Working Together to Remember Part 1
Artists John Martin Fulton and Russell McGovern share their recent conversations with communities in North Lanarkshire
“People are more likely to open up when they are shoulder to shoulder, not face to face.”
A few months in, and that adage has almost become the unofficial motto of the Remembering Together project in North Lanarkshire. From the start our strategy has been to get people occupied with the labour of making art in order for them to open-up about their experiences of Covid while they work. As they craft and toil as artists, we figured, they will no longer hold back all the loss, all the sadness and all the joy from pouring out.
So far, it has proven successful. And perhaps there are reasons why… The phrase most commonly used to describe the towns and villages that make up North Lanarkshire and the 340,000 strong population that resides there is ‘post-industrial’. As upbeat, enthusiastic artists it’s almost instinctive to reel against such a term.
The word intrinsically has negative connotations (can it ever be good to be described as ‘post’ something?). It’s frankly too overarching, too sociological to describe real people in any meaningful way. And besides, you might say, the industries that we are supposed to be ‘post’ have never even been seen by anyone under 50.
But still the idea lingers.
The mammoth industries of iron, steel and coal are what brought and built-up the huge populations of these towns and villages where they now still reside. If the people came here for reasons of industry then how can we not describe them as industrial people, albeit post heavy industry?
Cut to the present day and one interesting perspective on the people of the area that comes from one of the newest communities to arrive there, the African Collaboration Group.
One member, a man who came to Motherwell from the Democratic Republic of Congo around 12 years ago, said this:
“Everyone here stays in their houses. If you look outside right now you see the streets are empty and you would think no-one lived here. They are all inside.”
He was right. Looking outside to a Motherwell street and there were no signs of life despite the many rows of houses at every angle.
“Where I come from people are always outside. The would go and knock on their neighbour’s door. Then when they answered they would go together and maybe knock another neighbour’s door. Before you know it lots of people would be outside together, sitting about and talking and maybe eating something as well.”
Maybe the harsh Scottish drizzle is what stops similar socializing happening here? No.
“Older people tell me it used to be more sociable and neighbourly here, with people talking and children playing together outside. But now everyone has everything they need in their homes and they drive everywhere. You can’t blame people. But when we first got here it was very hard.”
The African Collaboration Group told us they were determined to maintain their social way of living. During the pandemic they had secured their own premises (a 50s community hall they see as part of the local heritage). Some of their members took part in our workshops making drawings about Covid. The work was insightful, energized and confident in its way.
But we certainly didn’t stop there. Other social groups have been easy to come by. Communities still together in parts, still whirring away.
Maybe the lack of a wider visible community he talks about has something to do with being ‘post-industrial’. With no industry to bind everyone together perhaps the strands are just loose.
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