Aroundtown Magazine July/August 2022

OUT & ABOUT
Creating, sharing
and connecting
with Rotherham residents
Being creative has the ability to nurture a
sense of togetherness, recognising our
uniqueness and identity while also
building intercultural connections.
Photography
with Rich Wiles
Documentary photographer
Rich has been working with young
people aged 16 to 25 document
their life in analogue photography
using a traditional camera with film.
Without the opportunity for digital
manipulation, this has encouraged
young people to be more creatively
fulfilled with the photography
process. They will each choose three
images that are important to them
and create a piece of writing about
their work ready to be shown at
Rotherham Show in September.
In Rotherham, a new programme
is harnessing the powers of arts
and culture with a series of creative
projects for residents to get
involved in.
Flux Rotherham is one of 39
national Creative People and
Places programmes funded by
Arts Council England. The aim is to
inspire more people to take part in
creative and cultural activities and
projects on their doorstep in areas
where participation is below the
national average.
There are currently four artists
in residence projects running
throughout the town which have
enabled communities to take the
lead in shaping the local creativity
and culture available to them.
Professional artists have been
co-creating art with local people
through workshops held everywhere
from chicken coops and allotments
to pubs and libraries, instilling
creativity in ordinary places.
Crafts and Textiles
with Mandy Keating
Visual artist Mandy has been
working with culturally diverse
women and girls’ groups including
Tassibee training group, Afghan
refugees and ladies from College
Road Mosque with a focus on
inheritance crafts. The women of
Rotherham have so many amazing
but hidden talents, from jewellery
making to pottery or textiles, that
are at risk of being lost to a younger
generation. Conversations are being
had with the Crafts Council in the
hope that this project will be rolled
out Rotherham wide.
Geo Audio Walk
with GeoTone
GeoTone’s Paul and Andy are
theatre-makers by trade and have
worked with different groups in
Wath to collect stories and sounds
that identify with the town and
celebrate what’s there. By working
with everyone from the youth
theatre group to adults with learning
disabilities, GeoTone have created
an audio walk along the river Dearne
where you can listen to the sounds
that connect with the heritage, history
and folklore of Wath.
Philosophy in Pubs
with Rosie Carnall
If Maltby had a superpower, what
would it be? That was just one of the
big questions Rosie put to Maltby
residents when they met to discuss
life and explore ideas over a drink in
the pub. As an outlying town, Maltby
has its own identity and locals have
donated a vast array of photographs
that tell its special story. These will
be used to create a bank of images
from which future projects will derive.
With the project running until
2025, it is hoped that these projects
will ripple outwards through the
borough and lead to further
opportunities. There are already
plans for a poetry project with
Dearne’s singer-songwriter Ray
Hearne inspired by the Wath geo
workshops.
As well as the artists in residency
projects, Flux Rotherham have
been involved in organising various
events such as the Rotherham
Skate and Art Festival in February
and the upcoming WOW Festival.
This year, they have joined forces
with Rotherham United Community
Sports Trust to host the annual
Ferham Festival in August.
The free event coincides with
South Asian Heritage Month which
aims to raise the profile of British
South Asian heritage and history
in the UK through education, arts,
culture and commemoration, with
the goal of helping people to better
understand the diversity of presentday
Britain.
For more information about how
to get involved with Flux, visit
www.fluxrotherham.org.uk
Join the fun at
Main stage with live
performances throughout the day
Music and dance performances by Sunrit Culture Group, dance
workshops with Nisha Lall, and poetry and story telling
with Britainʼs best known Asian poet, Debjani Chatterjee
Saturday 11th August 3pm-7pm
Ferham Park, Kimberworth Rd,
Rotherham S61 1AH
Art workshops with Flux Rotherham
Calligraphy, Henna, woodblock printing
Sports activities organised by RUCST
Food and drink stalls
32 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk