On Tuesday 17 August, the Black Country Studies Centre hosts its next online talk in its series on the Festival of Britain and its relationship to the Black Country. For this talk, join artist Sian Macfarlane who will be discussing the Festival’s relationship to Walsall. If you’d like to join this free online talk, you can get tickets here.
Artsfest Online and the Black Country Studies Centre are pleased to present a series of events commemorating the 70 years anniversary of the Festival and its impact in the Black Country.
Date: Tuesday 17th August, 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Venue: online event
‘We Are Illuminated’, undertaken with The New Art Gallery Walsall, was a project concerned with the leisure life of Walsall; the history of the cinemas, fairs, Walsall Illuminations, and carnival queens in the area, exploring Walsall centre, and surrounding locations to situate the archival research in the present day. In this research, Sian uncovered a script for a Walsall play, performed at the Festival of Britain, 1951. This lengthy and detailed document presented the history of Walsall in a series of tableau, exploring key moments in Walsall’s past. The enactment of this script, with local students, became a key part of the project. The work resulted in an exhibition within the gallery, of video and original artefacts, exploring this rich history.
In this talk Sian Macfarlane will outline the research into the Festival of Britain and Walsall that was undertaken as part of this project, and explore the ways in which this became a key element of creative work.
The event will be held online and a joining link will be sent shortly beforehand. It is free to attend. To find out more about Sian’s work and to book a free place on this talk, please click here.
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