Show reveals some amazing tales of town’s everyday people
AGROUND-BREAKING arts exhibition featuring the reallife stories of remarkable Rochdalians has been launched.
Hidden Tales of Rochdale is an interactive digital artwork trail offering the viewer an insight into the stories of everyday people, covering everything from addiction and mental health to hope and resilience.
As the Observer reported last week, among the stories being told is that of Andy McConville, a former cannabis farmer turned expert gardener, Sister Noel, a nun from Donegal in Ireland, who spent 32 years working in Kenya with babies and families whose mothers had died in childbirth, and Tanzeem Mahmood, who moved to the UK aged 14, with very little English and now works for Rochdale Women’s Welfare Association, supporting South Asian women who are experiencing isolation, loneliness, anxiety and depression.
To launch the exhibition, some of its stars, along with representatives from Petrus and Community Arts Northwest, completed the trail before taking part in a celebration event.
Starting at Touchstones, the group visited each location, including the town hall, Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre and Pioneers Museum.
The group finished the trail, which has taken 18 months to put together, at the Petrus shop in the Exchange Shopping Centre. Here, staff, volunteers and service users involved in the project came together to acknowledge those who have shared their tales, listen to speeches and enjoy poetry readings.
Council leader Richard Farnell said: “Hidden Tales is fantastic in giving a voice to those who don’t normally have one and feel marginalised in our society.
“The exhibition is the people’s stories of Rochdale, the people’s places, the people’s memories and the people’s hardships.
“I would encourage everybody to take the time to follow the trail and learn more about these remarkable people.”
Phil Foster, deputy coordinator at Petrus, said: “It was fantastic for Petrus to be involved in developing the trail and see its impact on everyone involved, many of whom are Petrus service users.
“Due to the nature of our work, we often hear the stories that nobody else hears and so it really is fantastic that Hidden Tales will help bring them to a wider audience.”
Sara Domville, Community Arts North West creative producer, said: “Our partnership with Petrus is a long-standing one, so we’ve got to know many of the volunteers and people seeking their support very well, seeing many glimpses of humanity’s finest attributes – faith, strength, kindness, honesty - that stop you in your tracks.
“It was so important that Hidden Tales, in offering a platform for these stories to be told, did so on those terms, finding the best in people through challenging times.
“Placing the work outside a gallery space, making the videos available digitally, on-site in Rochdale and via mobile phone means that the sense of reality becomes intentionally acute.”
Hidden Tales of Rochdale runs from October 3 to October 28.
For more information visit hiddenrochdale.co. uk.