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Lookup NU author(s): Neil Bromwich
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'Worker's Maypole' is fine art practice led research investigating the transformation of Newcastle’s central Monument into a contemporary public artwork that celebrates the values of a socialist society. The aim of 'Worker's Maypole' was to re-frame perceptions of an existing historical monument and to re-activate discussions about what shared values and ideas we choose to remember and commemorate within public space. The seeds of this research lay in Dragon of Profit and Private Ownership that researched imagery found on The Ashington, National Union of Mineworkers Northumberland Area Banner (1924). The reverse side featured imagery from the Workers Maypole, a re-working of Walter Crane’s original illustration The Workers Maypole (1894) This motif was developed into a sculptural form through the wrapping and garlanding of the 40m monument to Charles Grey, Liberal Prime Minister who led the passing of the Great Reform Act 1832. The Monument has become a symbol of the regions role in supporting a fairer society and a meeting place for protest, debate and civic celebration. The text on the ribbons displayed socialist accolades, such as: Leisure for All, Health, Eight Hour Working Day; overlaying social demands onto a sculpture that celebrates the achievements of liberal reform. The new monument shifted audience’s perceptions of commemorative sculpture, not only allowing viewers to see the past but also helping them visualise what might come in the future, through inviting people to think about what these socialist values mean today. The project was a commission invitation from Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art to make a work for The Great Exhibition of the North a Government initiative to celebrate creativity, culture and design in North of England. Workers Maypole was seen by over 3 million visitors, also featured in a further exhibition within the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.
Artist(s): Bromwich N, Walker Z
Publication type: Exhibition
Publication status: Published
Year: 2018
Number of Pieces: 1
Venue: Great Exhibition of The North; Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
Location: Grey's Monument, Newcastle City Centre and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
Media of Output: Textile & Text, Steel - sculptural intervention onto Limestone Monument
URL: http://baltic.art/whats-on/getnorth/over-3-million-encounter-the-workers-maypole
