Pine an’ Fret, an exhibition by artist Rebecca Chesney opens on Saturday 30th September at the Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge and runs until 23 December.

‍

The exhibition depicts a series of beautifully crafted posters featuring an array of poetic statements. Some of these statements were created by the Stalybridge community during workshops with local writer Cat Lumb while some are taken from the poems of Samuel Laycock, a dialect poet who recorded in verse the vernacular of the Lancashire cotton workers in the 1800s.

‍

At the workshops, held earlier this year at Stalybridge Library, Mossley Writers group and at Industry Stalybridge, Cat used some of Laycock’s writing to inspire people to give their ideas, thoughts and opinions about Stalybridge today, during a difficult time with the current cost of living crisis. However, these difficulties also come at the same time as one of the most hopeful and exciting times in Stalybridge’s recent history, with the Town of Culture award in 2022, Heritage Action Zone project improving the town centre, and the recent news that Stalybridge has been granted £20m of regeneration funding from central Government. There are lots of reasons for optimism in Stalybridge!

‍

The poetic statements that have been written cover thoughts on the changing face of the town, wages, health, and the cost of living and are intended to provoke a response from the viewer and start a dialogue about Stalybridge. The exhibition intends to look deeper, exploring our role as citizens in shaping society.

‍

The statements from Cat’s workshops have then been taken by Rebecca and turned into posters, which were created using a combination of historic letterpress printing techniques with digital design.

‍

The aim of this exciting exhibition is to examine how Stalybridge has changed since the time of Samuel Laycock; to understand the similarities between social issues today and those experienced by our predecessors and to contextualise the recent milestones for Stalybridge that broadly fall under the Stalybridge Town Centre. Rebecca wants to start a conversation with the local community, young and old about where Stalybridge has been, where it’s going and how people feel about their place, and as importantly, why? The exhibition will feature paintings, drawings and artefacts that Rebecca has selected from the Tameside Borough Council archive and collection, alongside items and artworks from recent times that to her, capture the spirit of the town and the project.

‍

During the exhibition, audiences will be encouraged to respond to the artworks, at different points in the room, creating new contributions that will be exhibited (with participant permission) alongside Rebecca’s work. All of the public's thoughts, comments and designs will also be documented on The Living Room website, a new social history archive that aims to capture the voice of people today and gives a platform for the memories and experiences of local people.

‍

The Bridge Creative Network has supported and informed the direction of this project.

‍

The exhibition runs from 30th September to 23rd December at the Astley Cheetham Art Gallery, Trinity St, Stalybridge, SK15 2BN.

‍

To find out more about the exhibition, the artist, or to connect with The Bridge, please get in touch on cultureinstalybridge@gmail.com or hello@wearelocal.org.uk

‍