Art in Manufacturing commission: ‘Revolution’ (2017)
National Festival of Making, Deco Publique and Super Slow Way in association with Wayne Hemingway MBE
The first element of ‘Revolution’ (2017) contains tens of thousands of pieces of injection moulded plastic harvested from the factory floor of MGS Technical Plastics, Blackburn. They form a vast and immersive landscape. Using mis-moulds, ‘sprue’ and ‘purge’, the installation works ambitiously in colour, form and scale to illustrate the nature and scale of industrial manufacturing waste.
In the complementary piece, a documentary film contrasts the 1st Industrial Revolution against our contemporary 4th.
‘The artist’s father spent his whole life in plastic injection moulding and Woolston found herself drawn to the intergenerational narratives emerging in interviews with MGS employees, producing a film that not only draws on their stories but reaches further into our industrial heritage.’
As the two halves of the work come together, historical parallels proliferate; design, fabrication and plastic moulding processes are shown in parallel with the ebb-and-flow of the Leeds to Liverpool canal, culminating in a meditation upon Lancashire-based manufacturing and its legacy.
'You have completely captured the essence of the Festival of Making; the heritage, the industry, the local voices and dialect, the environment (built and natural), the soundtrack, the way you have captured it all on film.'
Claire Tymon, Placeshakers Director
“The Art in Manufacturing commission does exactly what it says on the tin; exposing the art at play in countless, largely invisible, factories across this area where hundreds of people embark each day on creative tasks, undertaken with remarkable attention to detail, resulting in the production of the beautiful, the delicious and the complex, from the most delicate to the most durable products on earth. These people, often coming from generations that have worked in these industries, have very generously imparted their knowledge to the nine artists who, in turn, have shone a spotlight of excitement and curiosity onto their formidable skills and dedication. We think that the outcomes of these collaborations perfectly capture the enthusiasm and mutual admiration that took place in the few short weeks it took to create them and help us all appreciate the creativity taking place in the historic factories and anonymous business parks at the end of our roads. We hope that it inspires viewers, particularly young people, to look to manufacturing as an outlet for their own creativity.”
- Laurie Peake, Director of Super Slow Way