Our Big Picture Presents: Our Future Heritage, a series of artist commissions to create conversations around our heritage, inheritance, inclusion, and identity and explore how this will be presented and experienced now and by future generations.
“Heritage has a unique relationship to the future. It encompasses society’s deliberate efforts to intervene in the society to come, to pass on an inheritance to future generations. This inheritance reflects the values of our time: heritage is what we care about, and what we think future society should have the chance to care about, too. In this way, it is the source of continuity between the society of the past, present and future, underpinning our identity and guiding our aspirations.” – University College London
We are thrilled to have commissioned 5 local artists who are in the process of making work surrounding the theme of Our Future Heritage for a pilot project delivering public-facing participation and engagement through activities and interventions within creative and non-gallery spaces on the high street in Grimsby town centre. We caught up with commissioned artists to see their project progress so far: Michael Burkitt, Alice May Stewart, Frances Hodson, Molly Gee, Soul Roberts.
Please see below for more information on each artist’s commission and how you can get involved in their projects.
Michael Burkitt
Michael Burkitt is an artist and filmmaker, and the founder and director of fountain arts CIC in Scunthorpe. As our Lead Artist, Michael will be completing his own response to Our Future Heritage, as well as collaborating with and providing mentorship and support to our emerging commissioned artists.
100 Years by Michael Burkitt
100 years from now, what do you want people to know about Grimsby?
Michael is producing a short film where he will be interviewing 100 people from North East Lincolnshire aged 1 to 100 years old. This is an opportunity to be part of a record of our future heritage that will last 100 years!
Filming takes place on the following dates:
Tuesday 22nd August
Wednesday 23rd August
To find out more information and sign up to take part in the film, please visit Michael’s website.
Alice May Stewart
Alice May Stewart is a mixed media artist based in Grimsby and a recent BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate from Central Saint Martins, London.
Open Call: Our Future Heritage
Do you knit? Would you like to learn? Take part in Alice’s knitting project!
Alice is making a series of 3 knitted patchwork tapestries and is looking for keen knitters to get involved by making a 10x10cm square inspired by Grimsby’s fishing heritage to be featured in the final piece. She will also be hosting 2 free workshops at Our Big Picture, suitable for beginners and different skill levels.
Workshops take place on the following dates:
Saturday 19th August and Saturday 2nd September
To find out more information on the project, how to get involved and to sign up to the workshops, please visit Alice’s website.
Frances Hodson
Frances Hodson is a visual artist based in Grimsby.
Through her commissioned work, Frances is exploring the Colours of Grimsby across 20 different locations. She is asking Grimsby residents to help by completing a multiple choice colour survey to select the colours associated with heritage sites in the town.
To complete the survey please click here.
Molly Gee
Molly Gee is a hand poke tattoo artist and illustrator based in Grimsby.
Skinned: Grimsby’s Tattoo Stories
Were you or your relative a fisherman from Grimsby? Do you have tattoos from your fishing days? Molly wants to talk to you about your tattoos!
Molly’s call out has generated lots of interesting conversations, which has helped her in conducting local research. She will be creating a mini zine to showcase the stories behind tattoos, and the legendary tattoo artists from the 1960s/1970s from the Grimsby area.
If anyone has any further information that you think might be helpful to Molly, please do get in touch.
Soul Roberts
Soul Roberts is a contemporary dance and dance theatre performer from Barton.
Soul will be conducting 3 dance/movement workshops for 14-25 year olds in Grimsby. We welcome you to MOVE | BUILD | SHARE an intimate & uncensored world of Grimsby truth throughout 3 consecutive workshops. Together we will move, question & document ‘Who we are?”, “Where we come from?” & “Where we aim to be?”, as young Grimbarians.
Workshops will take place on the following dates, please note participants must be able to attend all 3:
Monday 21st August 1pm – 2pm
Tuesday 22nd August 1pm – 2pm
Wednesday 23rd August 1pm – 2pm
Workshop Location: Central Grimsby (exact location TBC)
Workshop series is FREE of charge to all participants.
No previous dance experience required.
Workshop series open to individuals between the ages of 14-25 years.
Please use this form to sign up to the workshops.
For further enquiries please contact workshop creator & leader: