Bideford Black - the Next Generation. Not the first, and not the last, to use this medium

Claire Gulliver and I (Carolyn Black of Flow Contemporary Arts) have been appointed by the Burton to take the Bideford Black project onto another stage. The Next Generation - is not the first project that the Burton has initiated relating to artists using Bideford Black. It is a development from the work done by many local artists, including Peter Ward on this blog, and in his studio too. It's inspirational to see and meet so many artists who have worked with BB as a medium. The exhibition at White Moose in Barnstaple showed some of them in 2013.

Thanks to ACE funding and support from the Friends of the Burton, Claire and I are managing the new commissions on behalf of the art gallery, working closely with Warren Collum. 8 artists and 1 film maker will be selected to stretch this pigment to its limits. Coming from an industrial background, the pigment played a part in the economic foundation of Bideford. We're excited by the possibility that artists can explore new ways of using it. Beauty, fragility, density, darkness, earthiness and stickiness are just some of the qualities it possesses.

As a natural pigment, it has some very specific qualities. It holds social history in its tacky texture; crumbling memories of ancient geology; grains of physical hardship in its mining; but it can also be part of an unknown future. Since it was first used in industrial paint and mascara, the world has developed unbelievably fast. Technology is everywhere, new materials and compounds are being discovered, some of which may (or may not) be combined with the pigment in some way. We need to understand more thoroughly the nature of the material and hope to be able to share a material analysis in due course.

In the meantime, we encourage artists to think beyond the page or the pedestal, challenge the preconceptions we have about what pigment can be used for.

Download the brief here and share your ideas with us. Don't be afraid to suggest something unusual or challenging, the criteria for selection are stated in the brief - beyond them anything may be possible.

The nature of black: Artist commissions to explore new ways of working with scarce pigment

The Burton Art Gallery & Museum has secured Arts Council England funding to commission eight artists and a film maker to make new works for the collection and to develop new ways of using Bideford Black.  Eight artists and a film maker will explore new ways of working with a scarce pigment as part of a project launched this week. ‘Bideford Black - The Next Generation’ is a Burton Art Gallery project produced and curated in association with Flow Contemporary Arts and Claire Gulliver.

The artists will be selected by open call and the project partners are confident they will be both surprised and excited by proposals from emerging and established artists from across the UK and beyond. The new commissions will join examples of existing works made with Bideford Black in the Burton’s collection.

Warren Collum, Exhibitions Officer, said: “We are grateful for the support of The Friends of the Museum who also contributed, to ensure the budget is suitable to attract high-calibre artists to make art with, or about, this unique and adaptable black pigment”.

The project connects the heritage of the Bideford area with the use of its local pigment by artists past and present - commissioning and documenting its creative possibilities. ‘Biddiblack’ is the local name for Bideford Black, a coal-like mineral traditionally prized by artists for pigment and mined at Bideford until 1968. ‘Bideford Black: The Next Generation’ will reinterpret Bideford Black for a contemporary audience, stretching its uses and creating fresh artworks for Burton Art Gallery’s collection.

The specially commissioned film will document the creative process - from the artist’s preliminary ideas, right through to the final works - for exhibition in the Autumn of 2015. Devon-based artist Peter Ward, who uses this unique pigment in his own artworks, conducted some fascinating research about Bideford Black:

Running alongside seams of anthracite across North Devon is a black clay-like material that was mined for 200 years in Bideford for its uses as a strong black pigment. The unique ‘Mineral Black’, or ‘Biddiblack’ as it was known, was commercially produced for applications in the boat building industry, for colouring rubber products, for camouflage on tanks in WWII and was even bought by Max Factor for the production of mascara. The mines were closed in 1968 when the production of cheaper oil-based blacks and the depletion of the seam made the operation financially unviable, but many locals still remember the ‘Paint Mines’ and have tales to tell of using the paint or going into the now defunct mine shafts.

Follow the progress of the The Next Generation project on this blog.

