Share your ‘lockdown’ experience for major art and social history project

Culture is flourishing in Bury despite the Covid-19 pandemic – in fact, the virus is being used as the inspiration for a major new arts and social history project.

Bury people are being asked to share their experiences of living through the coronavirus age for the Life During Lockdown cultural collection of arts and archives.

The project will also be an important part of Bury’s year as the first Greater Manchester Town of Culture.

We’d love to receive your photographs, drawings, paintings, songs, poems or prose which reflect upon:

The people and places you cherish

Examples of creativity, kindness and sources of happiness

Things you’ve noticed in these times, from your window or on your daily walk

Things you’ve tried for the first time

Your hopes for the future – as an individual, for your street or a particular community

Councillor David Jones, leader of Bury Council, said: “These are truly remarkable times, which – hopefully – we will never live through again.

“We want to capture the experiences and thoughts of Bury people about the pandemic and the lockdown, and create a ‘family album’ of the borough at this unprecedented time.

“This will form an invaluable piece of social history, as well as unleashing the artistic potential of Bury residents, of all ages and communities.”

Contributions from local residents will be augmented by formal commissions from Bury-based artists and ‘behind the scenes’ images and stories from the council and its public sector partners as part of work in conjunction with Art Museum, The Met Theatre and Bury Libraries/Archives.

Want to take part? Please email your contributions to townofculture@bury.gov.uk

Need inspiration? Visit www.bury.gov.uk/digital-culture or call 0161 253 6592.

ENDS

Press release issued: 7 May 2020.