Digital Postcards
Digital Postcards features visual artworks and written responses created by Wednesbury’s residents, depicting thoughts and ideas for a ‘Past, Present and Future High Street’.
Artist Emily Warner compiled and sent out Postal Art Packs to local adults, inviting responses that imagined a day in the life on the High Street, including letters from past market days and postcards from the Clock Tower.
Local school groups worked remotely, also using art packs sent by Emily to pupils at both St Mary’s Primary and Holyhead Primary. They engaged in creative activities that tasked them with designing a future High Street, deciding what shops and services might exist in times to come. Through collaborative online drawing and model making in small groups, they created future visions that give us an insight into what is important for younger generations. New billboard posters were imagined for the Bingo Hall building, as well as proposed Shop Window designs advertising wares of the future.
A selection of the material submitted by the participants has been compiled into a digital scrapbook, to give an overview of the community’s aspirations for a wonderful market town. Thanks to the following participants for their time, effort and engagement: Mike from The History of Wednesbury Group; Jan, Stacey, Paul, Year 5 pupils at St Mary’s Primary; Mrs Dhanjal and Year 2 pupils at Holyhead Primary Academy.
Emily Warner is an artist, performance maker, and facilitator. Prioritising process and collaboration they devise performative work that examines the interplay between body, movement and language. Tackling abundance and multiplicity with playful misrecognition, their work explores the reductive systems that shape how we function, pointing attention toward narratives that emerge from the margins. Based in the West Midlands and working online and offline, Emily has received commissions from Eastside Projects, Ikon Gallery, Fierce Festival and the University of Birmingham.
