Lanterns and fountains

There's suddenly a real sense of urgency - it's not long now before the exhibition opens. I'm working on making the four lanterns (above) for the Fountain Room. Shamshad is collating all the written work that has been produced during the various workshops in Haslingden - in English, Urdu and Bengali; Habiba is working on the five-panel mehndi (henna) artwork, and Arry is completing the transcriptions of our recent interviews with older members of the local South Asian community. 

Phil is continuing with his work on the fountain itself. The tiles have arrived and the long  (and enjoyable, he says) process of tiling has begun. Meanwhile final proof-reading is taking place and the posters, banners and various advertising of the event will be beginning to go out over the next week. Look out for it!

The Different Moons Festival: Events.

Please note that the exhibition now finishes on Sunday 28th December.

Opens four weeks today!

Full Moon

Preparing the artwork that's going to make up the Different Moons exhibition at the Whitaker (which opens in just over months time) is now everyone's priority. A lot of this is simply designing the information boards and the graphic displays along with the catalogue. But there's also a more creative side to it. The poems written by the women as part of their group with Shamshad Khan, and work of the various young people's groups, are being collated. Maryam Golubeva is working on the paper-cutting. Meanwhile Habiba Shenza is making a five-panel image based on photographs of her mehndi (henna) work.

Today she decorated her mother's hands so, when brought together, they create the image of a full moon. I went along to photograph this - and the photographs that Habiba will use in her finished panels; the full-moon being the larger central panel of the five.

Open Day at the Boo

Arry Nessa with Maryam Golubeva's paper-cut 'storytelling carpet'.

The open day on Sunday at the Boo (our base in Waterfoot, Rossendale) attracted over 150 visitors, and among the many things going on was an exhibition about the Different Moons project - with the highlight probably being the work-in-progress on the fountain. 

There was a lot of interest in the project, with a heartening amount of understanding from our visitors about the aims and objectives of our work, which bodes well for the Whitaker exhibition opening in mid-November. 

The days before Eid

In the days leading up to Eid we've been working hard on Different Moons. Preparations for the exhibition at the Whitaker are well under way. The opening may be over 6 weeks away but with printers deadlines looming up the designs for information boards and other things are only a few weeks' away. We're having meetings about the mushaira and the mela to be held at Haslingden Community Link too, planning seating and stall arrangements...

Today we recorded Mr Ullah, originally from Bangladesh but living in Rawtenstall since 1964. We heard many fascinating stories of Mr Ullah's early years in the Valley; sometimes funny, sometimes tragic and moving. Mr Ullah showed us the seaman's documents (above) left by his late father - a record going back to 1918 of his time at sea as a 'lascar', until he jumped ship in Liverpool during the 1950s and eventually made his way to Rawtenstall. 

So with Eid al-Adha this weekend there's a brief period of rest for Different Moons before we start the run up to the opening of the exhibition on 15th November. Eid Mubarak!