On Thursday 12th December 2015 Tipton Library hosted our first celebratory town event.
The evening was attended by 57 people and featured the screening of two new project films (see the Films section), a performance of commissioned material by Billy Spakemon, and creative resources produced by children from two local primary schools who worked alongside Brendan Jackson.
The first film presented, Where’s Our Spake Gone?- Tipton, is based upon elements from the oral history recordings combined with new and archival photography and film.
Project manager Juanita Williams said of the film:
“The film shows images of the participants, then and now, together with local landmarks both old and new, reminding us of the many changes that have occurred over the years. The film highlights the varied experiences of people living in Tipton and how the Black Country dialect forms such an important thread that is woven through their lives.”
The second film A Black Country Nativity is a collaboration between photographer Kate Jackson and editor Alex Williams and is a audio-visual piece based upon Michael Prescott’s interpretation of the Nativity story.
Brendan Jackson worked with two schools to explore the meanings of Black Country words which were exhibited during the celebratory evening.
You can see all the words used in the workshops and the children’s interpretations here.
Below is the invite to the event
Credits:
Featured Image: Birmingham Mainline Canal, Tipton circa 1976. Photo by Keith Hodgkins
Event Documentation: Geoff Broadway