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION BRIEF & GUIDELINES (opens in another site)

Opportunities for 8 artists and 1 film maker

‘Bideford Black - The Next Generation’ is a Burton Art Gallery project produced and curated in association with Flow Contemporary Arts and Claire Gulliver. 

The Burton has secured Arts Council England funding to commission eight artists and a film maker to make new works for the collection and to develop new ways of using Bideford Black. We are grateful for the support of The Friends of the Museum who also contributed, to ensure the budget is suitable to attract high-calibre artists to make art with, or about, this unique and adaptable black pigment.

The briefs are available for download here

BURTON ART GALLERY

& MUSEUM 

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

& Project Managed by Flow Contemporary Arts in collaboration with Claire Gulliver

 

 

A LAST POST but not the end of the road…

On the 8^th March 2014 the long awaited, new permanent Bideford Black display case was finally revealed upstairs at the Burton Art Gallery & Museum. After an exciting year of research, public engagement and workshops the Story of Bideford Black team, along with help from Murray Design[i], Myriad-UK[ii] and Kingfisher Multimedia[iii], have brought together a visually pleasing and informative addition to the already much respected Bideford museum. Production of the display case has been made possible by the Friends of the Burton following a bequeathal from the late Peggy Lines, a long time supporter of the Burton. The Mayor of Bideford, Simon Inch, Chairman of Torridge District Council, Tony Inch, Pam Biggs, Chair of the Friends of the Burton, and Tamsin Daniels of the Heritage Lottery Fund officially revealed the display case in front of a large gathering of people connected to Bideford Black and the project. The project has been most appreciated both as a much-needed document of a locally significant industry and also as an exciting vehicle to engage young and old with their local environment and history.

Mayor of Bideford, Simon Inch, Chairman of Torridge District Council, Tony Inch, and ex-Bideford Black Miner, Ron Pither, opening the new Story of Bideford Black permanent display (photo courtesy the Burton Gallery 2014)

The display, designed by Peter Ward and Warren Collum and put together by Murray Design, Myriad-UK and Kingfisher multimedia, utilizes artifacts, images, samples of Bideford Black and material gathered throughout the project, along with a touch screen audio-visual display holding stories and images that could not fit in the fixed display. Even as the project was coming to a close, people were coming forward with more information and artifacts that could unfortunately not be included. Joyce Webb, whose father had run Manley Tucker’s Paint Shop in Kingsley Road in the 1950’s and 60’s, offered a pot of paint from her shed along with some photos of the paint shop. (Unfortunately the paint turned out to be salmon pink rather than the hoped for Zats Black[iv].)

Mr W.H Gifford using the grinding machine at Manley Tucker Paint Shop in Kingsley Road. Photo also shows tins of 'Zats' black being stacked. (Image Courtesy - Mrs Joyce Webb)

Paint pot brought in by Mrs Joyce Webb mixed at Manley Tucker Paint Shop, Kingsley Road, Bideford.

Barry Hughes, of the North Devon Museum Trust, more lately revealed a set of key documents and images about Bideford Black donated to him by the last owner of the mines, Howard St Louis Cookes in the early 70’s, along with a shovel used in the mines that has been thankfully included in the display. The documents – a scrapbook of cuttings and memorabilia including a technical manual about the machines that ground the pigment at Chapel Park - were in turn donated to Mr Cookes by the mine’s previous owner in the 1930’s. Please contact the North Devon Maritime Museum[v] in Appledore for further information.

Despite the project officially ending with the completion of the new display it is sincerely hoped that people will continue to get in touch with the Burton Art Gallery & Museum if any new information or artifacts come to light. There is also a learning pack for schools to accompany the display, created by learning co-ordinator Sadie Green, so that children may continue to learn more about their local environment and history[vi]. Furthermore, the project has hopefully inspired artists to explore local earth pigments in their own environment and think more about where the materials they use comes from – already exhibitions at the Burton Gallery are including more work using local earth pigments. Along with last summer’s BIDEFORD BLACK 5 artists exhibition at the White Moose Gallery in Barnstaple, I have been contacted by a number of artists who have started to explore Bideford Black in their own work.

