The Angus Ferguson Community Barge
My husband and I enjoyed our trip yesterday afternoon along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal from Hirst Wood in Saltaire to Shipley. It was part of the Multi-Story Water Theatre along the River Aire and Leeds-Liverpool Canal which is a new, 3 part theatre performance dramatising the history of environmental change in and around the River Aire, in the Shipley area.
It was quite unique in that it is a mobile way of telling stories about the local people living close to the Aire, and engages audiences and local residents in a creative conversation around questions of river stewardship and flood resilience.
Audiences could choose between a musical boat ride on the canal, and two guided walks along the Aire - one in the greener area of Saltaire, the other in the post-industrial centre of Shipley.
As we cruised along, Eddie Lawler, locally known as "the bard of Saltaire" entertained us with his songs about the Bradford Beck and the navvies that built the canal,and actor David Smith amused us with his commentary.
The production was directed by Simon Brewis, Associate Director with Red Ladder Theatre Company.
Multi-Story Water is part of the AHRC's umbrella programme Researching Environmental Change. The project is a collaboration between researchers in arts and sciences: Stephen Bottoms (Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at Manchester University) is leading the project in Yorkshire, while Lindsey McEwen (Professor of Environmental Management at the University of the West of England) is heading up a parallel project in Bristol.
Stephen stated:
"Site-specific theatre practice has acquired increasing recognition in recent years. Such work often takes place in exciting environments, but it’s quite rare for it to explore environmental themes and issues – even though these are increasingly pressing for all of us, as the crazy weather and flooding in Yorkshire this summer showed. With Multi-Story Water, we’re trying to look at the way Shipley’s waterways connect people up in an area that can appear quite disconnected, socially. And people in the area, we’ve found, have a lot to say about this!”
Multi-Story Water is part of the AHRC's umbrella programme Researching Environmental Change. The project is a collaboration between researchers in arts and sciences: Stephen Bottoms (Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at Manchester University) is leading the project in Yorkshire, while Lindsey McEwen (Professor of Environmental Management at the University of the West of England) is heading up a parallel project in Bristol.
Stephen stated:
"Site-specific theatre practice has acquired increasing recognition in recent years. Such work often takes place in exciting environments, but it’s quite rare for it to explore environmental themes and issues – even though these are increasingly pressing for all of us, as the crazy weather and flooding in Yorkshire this summer showed. With Multi-Story Water, we’re trying to look at the way Shipley’s waterways connect people up in an area that can appear quite disconnected, socially. And people in the area, we’ve found, have a lot to say about this!”
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