A giant music box will surprise visitors to a Sheffield museum – and the message behind it is crucial
A ‘sculptural sound system’ taking the form of a vast music box is to go on show at Sheffield’s Kelham Island Museum – putting the spotlight on organisations that work to boost people’s
The new piece, called Stand, has been created by artist Mel Brimfield and composer Gwyneth Herbert in collaboration with more than 100 mental health service users, singers, museum volunteers and members of the Men’s Sheds project in England and Wales.
A choral composition sits at the centre of the installation. This began with a recording of a long-term inpatient, Patrick, reciting poetry at the Bethlam psychiatric hospital in London, which was captured by Brimfield as part of a year of research.A writing process then followed, guided by a series of workshops led by the artists with groups such as inmates at HMP Parc Prison, academics at Kings College and the choir at Maudsley Hospital.
The installation comprises an elaborately hand-painted, 15-sided platform, in the middle of which Patrick’s recitation plays from a speaker embedded in a gold-leafed tree hung with hundred of polished semi-precious stones.
A circle of 15 chairs is gathered around the sculpture, each one designed and built by different chapters of Men’s Sheds, as well as Kelham Island Museum volunteers and technicians, using c
A speaker is built into each chair relaying parts of the composition, performed by members of Harrow-based ensemble More Than Just a Choir.
Gwyneth said: “In our songwriting workshops, we explored emotions and subjects around mental illness such as isolation and connection; loneliness and community; anxiety and healing; the loss, finding and sharing of voice.
Gwyneth Herbert and Mel Brimfield at Kelham Island Museum. Picture: Jonathan Turner
“Common to many shared stories was an exhausting experience of collapse, slow recovery and relapse without appropriate community support.
“As a central principle, we’ve structured the harmonic sequences and melodies to assume a looping, cyclical form in response, uniting initially tentative individual voices in the circle to slowly build to a euphoric choral swell before repeatedly fragmenting to dissonance.”
Mel added: “The accessibility and value of creativity to the isolated is both the subject and method of ‘Stand’.
“At a time of disastrous austerity cuts to mental health services, we’re uniting and foregrounding the organisations who provide crucial opportunities for socialising through communal activity.
Kelham Island Museum. Picture: Andrew Roe
“It’s an artwork that’s been made with and for the community, and is hopefully a celebratory testament to the potential of collective action.”
Men’s Sheds are places where older men can go to practice skills such as making and mending, tackling the problem of loneliness. The movement began in Australia and has since spread across the world.
Chris Keady, museum manager at Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust, said Kelham Island aimed to ‘tell the stories of the people and communities behind Sheffield’s industrial past – the makers and the craftspeople’.
“This newly-commissioned artwork gives a new perspective on the process of making, collaborating and wellbeing, and is very different from anything our visitors will have experienced at Kelham Island Museum before,” he said.
The artists worked with members of the Men's Sheds project - a Men's Shed in Hartlepool is pictured. Picture: Frank Reid
Stand is on show at Kelham Island from January 26 to March 8. It then tours to Cardiff, Leeds and Leicester.
The project is part of the Meeting Point scheme, run by the Arts&Heritage agency.
Visit www.simt.co.uk/kelham-island-museum for details
- Written by John Gates
ShedQuarters Commissioned to Build New Art Project
The woodworking group and the craft group are working on an exciting project. The Shed has been approached by an eminent artist Mel Brimfiel who as asked us to be involved in an art project that she has been commissioned to produce. Of course we said yes.
Mel has been asked by the National Psychosis Unit, at Bethlem Royal Hospital to produce an art work around the theme of mental health, loneliness and isolation. She has asked Sheds from around England and Wales to produce chairs. They will be normal size chairs with a hole for a speaker in the middle of the seat (with the tendency of the Welsh to give everything a nickname, they are known as “commodes”). We have been asked to produce two chairs, one will be plain the other will be upholstered with a made up patchwork cloth. Shed members will be recorded and their voices and stories will come from their chairs.
The design of the patchwork is called the “Courthouse Steps” since we meet at the Court house. It will also be embroidered with our name “Shedquarters” and the symbol of “7777” Between the design the “Courthouse Steps” and the 7777 which signifies “The old parish” the nickname for Measteg. Those in the know will know where the chair came from.
The art work will go on display in the Kelham Island Industrial Museum, Sheffield, the Chapter Arts Center, Cardiff and The Tetley in Leeds during 2020.
- Written by John Gates
Garfield finished his waistcoat and is proudly showing it off:
- Written by Mark
Loss of our friend Roger
I expect that by now most of you would have heard of the death of our friend and member Roger Akerman. His very quick, dark humour will bemissed. He had a way of saying things that were at the same time dark but funny. He had a way of bringing you down to earth by cutting across your argument but he would not just point out where you were wrong but also come up with an alternative.
He was someone who cared about our shed, our members and what our shed stood for. He worked hard behind the scenes with his wide range of contacts and worked hard to bring in new members for the shed. His common sense, advice and enthusiasm will be missed by us all.
Roger was a founder member of ShedQuarters and serve
- Written by John Gates
Lathe Tuition - Spindle Turning
On the 4th October, Dave, a local wood turner and friend of our leader, John Gates, kindly came to give our Shed some instructions on safe turning techniques.
He guided us through the aspects tools, lathe parts and spindle turning then courageously let us loose on our Axminster lathe. In the video you will see Les, John and Garfield having a go. Once we have go spindle turning under our belts, Dave will be coming back to instruct us how to turn bowls, our bowl gouge has been ordered.
If anyone knows where we can get cheap hardwood for our shed to learn with, please contact us.
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Dave Lambert, our tutor for the day, founded the Bridgend Wood Turners Club. He is in great demand and demonstrates turning in shows and exhibitions throughout Wales, including the National Eisteddfod. Like many of us, Dave's first experience of wood turning was at school, he developed that interest and is now an accomplished wood carver.
- Written by Mark