The Touring Wardrobe

The title of this post might sound like the name of a 70s prog rock band but it is actually a project created by one of our outreach groups, art-beat, which is based at the Age Concern and Learning Resources Centre in Farnworth. The project is part of a wider programme of work for the over 50's.

Our participatory and education department, activ8, employed writers and artists to work with a small group of Farnworth residents to explore their memories creatively. This involved an old wardrobe filled with reminiscences of growing up and living in the local area. Here it is....

The wardrobe conveys a collection of touching accounts and witty stories presented inside the wardrobe in a variety of ways. Some stories are recorded on CD and can be played through the headphones displayed on one of the shelves, some are hand written and hidden in shoe boxes within the wardrobe.

There are photos exhibited on the inner walls of the wardrobe and on the shoe boxes, and there are also some items relating to particular stories that are found hanging inside, including a red dress and a pink wig!

The wardrobe is currently touring Bolton visiting Age Concern centres and sheltered housing centres etc so that more people can have a look at this unusual piece of art! Here are the tour dates and venues. I will post further dates as and when they are confirmed:

Date Venue
Now Alderbank
3 - 16 June Rivington House, Horwich
17 - 30 June Aspinall Court, Horwich
1 - 7 July The Octagon Theatre, Bolton

So why not pop to a venue near you and have a look. We'd love to inspire more people over 50 to get involved and hopefully set up a few more outreach groups around Bolton. If you are interested in getting involved in art-beat activities, contact activ8 on 01204 556501 for more information.