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Precious Places
A set of commemorative plaques, designed by artist Loraine Leeson, will identify places that hold special meaning to residents of North Woolwich and West Silvertown. These plaques will provide the basis for a walking trail and create a unique insight into the area through the eyes of its residents. The plaques will be sited at places where people congregate to reach a public audience – waiting rooms, shops, parks and transport routes – and each will be an interesting artwork in its own right.
The Precious Places project sets out to address gaps in communication across generations and cultures. The artist has already worked with individuals from a number of different groups at the St. John’s Community Centre in North Woolwich, including the elderly, parents, young people and members of the local Lithuanian community. Each participant discussed places that have special significance for them in the local area. They brought in objects relating to these memories, recalled stories and anecdotes, and also visited each place to create a photographic record of the site. A scanner was taken into the workshops where objects, clothing and accessories were scanned and combined with other imagery to create a series of twelve highly personal and vivid panels portraying each individual’s precious place(see images below).
These panels will provide the inspiration for each of the professionally designed plaques. Each plaque will reflect a personal memory, include visually striking and resonant engraving and text, and lettering around the edge of the plaque will include the project website address, to allow curious people to locate an online (printable) map and discover the locations of other plaques on the trail. The trail will be launched at an exhibition of panels and plaque artwork at the St Johns Centre and be permanently displayed on the Ports of Call website (which features a number of other walking trails around the Royal Docks area). The Precious Places plaques will commemorate a community in the making. |
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