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See an aerial view of the Stourport Basins by clicking here
To see photos of the current restoration work in the Stourport Basins, visit the Stourport Basins Photo Gallery.
If you are part of a group or an individual with connections to Stourport and you are interested in being part of Jaime’s focus group then please contact Susannah Ronan, Arts and Project Coordinator by e-mail
e-mail us with your news, views and contributions for the website
Website Stories
The Website Stories Commission will invite artist Jaime Jackson to capture stories about the people of the Canal Basins and Stourport and then establish and manage a website to facilitate the storytelling.
The Stourport Canal Basins and the surrounding area offers immense scope for an artist like Jaime to involve and engage with the people of Stourport through the historical development of the site, its trades and significance in the area. The people of Stourport and the users of the canal basins have huge local knowledge of the site and its history. Jaime will work closely with local people to research into their experiences, stories and memories of the site. He will be spending time at Stourport Canal Basins to explore, identify and collate the stories and images and establish an innovative, dynamic website to facilitate his research.
Commission Aims:
- Engage with local communities to capture their memories, stories and images in order to establish an interactive website to facilitate the storytelling and contribute to Stourport’s cultural dynamic.
- Attract a wider audience to Stourport Canal Basins through information presented in website.
- Connect the Canal Basins with the town and its contemporary communities.
Jaime’s Response: “I propose to create an interactive website, containing information and images compiled through community consultation workshops where I will research and document photographs, experiences, stories and memories. I will explore, identify and collate stories and images for an innovative and creatively interactive website.By including a vast range of people in the work, ownership will reach deep into the community; Animating the project by providing an opportunity to connect the site with the town and its contemporary communities; Promoting Stourport as an original and forward-looking place to be and a dynamic attraction to visit. The work will be like a community forum, creating a growing source of information by documenting the present and referencing the past. It will develop from week to week as new images and stories are included.”
Images: Each community participant will have his or her own mosaic, using photography of him or herself or an object that embody Stourport. Each of these mosaics will be organised to create composite images of Stourport that can also be easily marketed as souvenirs, become touring exhibition prints or temporary projections.
Stories: The community residency stage will gather and research contemporary and historic stories and reflections from residents, local interest groups, young people, British Waterways staff and site users. These stories will be presented on the website though interactive tools and links to participant’s mosaics.
Jaime Murray Jackson
Jaime worked with the artist collective Transmission Gallery, Glasgow and the Goven workers centre as a community artist in 1989 after taking a Fine Art Degree at Coventry Polytechnic. He moved to Brighton and set up Eye Level artists’ Collective (now Phoenix), where he worked with the Brighton Dome and Festival and South East Arts Board. Jaime has produced and edited a number of contemporary art audio guides including the Gary Hume ICA exhibition.
He has worked with Southampton City Council, Artpoint and Eastleigh Borough Council on their Public Art programmes and with Contemporary Arts Society Projects in London.
As part of the artist group Praxis Jaime has organised and delivered a number of public art commissions in the West Midlands since 2003 in the public and private sectors, with Local Authorities, Arts Council England West Midlands and Arts & Business.
Jaime has always had an interest in communities and their local cultural environment; either through the creation of artist groups, gallery interpretation or socially engaged public art commissions.
Website Commission Update:
April 2007:
Jaime is currently establishing a focus group of representatives from a variety of community groups in Stourport. He will be working very closely with each community group representative in the initial stages of the project to assist him in engaging with the wider community.
May 2007:
Jaime has been building up relationships and links with a wide range of people connected to Stourport and the Canal Basins. He has been planting the commission into the minds of key individuals who represent local community groups by talking, videoing, recording and photographing individuals and their thoughts of Stourport. Jaime has been working closely with these key individuals to help them inform their own groups of the project. It is anticipated this will create a whole network of images, views and anecdotes which Jaime can upload onto a website for the people connected to Stourport to access.
June 2007:
Jaime has been working to prepare, design and create the website to facilitate the storytelling. The website will be www.mystourport.co.uk and will be available at first to the individual groups to access and upload their images and stories. Jaime was interviewed by The Wyre in June to inform people about his project and how they can get involved.
July 2007:
Jaime is creating more relationships with local individuals, groups and schools to find out their views and stories relating to the canal basins. He has created a holding page for www.mystourport.co.uk and is working with a web designer to upload all the images, video clips, sound bites and stories he has collected so far.
August 2007:
Jaime has been looking at possible ways to facilitate the story telling on the website. He has suggested a number of designs linking to the basins including stained glass and the narrow boats travelling through locks. There have been a number of design discussions with British Waterways to agree on a final look for the website. Jaime continues to work with the web designer and anticipate the website to be accessible to all in September 2007.
If you would like to contribute your memory, story or views of Stourport then please contact susannah.ronan@britishwaterways.co.uk