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Navvies (2022)
Public Artwork & Garden, Salford, UK
An artwork commemorating the 17,000 labourers who dug the Manchester ship canal, over a thousand of whom are estimated to have died in the process. The project was formed around the action most synonymous with the navvy: digging. Matthew Rosier and producers Mediale worked with homeless charity Loaves & Fishes to explore this legacy; co-designing a new community garden in the heart of Salford’s MediaCity.
The digging of this garden was filmed and became an audio-visual installation, projected under the water of the Ship Canal itself; connecting labour past and present through digging. Accompanying the artwork were recorded testimonies of the community group woven into a soundscape created by Hayley Suviste, with original orchestral music recorded with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with Loaves and Fishes. Hundreds of thousands of people encountered the artwork installed in the Ship Canal, and the garden was officially opened with a community event featuring descendants of the Navvies and Irish writer Ultan Cowley.
Navvies was produced by Mediale and commissioned by Quays Culture. It brought together an array of local and national partners with the community of Salford, including MediaCity, BBC, Historic England, Quays Culture and Loaves and Fishes.
Credits
Artist: Matthew Rosier
Music: Composer; Hayley Suviste. Arranged by Daniel Whibley and recorded by the BBC Philharmonic.
Executive Producer: Mediale
Commissioned by Mediale, Quays Culture and MediaCity
Workshops & Consultation: Dr Jessica Symons
Community Group: Salford Loaves & Fishes
Supported by Arts Council England, Historic England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Navvies (2022)
Public Artwork & Garden, Salford, UK
An artwork commemorating the 17,000 labourers who dug the Manchester ship canal, over a thousand of whom are estimated to have died in the process. The project was formed around the action most synonymous with the navvy: digging. Matthew Rosier and producers Mediale worked with homeless charity Loaves & Fishes to explore this legacy; co-designing a new community garden in the heart of Salford’s MediaCity.
The digging of this garden was filmed and became an audio-visual installation, projected under the water of the Ship Canal itself; connecting labour past and present through digging. Accompanying the artwork were recorded testimonies of the community group woven into a soundscape created by Hayley Suviste, with original orchestral music recorded with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with Loaves and Fishes. Hundreds of thousands of people encountered the artwork installed in the Ship Canal, and the garden was officially opened with a community event featuring descendants of the Navvies and Irish writer Ultan Cowley.
Navvies was produced by Mediale and commissioned by Quays Culture. It brought together an array of local and national partners with the community of Salford, including MediaCity, BBC, Historic England, Quays Culture and Loaves and Fishes.
Public Artwork & Garden, Salford, UK
An artwork commemorating the 17,000 labourers who dug the Manchester ship canal, over a thousand of whom are estimated to have died in the process. The project was formed around the action most synonymous with the navvy: digging. Matthew Rosier and producers Mediale worked with homeless charity Loaves & Fishes to explore this legacy; co-designing a new community garden in the heart of Salford’s MediaCity.
The digging of this garden was filmed and became an audio-visual installation, projected under the water of the Ship Canal itself; connecting labour past and present through digging. Accompanying the artwork were recorded testimonies of the community group woven into a soundscape created by Hayley Suviste, with original orchestral music recorded with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with Loaves and Fishes. Hundreds of thousands of people encountered the artwork installed in the Ship Canal, and the garden was officially opened with a community event featuring descendants of the Navvies and Irish writer Ultan Cowley.
Navvies was produced by Mediale and commissioned by Quays Culture. It brought together an array of local and national partners with the community of Salford, including MediaCity, BBC, Historic England, Quays Culture and Loaves and Fishes.
Credits
Artist: Matthew Rosier
Music: Composer; Hayley Suviste. Arranged by Daniel Whibley and recorded by the BBC Philharmonic.
Executive Producer: Mediale
Commissioned by Mediale, Quays Culture and MediaCity
Workshops & Consultation: Dr Jessica Symons
Community Group: Salford Loaves & Fishes
Supported by Arts Council England, Historic England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Artist: Matthew Rosier
Music: Composer; Hayley Suviste. Arranged by Daniel Whibley and recorded by the BBC Philharmonic.
Executive Producer: Mediale
Commissioned by Mediale, Quays Culture and MediaCity
Workshops & Consultation: Dr Jessica Symons
Community Group: Salford Loaves & Fishes
Supported by Arts Council England, Historic England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority