Published Monday 22 March 2021 at 9:53
Embattled by over a year living in the shadow of Covid-19, Blackburn and Darwen will make bold statements of hope, love and inspiration in metre-high letters this spring, with members of the public, living in or linked to Lancashire, called upon to express themselves in words.
Anyone submitting their ideas could see their poem stencilled large in prominent, public sites across the two towns, starting in early May and remaining in place for three months.
Of Earth And Sky, a poetry sculpture-trail collaboration between artist, Luke Jerram, poet, Hafsah Aneela Bashir and Blackburn’s own National Festival of Making, arrives in May to signal the hopeful restart of life as both town and county emerge from the UK’s painful pandemic lockdowns.
25, unignorable, hand-picked locations will host lines of poetry in free-standing, metre-tall letters, sprayed onto grassed areas, posted onto buildings and hosted on the town’s digital information boards. Encouraging people to reconnect, safely, with Blackburn and Darwen open spaces and heritage, and reflect on themes of community, friendship, wellbeing, the seasons and more, members of the public are being asked to submit their own words for the project.
By entering original poetry online via the festival’s website, whether a moment of sudden inspiration, something painstakingly prepared or lines from the past, Lancashire wordsmiths will be entered into the contest. Entries will be judged by poet, Hafsah Aneela Bashir whose Poetry Health Service launched during the UK’s first lockdown, delivers personalised, easy access poetry experiences to online users. A ‘tool for connection and healing’ the service has provided comfort during times of widespread isolation and anxiety. This new commission, in collaboration with artist Luke Jerram, sees the digital work of the 2020 lockdowns take a physical format in 2021.
Anybody living in, or with personal connection to, Lancashire, of any age or background, whether a recent enthusiast or experienced poet, is invited to submit their offering, with a deadline of Sun 11 April 2021 in place for entries to be received. Visit www.festivalofmaking.co.uk/projects/ofearthandsky/ to enter.
Lauren Zawadzki, Director of The National Festival Of Making, says:
Blackburn and Darwen have had a particularly difficult time over the last 12 months as people’s health and livelihoods have been threatened and, at times, moments of joy have become difficult to find. As we look forward to brighter times, we open our 2021 programme by reminding people of Blackburn, Darwen and wider-Lancashire’s resilience, creativity and thoughtfulness in ‘Of Earth And Sky.’ Staying true to our MAKING ethos, the making of some of these installations will be supported by our manufacturing partners and of course we are focused on MAKING new moments of hope, shared community experience and a reason to get outdoors as spring emerges.
Devised by Luke Jerram and first seen in late 2020 throughout Gloucester, Of Earth And Sky, consists of a series of free-standing poems alongside floor-paintings in lawned public areas and the landscape. The sites in Blackburn and Darwen are expected to include the towns’ waterways, town centre squares and parks with the final locations revealed on the festival website in the first week of May 2021.
Jerram says:
Of Earth and Sky is an opportunity for people to express themselves, see their words and poetry on a large scale as part of a temporary public installation for everyone to enjoy. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the project animates both Blackburn and Darwen.
Hafsah Aneela Bashir adds:
People have always turned to poetry for its ability to reach out and connect over time and space. It’s the reason the Poetry Health Service was established in the first place and it’s my pleasure to collaborate with Luke Jerram and the National Festival of Making, embedding poems into the landscape of Blackburn and Darwen at a time where human connection and the healing power of poetry is needed more than ever.
Celebrating making and manufacturing, from the kitchen table to the factory floor, the award-winning National Festival Of Making, supported by partners including Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, has welcomed tens of thousands of people every year, encouraging visitors of all ages and backgrounds to explore their own creative making potential. The fourth festival, planned to take place in June 2020, was postponed following the Covid-19 outbreak.
Cllr Phil Riley, Executive Member for Regeneration and Deputy Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said:
It’s been an incredibly challenging and difficult year for everyone. We felt it was the right time to bring something of this scale to the borough as we journey on towards the recovery from Coronavirus. To have such a high-calibre collaboration is a real coup for the borough and provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for our residents, young and old, to have their ‘’pandemic poetry’ captured and shared with the world.
It reminds us, in these turbulent times, of the importance of language and shared experiences in helping us to connect together with different communities and think beyond our normal boundaries. The initiative very much marks the start of bringing us out of what has become the ‘online lockdown’ norm by taking these small steps to getting us back out and about safely and celebrating all that’s brilliant about our place.
Directed by Lauren Zawadzki and Elena Jackson at acclaimed culture company, Deco Publique, and co-founded by leading British designer, Wayne Hemingway MBE, The Festival of Making continues to develop its impact and scale through its registered Community Interest Company that works year-round to strategically support a stronger, more diverse and sustainable cultural sector in Lancashire. Through bold commissioning, the CIC aims to present outstanding outcomes and experiences as part of both the festival weekend and a longer-term cultural programme for national visitors and regional communities – supporting economic development and creating a distinctive sense of place.
The commission has been made possible by funding and partnership support from Arts Council England, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Super Slow Way.
In 2018 the festival won Best Non-Music Festival at the UK Festival Awards and Visit Lancashire’s Large Event of the Year.
Connect with The National Festival of Making online at www.festivalofmaking.co.uk as well as via social media:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/festofmaking
Facebook: www.facebook.com/festofmaking
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thefestivalofmaking