Castles. There are actually three museums and two castles managed by this team and they were looking for artists working in all discilpines to submit proposals for a new co-produced installation at the South Elmsall museum hub. The opportunity was to collaborate with local people to discover and interpret their stories in an innovative and visually exciting way.
The South Elmsall museum hub is in fact part of the library in South Elmsall, a building that gets significantly less footfall than other libraries across the wider Wakefield area.
South Elmsall Library. Image Betty Longbottom / Wikimedia.
The installation would go in an area with a glass cabinet, some wall space and a table with facilities to show video content on a screen.
Image - Twitter
Initially, I did not think this was something I would apply for but then I started to think some more. Much of my documentary photography is about story-telling. Some years ago, I made a series of films for Leeds TV - these were also stories. The more I thought about it, the more I was interested to take this project on, but I had to compete with any number of other bidders.
My idea was to use a combination of photography and objects. The stories I would tell would focus on an object which I would then use in a portrait with the subject of a photograph. The object itself and the image would be displayed together in a cabinet in the museum hub. I also offered to make some short films depending on how many stories I discovered.
At this stage, I knew nothing at all about South Elmsall and so I would approach this project with an open mind.
Soon after filling in the application, I was invited to a Zoom call and asked to put a presentation together. There was very little time to do this, but I work well under pressure and can respond accurately to a brief. I must have ticked most of the boxes, as I was offered the commission. The next step was to get the contract signed and then pay a visit to the area.