Creative Connections

Brilliant to see all the #CliftonConnections being shared in the Creative Connections exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary.

The launch of Creative Connections at Nottingham Contemporary on Tuesday 18 July, was another brilliant example of how this project has bought together 274 people from different generations in the Nottingham community. 

What a brilliant programme and exhibition in the space at Nottingham Contemporary!

Bingo, British Legion Eyes down…

Here they are, Farnborough Academy GCSE Photography and Fine Art students taking part in this year’s Creative Connections.

We caught up with Katherine Green, the artist leading Creative Connections this year at Park Gate Community Centre, Clifton, Nottingham. Katherine was on site taking photos at the community centre ‘Super Kitchen’, where members of the local community get together to meet, have a natter and indulge in some hearty food and cakes. Katherine spent the afternoon talking to the Clifton locals, getting to hear their stories before taking some photographs; capturing the spirit of the locals and reflecting their vibrant personalities. Her photographs will be exhibited alongside the photographs of Farnborough Academy students and archive of Clifton history at both Nottingham Contemporary and the National Portrait Gallery later this year. We caught up with Katherine to find out a little more about Clifton and the Creative Connections project…

Could you give us overview of your practice, as an artist, and how this has helped you with the National Portrait Gallery, Creative Connections, Project? So, as an artist I work mainly with photography and I am really interested in documenting communities, particularly community groups or volunteers within the community. The kind of people that don’t often get recognized but really need a bit of celebrating. For this project I’ve been going through archives also; archives of the history of Clifton estate. I quite often look through archives, just looking back at past photographs or newspaper articles that help tell a story about an area. So, my practice is quite often collaborative, I work with other artists or other people within the community or students and I will put together exhibitions or publications about areas. What do you hope the community [of Clifton] will gain from the project? I’ve been really overwhelmed by the kindness in the community and the sense of togetherness and I really hope people get a sense of pride from being part of the project and just a chance to reflect on how fantastic their community is and how lovely the people are here. To kind of also celebrate and give back to the community. There’s far too many here to have captured; I’ve captured a couple but I hope that communicates to the outside would, outside of Clifton, just what a special place it is.

What do students at Farnborough Academy think about their community in Clifton, Nottingham?

The Farnborough Academy art department has been extremely fortunate to work collaboratively with Nottingham Contemporary for several years, developing exciting projects and outcomes for students at the academy, whilst forming connections with arts professionals.  As part of the Trent Academies Group, Farnborough Academy in Clifton, Nottingham is committed to regional work to prepare young people for the world of work through vocational experiences and connections with the wider community. 

Being the partner school for Creative Connections: Nottingham has been a fantastic opportunity for twenty Art and Design GCSE students to visit internationally renowned galleries, view a wide collection of art in context, be introduced to vocations within the art industry and work with the photographer Katherine Green. 

Creative Connections: Nottingham commenced in February 2017 with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, where students were given a tailored guided tour of portraits of inspirational people with connections to Nottingham such as Dame Laura Knight, D.H. Lawrence and Jesse Boot.  They were also given the rare opportunity to go behind the scenes to view photographic work in the archives. 

The students participated in a lighting and photography workshop with Katherine and came away with a wealth of ideas to develop their own Photographic Portraits and excitement to begin their project.

Back in Nottingham, the Art department and students have been working closely with Katherine and Nottingham Contemporary on a community-based project to explore and document the social history of Clifton, whilst positively capturing the community, people, places through photography and interviews. 

By working collaboratively with the artist, as a school we have gained confidence in making stronger community links, whilst working with organisations such the Hope Church, Clifton Food Bank, Lark Hill Retirement Village and local businesses. Thank you to all of those that have taken part in capturing positive stories and histories of the local area. This has given students the valuable opportunity to hear different voices and stories about their local community as well different values and beliefs about opportunities in the area.

As a final outcome of the project, two exhibitions will bring together the students’ and artist’s new work alongside portraits from the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection and documentary material about Clifton and its people. Students are continuing to take part in the development of this through regular discussions and are developing their own photographic books about their personal experiences of living in the Clifton community. 

We hope that this project will be a platform to continue to develop positive local and wider community links that celebrate successes of the local community and provide future opportunities for young people in Clifton. We extend a warm welcome to all from the community to the exhibition at the Nottingham Contemporary in the summer and at the National Portrait Gallery this autumn.

Julianne England Head of Expressive Arts and Art & Design, The Farnborough Academy, Clifton, Nottingham

Footballer

Did you know? Ferdinand won a scholarship to attend the Central School of Ballet when he was eleven years old and trained as a dancer for four years.

South of the River Connection: Born in Camberwell and lived on the Friary estate in Peckham.

Biography: Ferdinand made his debut for the England team aged nineteen and represented his country eighty-one times. In 2009, he established the Rio Ferdinand Live the Dream Foundation, helping to provide education and employment opportunities for young people from deprived backgrounds.

Fashion Designer & Political Activist

Did you know? Before being a fashion designer Westwood was a primary school teacher.

South of the River Connection: Lives in Clapham.

Biography: Westwood has grown her fashion business from selling home-made jewellery on a stall in Portobello Market to global brand. She is famous for her designs that mix anarchy with a sense of tradition. As an activist, she supports ethical fashion and environmental concerns.

Musician

Did you know? Roots Manuva’s real name is Rodney Hylton Smith.

South of the River Connection: Grew up in Stockwell. His first album was recorded in a community studio on the Angell Town estate.

Biography: One of Britain’s leading hip-hop artists, Roots Manuva is heavily influenced by the community in which he grew up and his family’s links to the Pentecostal church. His ninth studio album, Bleeds, was released in 2015.

Live in (or simply love) south London? Enter our #CreativeConnections photography competition and share a portrait that you've taken of someone with a connection to 'South of the River'. You could win exhibition tickets and see your work projected at the Gallery in September.

To enter, simply upload your photos to Twitter or Instagram and tag your photos using #CreativeConnections before 6 September.

See full terms and conditions at npg.org.uk/creativeconnections

The lives and achievements of inspiring people from South London, including Malorie Blackman, David Bowie, Rio Ferdinand, Peter Tatchell and Vivienne Westwood, are celebrated in this year’s Creative Connections display.

Students from St. Saviour’s and St. Olave’s School in Southwark and artist Simon Terrill have used the Gallery’s portraits of these famous sitters to develop a series of photographic responses, culminating in an ambitious large-scale shoot featuring 180 students. The display will present the student’s work alongside the Collection images that inspired them.

Find out more: npg.org.uk/creativeconnections/