Welcome to Stitch Your Story!
Following on from the incredible response to the launch of the new Create Studios’ home in Brunel’s former Carriage Works, the team are excited to present the first exhibition from their new space as part of Swindon’s Heritage Open Day offer – a collaboration with 8 local groups and 80 participants from across the town.
This Friday 8th September 2023 will see the launch of “Stitch your Story”; a unique and colourful social history telling the story of 80 diverse Swindon contributors of all different backgrounds, age and experience who made 8 textile banners – one for each of their groups – and recorded archive interviews to capture their memories and stories to be held in a new Stitch Your Story website.
“It’s been amazing to work alongside so many participants with diverse stories and experience. Some were established sewers, and others had not picked up a needle and thread before. What I was really touched by was the great love and affection people have for Swindon as a place they call ‘home’.”
Swindon-based Artist, Jo Beal led the year-long project working with 80 people to share in making 8 giant textile banners to represent and capture their stories. Memories were as far-ranging as playing in Coate Water through to refugee experience of welcome, and living in the town’s famous Railway Village.
Create’s CEO, Shahina reflected, “Create Studios has always delivered cultural programmes to bring communities together and share experience and connection with the town. With our new home in Swindon’s Heritage Action Zone, we developed a project which would involve our new neighbours and others across Swindon as creators of our first exhibition.”
“In Stitch Your Story we wanted to use established ways of sharing history via textiles and banners combined with digital film-making and online platforms which have a very modern twist”.
The Stitch Your Story project was supported by Swindon Borough Council as part of the Heritage Action Zone and Town Centre redevelopment funded by Central Government’s Towns Fund, and by Arts Council England’s ongoing support for Create Studios.
The exhibition of banners and films is free and open to the public 11.00am – 3.00pm on 9th ,11th ,12th 13th September as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative.
The Stitch Your Story website also launches on Friday 8th September and can be accessed here:
