The Arc, Stockton is running a project over the next few months to celebrate working class northern artists. I agreed to take part in a brief which explores what ‘Home’ means – this meant filling a sketchbook around the theme of ‘Home revisited’
I decided to explore ‘over the border’ of Middlesbrough. The part of Middlesbrough that was cut off by the building of the A66 Motorway in the 80s (a controversial decision)
Over the ‘border’ is the old town hall, a lot of industry, warehouses, the dinosaur park and the failed Middlehaven development. Also, of course, the famous Transporter Bridge
I’d been spending a lot of time over there recently anyway, and I like the abandoned spaces – or the spaces between places. I think there’s a lot of ideas there, real or fantasy, that might be worth looking at.
I actually completed the sketchbook in time for the exhibition, I haven’t completed a sketchbook since college so it was something of a personal achievement
Included is The Dinosaur Park, my imagining of peg powler the river witch who lives in the tees, some underpasses, the old car scrapyard that mysteriously burnt down, the Transporter bridge pixelated out of the horizon, the abandoned office building I’m using as a studio, some seagulls, the Byron pub etc.
The exhibition runs through October at the Arc, Stockton and features 15 sketchbooks from northern working class artists
Aimee Charlotte 