Film credit: Coalfield Studios
Remaking Memories Together
(2025)
[Community Art Project]
Remaking Memories Together is a community art project initiated and led by artist Zara Worth in partnership with the Bowes Museum and Durham County Libraries. The project was inspired by an example of an ‘optique’ from the Bowes Museum collection. A kind of artist book and optical toy, optiques reached the peak of their popularity during the industrial revolution when they were mass produced as souvenirs, giving audiences glimpses of miniaturised famous landmarks, spaces, and places.
As objects designed to refresh memories and pass experiences on to others, optiques provided this project with an ideal medium for place-based storytelling. During the project, Worth invited craft groups from Brandon and Coundon Libraries, the Trashion Group from TCR Hub, and the Bowes Museum’s Young Curators group to make optiques of the places in County Durham that they felt were worth celebrating today inspired by their personal memories of these places.
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the enthusiasm and creativity of its participants and contributors and support from the Bowes Museum, Durham County Council, and a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England.
[Community Art Project]
Remaking Memories Together is a community art project initiated and led by artist Zara Worth in partnership with the Bowes Museum and Durham County Libraries. The project was inspired by an example of an ‘optique’ from the Bowes Museum collection. A kind of artist book and optical toy, optiques reached the peak of their popularity during the industrial revolution when they were mass produced as souvenirs, giving audiences glimpses of miniaturised famous landmarks, spaces, and places.
As objects designed to refresh memories and pass experiences on to others, optiques provided this project with an ideal medium for place-based storytelling. During the project, Worth invited craft groups from Brandon and Coundon Libraries, the Trashion Group from TCR Hub, and the Bowes Museum’s Young Curators group to make optiques of the places in County Durham that they felt were worth celebrating today inspired by their personal memories of these places.
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the enthusiasm and creativity of its participants and contributors and support from the Bowes Museum, Durham County Council, and a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England.
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Image credits: Coalfield Studios