Following an open call earlier this year, Pendle Festival of Culture, Nelson, and National Festival of Making, Blackburn, have awarded Birmingham-based designer maker studio Dual Works a co-commission to produce a brand new work that will be displayed at both festival sites in Nelson and Blackburn this June and July.

For this exciting new artwork, which will be transported between Nelson and Blackburn, Dual Works will design and fabricate a bespoke structure informed by the local communities across our two Lancashire towns, reflecting the sense of place and geography and draws together what unites us.

During the two festivals, the structure will serve as a highly visible focal ‘welcome point’ as visitors arrive, marking entrance and central space in the festival sites which audiences will be able to physically interact with as it becomes part of the pop-up built environment and infrastructure of each festival.

The final form of the artwork is as-yet undefined, as Dual Works will be designing and evolving the piece through a process of co-creation with local communities, making this artwork with, and for, the people of Nelson and Blackburn.

We will be sharing more details and behind-the-scenes content as work progresses on this exciting new co-commission, so follow us on social media for the latest information!

ABOUT DUAL WORKS

Dual Works is a designer-maker studio based in Birmingham with experience and a track record in creating bespoke projects tailored to the needs of diverse communities of interest and place. As designer makers with broad creative, fabrication and materials knowledge, they bring practical skills and experience in project management, artistic endeavour and creative facilitation including residencies, exhibitions and events. Further to this they have a vast teaching experience to call upon, where they have worked with students across a wide range of 3D design and creative subjects.

ABOUT THE CO-COMMISSIONERS

Pendle Festival of Culture is a major, annual event for pendle communities, who come together in solidarity and celebration of art and culture. Through the festival, our communities gather in a spirit of shared identity to celebrate the diversity of Pendle.

A family fun-day which will celebrate people, environment and culture through music, arts and crafts, food stalls, fun fair rides, community conversations and much more. Most invited artists and food vendors are sourced as local as possible in order to really celebrate Pendle and its people. The festival aims to provide an opportunity for as much interaction between people as possible and this is reflected by the fact that all stalls are given a requirement of having some interactive activity on the day.

Through the year the various organisations that we work with are invited to have some involvement in the festival, be it to be part of the planning or help in the delivery of the Festival. This has resulted in collaboration between community organisations, walking groups, musicians and schools.

The National Festival of Making is a unique celebration of UK making, from the kitchen table to the factory floor. Presenting a programme of work that combines art, manufacturing, making and communities, we commission artists to create world class works, a year round programme and a participatory free family festival for all to enjoy.

During the Festival weekend, we fill the streets of Blackburn with free participatory making opportunities, workshops, performances, talks, exhibitions, makers markets and more. We regularly see audience numbers of between 30-40,000 from local and national visitors alike, and take-over 20+ venues across the town centre.

Formed in 2016, the ambition of Festival of Making CIC is to be a nationally relevant cultural festival in Blackburn, while celebrating the unique manufacturing heritage and contemporary characteristics of the town and region more widely.

This is Nelson is the arts and culture strand of the Nelson Town Deal, delivered in partnership between In-Situ, Building Bridges Pendle and Super Slow Way. It engages with Nelson’s communities through a programme of activities and events alongside the reactivation of places and spaces. As outlined in the Nelson Town Deal website and literature, the £25m investment offers a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to improve the future of Nelson, promising new hope, and a brighter future. The aim of the This Is Nelson strand of the Nelson Town Deal is to ensure that there is social and community benefit from the investment of the Town Deal. All This Is Nelson activity is free & through our youth programme, we are committed to ensuring that young people are at the centre of its social benefit. The Festival of Culture is a key, annual event supported by This Is Nelson.

Photography by Crumb | @crumbcreative