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Cast-Offs

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CAST-OFFS

An innovative knitting project developed in association with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

Aberdeen City Council Arts Development Team are co-ordinating a series of workshops and activities as part of the wider Aberdeen City Council, which will run parallel to the nationwide 2007 Bicentennial Commemoration of the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

In association with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, the project aims to highlight a lesser-known aspect of forced labour in the 16th century where Scottish children were abducted and shipped to the American Colonies – specifically from Aberdeen and the Shires.

Participants will be offered a ‘knit pack’, containing needles, wool, a text sheet providing information on the topic of slavery and a pattern for a jumper. Either in a group, or at home, individuals will create a knitted jumper in a blank colour or with a specific knitted letter on the front panel. In turn, given access to the historic research and an awareness of contemporary international issues, each knitter will be charged with exploring and writing a short piece of text, or creating a small line drawing, based on a personal creative response.

Project staff and artists can support participants in this. In total up to 600 child-sized knitted garments (the approximate number of kidnapped children in the 16th century) will then be gathered together to form an installation in The Kirk of St Nicholas, Aberdeen. Assembling this installation in the shelter of the Kirk is highly appropriate given that St Nicholas is the benefactor of children, patron of sea-farers and protector of the poor. When viewed together the jerseys will form a collaged composition of text fragments, forgotten messages, lost initials and stolen words.

The knitters’ written/drawn responses will accompany the installation on garment labels to deliver a second level of project interpretation to the viewers. The installation will remain in the Kirk for several weeks for the local community and city visitors to view.

When the installation is deconstructed the individual jumpers (with their labels) will be used to assist in international aid to combat contemporary child slavery. In partnership with Feed The Children UK, the project will send the garments to clothe babies born to abducted young girls in Uganda. As a project, ‘Cast-Offs’ will create an intriguing art installation in a city centre public space, incorporating a unique integrated community response and provide a genuine source of aid to an international community.

PLEASE BECOME PART OF THIS UNIQUE SOCIALLY ENGAGED PROJECT.

reneemargaret	Latest page update: made by reneemargaret , Jun 5 2007, 5:21 AM EDT (about this update About This Update Edited by reneemargaret 1 word added 1 word deleted view changes - complete history)
	Keyword tags: 200-Aniversary abolition slave trade More Info: links to this page