Nov 2015

The Last Battle was commissioned as part of The Harris Museum, Library, and Art Gallery’s ‘The Last Battle On English Soil’.

The Last Battle 2015

We…..

  • Animated the streets – by transforming Church Street into a battle between Jacobites and rebels
  • Connected – people as we asked what you would do if you encountered an angry Jacobite in a takeaway on Church Street?
  • Celebrated – our town and its rich history

Listening, Responding, Connecting, Transforming 

We created a large public-access audiovisual & performance event, placing the events of 1715 into the contemporary contexts of Preston in 2015.

Community Engagement – Bringing Heritage To Life  
We asked “What would you do if you encountered an angry Jacobite in full battle mode in a takeaway on Church Street? Run a mile? Join the rebels? Inform the Government? Ask for a chip?”

The Last Battle performance built on our community engagement workshops from our associate and commissioned artists, including stories written and performed by 7-9 yr olds, placed as audio installations and lanterns made during public workshops and given out on site.

Through promenade performance and artist commissioned sound and light, this family-friendly event allowed audience members to discover stories about their own city while being engaged in helping stop the war on their doorsteps.

Those at The Battle could get involved by picking a side, building a barricade, singing along to battle out a Jacobite, asking onsite historians questions. Or simply just picking up a protest lantern and giving a heckle and riot shout!

Audiovisual artist commission interventions included – Large scale Projection mapping,  CCTV camera installations pre recorded scenes &  commissioned films and played through tamyos, TV’s and flat screens inside multiple  open venues and in windows onto the street.  Commissioned Sound pieces played through shop tanoys and speakers onto the street. Recorded stories to be intermittently listened to from inside a sited taxi.

Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund
We were commended in a letter from the DCMS Minister of Heritage for our contemporary heritage work.