WINDFORM 1 (Bideford Black on board; 20x15cm; © Frances Hatch 2013)[vii]

Lastly many thanks to Tilly, Warren, and staff of the Burton Gallery & Museum, Julian Vayne, Sadie Green and Ros Ford, and to all who have contributed to a most worthwhile and enjoyable project.

‘‘Art does not reproduce the visible but makes visible’’ Paul Klee

Pete Ward

Lead Researcher, The Story of Bideford Black

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[i] www.murraydesign.co.uk

[ii] www.myriad-uk.com

[iii] www.kingfishermultimedia.co.uk

[iv] If anyone does have a tin of Zatz Black, made with Bideford Black, then there is a space waiting for it in the display! It has become somewhat of a holy grail for the project.

[v] www.northdevonmaritimemuseum.co.uk

[vi] http://www.burtonartgallery.co.uk/index.php/collections

[vii] http://www.franceshatch.co.uk/

The Story of Bideford Black - Schools Exhibition at the Burton

The Story of Bideford Black Schools Exhibition showcases work by Pupils of East the Water School and St Helen’s Primary School, Abbotsham.

Pete Ward led workshops with these two local schools, with the aid of Burton volunteers Ros, Nicole and Mike. The pupils learnt all about The Story of Bideford Black and met ex-miner, Ron Pither. They asked him questions about working in the Bideford Black mines and also visited Mines Road in East the Water, to look for any evidence of the mining industry and to hear Ron’s tales. The pupils then produced paintings about The Story of Bideford Black using the pigment itself.

painting courtesy st helens primary school, abbotsham

A selection of the paintings are displayed in the Café at the Burton for this special exhibition from 21st September to 21st October. The artworks created were spontaneous pieces, made by the children’s response to the material and what it feels like to paint with. The original paintings give a sense of the material, its textural qualities and how it behaves when applied to paper; some paintings are just black! 

painting courtesy st helens primary school, abbotsham

we’re still digging

some last minute research but better late than never…

Its amazing where research into a subject may take you and the fascinating sidelines, distractions and personalities that may brighten your journey (while at the same time tempting you away from your eventual goal). The Story of Bideford Black Project has been no exception. Nearly every encounter has been a wonderful gateway to another story, an intriguing aspect of local history or contemporary politics, or simply a charming addition to the vast array of personal accounts and memories we have collected along the way – testament to the rich diversity and interconnectness of our world. Unfortunately not every detail can be preserved or represented, and the difficult process of filtering out the superfluous and endearing from the essential elements of the research, and of deciding what we want to, and can, say within the always-limited resources of time, space and money that are available have to be made.

BB trolley painting courtesy St Helen’s Primary School, Abbotsham

One such lead took me to meet local industrial archaeologist and Bideford railway enthusiast Felton Vowler. Felton has been interested in gathering information and artifacts about North Devon’s industrial past since the 1970’s and remembers visiting the ‘Paint Mines’ and gingerly entering the disused mineshaft at Chapel Park a few years after its closure in 1969. Felton’s main interest had been in the railway systems associated with the mining industry, an interest that continues today with his dedicated work as secretary of the Bideford Heritage Railway[i] at Bideford and Instow Stations on the Tarka Trail. When he was younger Felton had been an outdoor activities instructor and keen caver and climber. He and a friend had gone into the mine but quickly left after deeming it far too unsafe. He remembers seeing two of the old mining trolleys and lengths of railway track but sadly was unable to retrieve them. They must still be sitting there today!

OLD KING COAL... and a Paint Mine too! Parts 1,2,3 an article by Felton Vowler for the Atlantic Coast Express Magazine issues 58, 59 and 60, 2004 (click image to enlarge)

On the same visit Felton also spotted an old haulage sign at the entrance to the mine. The sign instructed operators of the bell code used in the mines. For the sake of posterity Mr Vowler acquired the sign and took it home for safekeeping. On meeting with him earlier in the year the whereabouts of the sign had unfortunately become a bit of a mystery! In the mean time Felton also vaguely remembered seeing a large enamel BIDDIBLACK sign at the Milky Way Adventure Park[ii] near Clovelly when the LynBarn Railway was there. Both the Milky Way and present Lynton Railway[iii] at Woody Bay had no recollection of the sign BUT Dave Tooke from Lynton Railway did have the Bideford Black Pigments Ltd haulage sign that Felton had lent to him some years earlier! On visiting the Woody Bay site to collect the sign for the project I was treated to a lovely ride on the railway along with a chance to look at the lovingly restored steam engines kept there.

