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May Wild Studio, a local social arts practice, has been commissioned to produce a piece of work that celebrates the waterways for Stalybridge’s forthcoming Gongoozler Festival.

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Artists Rebecca May and Michael Wild create artworks that challenge the conventions between visual art and traditional craft making. They create 3D artworks that communicate the raw materials of the natural and urban landscapes we live in.

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Rebecca says: “Prior to the new artist commission for Viewpoints Stalybridge, we were commissioned to create the artwork ‘Tame’.  The themes of this artwork become our starting point for developing this new piece of work.

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“The inspiration for the artwork started its journey where we live; a walk along the River Tame. Exploring the river’s route, we immersed ourselves in its heritage, natural landscape and people past and present. A town rich in history, culture and green spaces, we made discoveries along the way. The River Tame, dating back to Anglo Saxon times, meandering through the nine Tameside towns, is an important source of life to the area, its people and industry. Our research led us to discover the original names of the towns, with etymologies rooted in the river and natural landscape, which acted as a focal point for the artwork. We saw the Tameside heritage blue plaques as connecting people past and present to place, telling the story of each town that the river flows through. Finally the colour palette, a direct reference to the river itself, is taken from our on site photography, creating a rich aesthetic from detailed images of the river.

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“For the new project for Gongoozler Fest, we are expanding on ‘Tame’ with a Stalybridge-specific response to the waterways that run through the town - and this creative journey starts with the people and community of Stalybridge.

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“Holy Trinity church, located right on the canal at Armentieres square, the site of the festival, has welcomed us to their Tuesday and Wednesday community drop ins. It is here we have had the pleasure to connect to the local people of Stalybridge and listen to their stories and experiences past and present of the local waterways.

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“These stories shared every week have opened up incredible insights into how the canal and river are interacted with in local lives. How experiences of the canal and river are woven through the fabric of the people of Stalybridge.

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“We’ve heard and documented past stories of school berets from the local girls school (now closed) collectively thrown into the River Tame at the finish of school, a ceremonial goodbye to a sometimes disliked part of the uniform. Stories of the Stalybridge Wakes and how the much loved black peas sold there were rumoured to be soaked in the canal and/or river before cooking. Also present day experiences of daily walks along the canal, an interaction with space, daily dog walks, family walks and cycles and how the local Tesco is a regular place to watch the canal, with its large window wall alongside the canal.

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“Our commission for Gongoozler Fest will celebrate these stories. We’ve observed that as we share these stories with others they ignite more memories, they encourage more conversation and they connect different generations together to remember and inspire.

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“Drawing on inspiration from the Tameside blue plaques, we will create a present day commemoration and celebration of life and community, an artwork installation and interactive event marking the presence and stories from the people of Stalybridge – their mark and their absence.”

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‍This new work will be premiered at the Stalybridge Gongoozler Fest on the weekend commencing the 9th September. Workshops will be provided on Saturday 10th September as part of the festival alongside an exhibition of the work.   Find out more about the artists at https://www.maywildstudio.com