PORTRAITS SHOW A SNAPSHOT OF LOVE FOR A CITY!
Exhibition of residents in favourite places
PORTRAITS of local people in their favourite places have gone on display at a shopping centre.
Falling For The City – an exhibition which shows residents in places such as Spode Works in Stoke and Longton Central Methodist Hall – is open to view at Longton Exchange.
It has been put together by Potboiler Theatre duo Kat Hughes and Kat Boon as a follow-up to their 2019 play Stoke, a Love Story, which told the mysterious tale of five residents who wake up to discover their city transformed.
As part of the production, the company was supported by the National Lottery Community Fund to explore local people’s relationship with the city through theatre workshops and a pop up café in Longton Exchange.
Shoppers were invited for tea and cake so they could share their local love story about the places that mean something to them.
The company then worked with local photographer Jenny Harper to capture images of f the residents.
Potboiler director, Kat Hughes, from Penkhull, said: “It’s been wonderful to see the range of places that mean something to the communities of Stoke-on-trent.
“The exhibition has highlighted some of the amazing architecture and places and spaces we’re lucky enough to have in the city.”
Potboiler writer Kat Boon, from Penkhull, added: ‘It’s great to be back in Longton with this exhibition – we loved spending a month rehearsing our play Stoke, a Love Story in the town’s former postal office thanks to a partnership with Longton Exchange and then creating the show over the road in the beautiful Central Hall.
“It’s been great to bring to life one of the units again with these lovely portraits captured by the talented Jenny Harper.”
The exhibition was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but is now available to view in the window of a vacant unit in Longton Exchange until the end of the year.
Centre manager Yvonne Moulton said: “We have been very excited to work with Potboiler Theatre over the last 12 months and we are delighted to see the Falling For The City photograph exhibition installed here at Longton Exchange.
“The The shopping c centre has been running an initiative to u use empty retail sp space for local a artists and creative or organisations like P Potboiler.
““As a business it’s be been important fo for us to show that em empty space can be pu put to alternative us use. The Falling for The City photography exhibition xh is a project tha that we are delighted to b be able to support.”
Th The full collection can also be viewed onl online at www. pot potboilertheatre.co.uk.