Residents of Stoke-on-Trent are being invited to experience a special ‘fabric walk’ through Middleport that has been inspired by local people’s memories and stories of the area.
Anoushka Athique, the artist behind the walk, began her project earlier in the summer when she set up a series of ‘repair stations’ around the Middleport area and repaired damaged clothing in return for stories and memories from local residents. The stories that she collected have now been used to inspire her walk and the journey that participants will travel along.
Starting on Platform 2 at Longport Station, the project, which is part of this year’s Place, Space and Identity programme, also involves Anoushka wrapping fabric around different parts of the landscape, changing the way it looks and providing a guide for those people who wish to explore their local area.
For those who would like to hear more about the inspiration behind the walk and how it was put together, there will be a guided walk on 17th September at 2pm, which is also part of Steelite’s ‘Green Week’. Alternatively, participants can download the route online.
Running until 24th September, the fabric walk is just less than one and a half miles and should take 30 minutes to complete.
The route can be found online at www.walk4life.info/walk/fabric-walk. For more information on Place, Space and Identity 3 please visit www.placespaceidentity.org.
Anoushka Athique will also be sharing her experiences and speaking more widely about art and the industry during an artist talk taking place in September at the Mitchell Arts Centre on Broad Street, City Centre (Hanley).
