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We Are Dreamers 2018 Stockport Manchester Art Project

Ahead of the upcoming launch of the exciting We Are Dreamers project, a dedicated team of We Are Dreamers 2018 Stockport Manchester Art Projectstaff and volunteers spent time last week packing up the DreamBoxes, ready to be collected by those participating. One of the volunteers lending a helping hand was Kath Walls, who will also be participating in the project and creating one of the 10 wooden Soldier Boxes. We spoke to her about her ideas and thoughts on the project so far.

The main idea behind We Are Dreamers is to fill each individual box with your own hopes and dreams for the future. However, as it is part of a wider project commemorating 100 years since the end of World War 1 – Stockport Remembers – Kath and some other Arc volunteers will be focusing on and interpreting the hopes and dreams of local fallen soldiers named on the Stockport Art Gallery War Memorial.

Kath opted for James Wilson, a calico weaver from Compstall, who passed away when he was 31 years old. By focusing on his life, values and passions, Kath said she feels that his everyday life would be quite easy to translate into potential dreams. Keen to incorporate weaving into her piece, she also plans to reflect the time in which James was alive by using rusted props and old photographs.

Looking forward to getting started, Kath described the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council funded project as being collaborative, yet still having the chance to “do your own thing”. Participants are invited to use any medium and any materials that they would like, and after exploring Wilson’s story Kath pointed out that it has provided an opportunity to consider the techniques of the past – like James’ calico weaving.

I’m already looking forward to seeing Kath’s DreamBox displayed next to many, many more!

We’re inviting groups and hundreds of people across Stockport to contribute creatively to this exciting exhibition. Want to get involved? Watch this space or join the mailing list! We’ll be announcing how you or your group can take part in the project soon.

Follow the project on Instagram here. You can also read a blog post by Arc volunteer David about the start of his  Soldier Box journey here#WeAreDreamers2018

Hollie Rees, Roving Reporter, Arc