Hit The North – a participatory cross-arts project funded by Arts Council England developed in and around Preston’s Victorian train station.
Hit the North developed the public’s arts and cultural aspirations in a site of low cultural engagement. Using the station & surrounding sites as spaces for display, performance, creative experiment and cultural conversations, we worked with the communities and people who inhabit the spaces alongside emergent and established artists to explore questions of regional identity, notions of Northerness and the relationship between community and place.
It was delivered as a series of multi disciplinary artist residencies, commissions & co-productions that had a foundation in socially engaged practice.
Caravan of Love
April 2016
As part of #HitTheNorth, Eggs Collective took a mini-break in a caravan in the middle of Preston.
They invited the public to drop in and talk about love. Over the course of the week the stories were collected and woven together to create the ultimate gift a town can have: its very own power ballad.
Delving into the hearts of the people of Preston, Eggs Collective wanted to know what love was and created a unique portrait of the town, which was unveiled at the Continental, complete with billowing veils and candles. This was followed by a performance of Late Night Love, a funny and angry show about expectation, romance and Richard Gere.
Late Night Love was performed at The Continental, Preston on Thursday 28th April, 8pm. Read more HERE.
#HitTheNorth
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The Oasis Social Club
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September 2015
Preston Railway Station played host to a fantastic four day performance in a temporary social club for performance, fun, and debate – The Oasis Social Club.
The club is the brainchild of London-based artist Rebecca Davies. It’s a vibrant, temporary space, complete with a licensed bar, encouraging the local communities to participate in discussions about their area and take part in a range of fun activities and entertainment.
Like any social or working man’s club, Oasis was a place to talk about matters that affect the area and the community, alongside wider discussion around what defines ‘the north’ and what it means to live and work here.
Through conversations with the local community – including a ‘Bingo and Meat Raffle’ event – Rebecca devised a fictional ‘host’ figure for the club and remained in character for the duration of the event; 46 year old Denise Sheila Braithwaite from Penwortham!
PRESTON’S FULL PROGRAMME
THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
Preston : A Tour
From the Station to The Harris, with an introduction to Preston’s local history archive
Book Binding
Make a book from scratch, using pages from Preston’s historial manifestos
Denise Braithwaite’s BINGO!
The Preston Bill
A work in progress. Play by Andy Smith (with Fuel Theatre).
FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
Brassed Off with Mags
A workshop with our cleaning lady, engrave your brassware!
Locomotive Landscape Class with Denise
A drawing class exploring the sites and sounds of the Preston Railway Station
Denise Braithwaite’s BINGO!
LGBTQ Cinema For All : Discussion and film screening
SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER
Aerobics with Tracey
Includes anti DVT exercises tailored for our taxi drivers and commuters
Cardboard Sumo with Mags
World Café with practical philosopher Ayisha de Lanerolle
An exploration into Northernness and Northern Grit
WITH BUTTER PIES AND PARCHED PEAS for fuel!
Denise Braithwaite’s BINGO!
with LIVE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT
Night of Local Live Music (The Moonbeams)
SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER
Aerobics with Tracey
Includes anti DVT exercises tailored for our taxi drivers and commuters
HOST completes MANIFESTO with COMMITTEE
Make your NORTHERNNESS BANNER to accompany the Manifesto
A MANIFESTO FOR PRESTON
As put together by the HOST and PRESTON COMMITTEE
Denise Braithwaite’s BINGO!
Closing Party with INDUSTRAOKE!
Karaoke with a special Industrial twist
Im Glad you are here
As part of our Hit The North launch Lowri Evans delivered I’m Glad You’re Here: the first in a series of creative engagements with Preston’s train station.
We would love you to draw / write it by hand, because we want to feel your northern soul – and simple is fine – Chris, our designer, will transform the letters into a font that we can use as part of the project. Your input is really important to us, which is why we’ve come directly to you in this first round of call outs!
Twitter: @theyeatculture #Hitthenorth