BB Haulage Sign (paper on hardboard), courtesy F Vowler (photo Dave Tooke, Lynton Railway)

With the new display in its final stages of design and manufacture the project is still open to any information and artifacts you may have and may wish to contribute to make it the best representation and reflection of this fascinating and vital industry to Bideford’s rich and evolving history.  It is hoped that the display will inspire further interest in the subject and provoke more fond memories, and has thus been designed to allow for further contributions as they arise. We continue to look forward to hearing from you. So, many thanks to all those who have generously contributed so freely along the trail and here’s to fascinating sidelines and distractions, and to the wonder, inquisitiveness and camaraderie of human nature and to the richness and abundance of the world on which our livelihood depends!

A lovely day with LynBarn Railway, Woody Bay Station (p ward 2013)

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[i] http://www.bidefordrailway.co.uk/

[ii] http://www.themilkyway.co.uk/

[iii] http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/

Getting our hands dirty at last!

Bideford Black School Workshops and Exhibition

A very important aspect of the Story of Bideford Black Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund All Our Stories Grant, has been the sharing of stories across generations, or more simply put - the old miners sharing their stories with the kids. So, having gathered a great deal of information we asked two local schools, both situated at significant places along the Bideford Black seam, to take part in a series of workshops. East the Water Community Primary School on Mines Road and St Helen’s C of E Primary School, Abbotsham most kindly agreed.

Getting our hands dirty at last - East the Water Primary School Workshop 1 (photos Mike Hedges 2013)

Getting our hands dirty at last - East the Water Primary School Workshop 1 (photos Mike Hedges 2013)

A walk along Mines Road with Ron Pither and St Helen's Primary School (photos Sadie Green 2013)

The 4 daylong workshops engaged the children (aged between 9-12 years old) and teachers (ages unknown) with their local history, that is Bideford Black Mining, through a simple presentation, a Q&A session with ex-miner Ron Pither and a short walk along Mines Road across Manteo Way to the old mine site at Chapel Park, looking at any evidence of the industry along the way. The children were then given a simple demonstration of how to make paint using raw Bideford Black pigment and then asked to create illustrations of the stories they had heard earlier using Bideford Black itself. While some children chose to illustrate of the stories, others simply enjoyed and learnt about the feel of this very different paint. Some of the pictures would then be used as part of the final display and shown in a special exhibition of work at the Burton Gallery.

As was hoped the children got thoroughly covered in the sooty black pigment and enjoyed a great day of stories, outdoor activity and painting. Everyone was surprised at the quality and richness of the paint, how it often didn’t do quite what they wanted it to, and worked very hard to make some great pictures. Nearly 400 paintings were made over the four days, East the Water School continuing the project during the week with further studies – we were utterly spoilt for choice. Thank you all for working so hard. We hope you all learnt something too!? The exhibition of paintings will be open to the public for a month in the Café du Parc at the Burton Art Gallery from 24^th September.

Mining, painting courtesy St Helen's Primary School

Paintings courtesy East the Water Primary School

Paintings courtesy St Helen's Primary School

 Paintings courtesy St Helen's Primary School 2

Black Boat, painting courtesy St Helen's Primary School

The workshops were led by artist Peter Ward and co-ordinated by Sadie Green with help from Burton Art Gallery volunteers Ros Ford, Mike Hedges and Nicole Hickin. They were enthusiastically supported by the teachers and teaching assistants at both schools – many thanks to all. Learning Coordinators Sadie Green and Julian Vayne have developed further educational material resulting from the project in the form of a Learning Pack for schools to accompany the display.