Dr Maria Abranches is the curator of a new display of original work by Great Yarmouth residents exploring local heritage and fishing, about to open at the UEA. Here, she explains how it’s been a privilege to work with the eight residents involved
Heritage and Imaginaries of the Coast, a new display comprising a series of collages produced by residents of Great Yarmouth which explore meanings of heritage and fishing, will open at the University of East Anglia on February 2. The exhibition will take place at the Enterprise Centre on UEA campus and is supported by CreativeUEA, an interdisciplinary research theme that explores new areas of research, learning, action and outreach.
The collages on display as part of the exhibition were produced by eight residents who worked with UEA researchers to explore what Great Yarmouth’s fishing heritage might mean to individuals, families, the town itself, and wider society.
Allison Harding, Marina Hope, Michael Keenan, Bridget Smith, Mary Spragg, Eleanor Trett, Fran Turner, and Sue Tyler attended collage workshops on Heritage and Fishing facilitated by Maria Abranches and Elena Horton from UEA’s School of International Development in November and December 2021 at PrimeYarc, a gallery and arts space in central Great Yarmouth.
Over the course of centuries, the town of Great Yarmouth and the lives and livelihoods of its inhabitants were shaped by the herring industry. This unique past has a profound influence on the town to this day; ‘Silver darlings’ – as herring are known from the East Anglian Coast to the North-East of Scotland – even feature on the Great Yarmouth coat of arms. The decline of the herring industry began with the challenges of two world wars, aggravated by pressure on fish stocks from more intensive fishing methods and machinery, and by the 1960s the oil and gas industries had become the town’s largest employers.
Through the works on display, Heritage and Imaginaries of the Coast addresses the issues caused by this transformation of Great Yarmouth by including the voices of different generations, especially the descendants of those who worked in the fishing industry. The exhibition – produced with the support of originalprojects;, collage artist Pushkin, Out There Arts and the Time and Tide Museum of Great Yarmouth Life – showcases both personal and collaborative thinking about the way individual experiences intersect with the wider history of Great Yarmouth.
Dr Maria Abranches, the exhibition’s curator, says: ‘It has been a privilege to work with Great Yarmouth residents to produce this exhibition. Some of the collage artists have their own memories of the town’s recent past, while others have been informed by stories shared by parents or grandparents. Underpinning the residents’ stories is a clear sense of attachment to Great Yarmouth’s heritage, despite the uncertainty of the present and the future. In this critical decade, for the eight Great Yarmouth residents who have produced the collages which feature in the exhibition, effort and commitment to revitalise the town’s social and ecological landscape is not only necessary, but urgent.’
Professor John Gordon, Academic lead for CreativeUEA, adds: ‘CreativeUEA is very proud to support the display of Heritage and Imaginaries of the Coast. We are really looking forward to seeing how visitors engage with the display to connect with Great Yarmouth’s unique heritage, and what this means for residents today. We are delighted that UEA has been able to collaborate once again with originalprojects, along with Out There Arts, Time and Tide Museum and collage artist Pushkin. Yarmouth residents have joined them to share and reflect upon the town’s heritage, strengthening connections between communities, creative practice and academic research across the region. The artworks on display combine many voices of Great Yarmouth across time, enabling us to remember the past to understand the present, and hopefully, to influence the future.’
Heritage and Imaginaries of the Coast is at the Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, from February 2-28, 2023. Free admission; Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 16:30pm.
Featured image of Dr Maria Abranches. All images supplied by CreativeUEA
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