Making The Trent Valley Cabinet of Curiosities
Holly Johnson and Stoke-On-Trent based groups
Stories of transformation,
Artist Holly Johnson - inspired by folklore stories of transformation wanted to explore how we might devise a new story of transformation for the River Trent.
Holly has been working with the Stoke based ArtsHill performers group and members of the public to devise a new folklore around the River Trent, exploring themes around identity, transformation, and how our personal traits could become magical, physical forms.
In the first session Holly and the group were joined by story teller Julie Moss. Together Holly and Julie worked with the group to explore how our personalities, experiences and qualities could be represented by characteristics from the river ecosystem.
Thinking about the ways in which folklore and mythical characters’ explore our relationship to the natural world and its cycles, giving us freedom to explore different ways of connecting to ourselves and our surroundings.
They then created a story board for a character experiencing a new folklore tale walking down the river to escape the mundane every day, and how this freedom transforms them.
In the next two sessions Holly was joined by fellow costume maker Eve Travis, together they worked with the group to create props and costume pieces from foam clay, wire and fabrics to represent parts of the story, mysterious things their character may stumble across, and the River Cryptid that their character may become.
Having made props and costume related to the story of transformation the group headed to the River Trent accessible from Stoke (off Campbell Road) to take some photographs as the River Cryptid version of themselves (and surprising a few dog walkers and dogs along the way!).
Transforming into Cryptids for a River-side photoshoot!
The following week the group selected some of their images transferred onto acetate sheets and used these alongside flora and fauna collected during the river visit to create cyanotype prints.
You’ll find some of the cyanotypes created by the group within the Cabinet. Alongside a recipe for making cyanotype prints using natural materials … if you find yourself by the river and want to keep your own record of the strange creatures you find there!
River Sediment Transformation
river sediment into art materials with Sasha DeWitt
Sasha DeWitt is an artist and natural pigment maker based at Acava Studios Spode (Stoke)
She is currently on a R&D project ‘Waste Stream and Locally Sourced Pigment’ including experimenting creating paint and crayons using sediment from the River Trent. As part of the Cabinet of Curiosities project Sasha ran a public workshop at B. ARTS in Stoke sharing information about how she creates pigment and inviting participants to paint, draw & experiment with watercolours, crayons and oil paints made from sediments and clay collected from the banks of the River Trent.
You’ll be able to find one of Sasha’s River Trent' crayons and have a go with it yourself, within the desk section of the cabinet.
Following the workshops Holly continued to develop the group’s ideas. Her story centres on a person who is investigating strange sightings and unusual occurrences along the river, including creating cyanotype images of what they have observed. As they carry out their investigations they begin to realise that they themselves are changing. In the cabinet you will find their desk - along with some of their research about these sightings and occurrences….and some clues as to what may be happening to them.
Building the case of the mysterious Trent Cryptid
Vintage cameras - the desk belongs to an avid photographer and investigative journalist, researching the existance of river cryptids!
Folder of research- news stories about possible sightings of cryptids, the desk owner’s observations and diary entries, images of possible folklore celebrations etc
Old bottles - collected from the River Trent and filled with river sediment and sealed with wax
Cyanotype images - showing the writer’s gradual transformation into a river cryptid
Nettle Extract in a bottle - collected from the Trent, the extract can be used as part of the cyanotype development process - producing a lighter eggshell blue tone.
Wooden disc with QR code - scan this to hear ‘Trisentona (A curious song of the River Trent by Esther Brennan ). The song is centred around the river deity ‘Trisentona’ - which imagine this might be sung as part of folklore celebrations. You can listen here
Objects to look out for in the investigator’s desk!
This project has been commissioned by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, as part of the Trent Valley Past and Present Project. It is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.
Find out more about the wider project here: https://www.thetrentvalley.org.uk/projects/tvpp/
