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Steve Manthorp and Sue Lawty are Engaging Young People through Craft at Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum

From 1st April 2011

The museumaker project is contributing to Killhope’s ambitious work with young people (particularly the 16-25 age group) to re-invigorate the Museum for the 21st century.

Killhope Lead Mining Museum lies high up in the heart of the North Pennines, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At its peak, Killhope was amongst the richest lead mines in the whole of England. Its lead stimulated the Industrial Revolution and the factories of Tyneside. The museum offers an outdoor experience, in an evocative post-industrial rural landscape. The whole focus of the Killhope experience is bringing social history to life. Visitors can walk through water into the mine and experience at first hand the processes used to extract lead. They are encouraged to experience life as a “washer boy” and to try their hand at separating lead ore from unwanted rock: a cold, back-breaking experience. The displays include an amazing collection of spar boxes – unique craft items akin to miniature grottos. This remarkable naïve art form enabled miners to demonstrate their creativity. The Killhope collection includes many with specially made display boxes, some in the shape of theatrical vignettes.

Killhope takes especial pride in its hands-on approach. It won the first Guardian Family Friendly award. Since then the museum has prided itself on building on this ethos. The specially trained staff work as a team to engage visitors and to help them to respond to the site and understand its history.

The museumaker project at Killhope has a special take on the commissioning process: young people are integral to all the decision making including the selection of a creative consultant and the commissioned maker.  This has resulted in a special two stage process.  

In Stage 1, during March 2010,  creative consultant Steve Manthorp worked with a group of young people to enrich their understanding of the site and to explore how a contemporary craft commission could help to bring Killhope to life for young people.  The  fifteen minute video diary by film-maker Shanaz Gulzar showing above, was made during their journey around the NE together.

In Stage 2, Sue Lawty has installed Language of Lead and Letters of Lead inspired by the lives of Victorian mine workers. She has taken as her starting point the testimonies of men who worked at the site during the 1800s, as described in diaries and letters in the Durham Record Office, which tell of the working conditions that the men endured. Language of Lead and Letters of Lead are artworks made up of words used by these miners when extracting lead from the ground. Language of Lead is a collaborative work with John Coombes. It is an exterior typographic wall-piece, five metres in height, made from lasercut COR-TEN steel. Within the museum, Letters of Lead are five smaller wall-pieces featuring words woven, knotted and beaten in lead wiring.

 

Take part: As explained above, participation by young people lies at the core of museumaker at Killhope. During the 2010 summer season, all visitors to the site were able monitor progress of the project.    

Before visiting any museumaker project, please contact
the museum for visitor information and opening times.