Britain from Above

From Cate Ross

Community groups are invited to work with artists on creative responses to historic aerial photographs of communities around the Solway Firth as part of a new project that launches in Dumfries and Galloway on 21st July.
Brian Wilkinson, Britain from Above Activity Officer from Royal Commission on the Ancient Monuments of Scotland will be giving public talks in Annan and Kiirkcudbright on the 21st July about the fascinating collection of historic aerial photographs, taken by pioneering company Aerofilms between 1919 and 1953, which can be accessed online for free here. 
Brian will show a selection of local images and explain how you can use the online archive and what to look for in aerial photographs. Cathy Newbery, arts coordinator, will talk about the “Borders” project for Britain from Above with a geographic focus on the Solway Firth, aiming to link rural communities on the coast and the immediate hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway and in Cumbria.
Local people from communities in, Bowness on Solway, Cockermouth, Annan and Kirkcudbright will be invited to uncover their stories about places, inspired by the Aerofilms collection. They will then have the opportunity to record and document these stories and create an artistic response that encapsulates their feelings and memories to a particular location around the Solway Firth.

Annan Academy as can be seen on the Aerofilms website

These talks and launch event will introduce the project to members of the local communities, to gauge interest and raise awareness of the project. This will be followed by a number of workshops throughout July and August on both sides of the Solway; artists will work with participants to create a response which will be captured in postcards and sound recordings to document the project. All memories and artwork will be available to view in a dedicated group on www.britainfromabove.org.uk.
To share the created project outcomes with the wider communities on both sides, celebration events will be held at the beginning of September.
For more information and to register interest contact Cathy Newbery on 016973 71054 email: cathy@cathynewbery.co.uk