Special Newcastle Memories Exhibition Opens for Viewing

Special Newcastle Memories Exhibition Opens for Viewing

Treasured memories of Newcastle-under-Lyme's older community have been recreated for a special cyanotype photograph exhibition at the town’s Belong Heritage Gallery on Lower Street, showcasing the artistic efforts of residents of the Belong care village who have been getting to grips learning a new skill for the project.

Photography & Wellbeing: Staffordshire stars the customers, who, along with their families and local schoolchildren, have been supported to transform their family photo albums thanks to the tuition of visual artist, Ruby Nixon.

Happy life moments from childhoods, weddings, and even wartime camaraderie have been brought to life using cyanotype photography, a camera-less technique involving laying an object on paper coated with a solution of iron salts before exposing it to ultraviolet (UV) light and washing with water. It is a common method for creating blueprints and technical drawings.

The result is a stunning 30-piece white and Prussian blue collection of images taking pride of place in the landmark heritage gallery, integrated within the main care village. The free exhibition is open to the public, alongside other exhibitions documenting the area’s rich cultural history, including modern circus and the building’s history as the town’s only pottery, and more recently, Maxims nightclub. John Yarwood, Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme customer, said: “I really enjoyed the project. It was exciting to try something different and to it all come together in the form of an exhibition is wonderful.” Facilitated by GRAIN Projects, an arts organisation specialising in socially engaged photography, the wider project brings together Staffordshire people and artists with the goal to both support and promote better health and wellbeing and inspire its participants and audience, culminating in a series of pop-up exhibitions across the county and a project magazine.

Emma Palin, experience coordinator at Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme, said: “Our residents really enjoyed sharing their personal memories and reminiscing – they got a lot out of it.

“Discovering a new type of photography also proved a hit, learning about the process and ultimately, they gained a new skill and revelled in expressing their creativity. We invite everyone to pop in to see the fruits of their labour and meet with our residents to find out more.”

The project is funded by The Community Foundation for Staffordshire, Staffordshire County Council, and Better Health Staffordshire, with other artistic endeavours including photo-walks, crafting, lumen printing, photography, memory conversations and collage.

Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme's pop-up exhibition, Photography & Wellbeing: Staffordshire, is open for viewing at the Belong Heritage Gallery, Lower Street, ST5 2RS.

Pictured (L-R): Belong customers Mary Burndrett, Georgina Cliff (Belong Newcastle-under-lyme support worker), John Yarwood, and Pauline Dawson provide a preview of the exhibition.