Mill Race: On the Edge was commissioned as part of the Mill Race: Flow of Change programme and explored the historical legacies of post-industrial decline, colonialism, and redevelopment prevailing in Lancaster’s Mill Race area. Using oral history and interviews with students, local businesses, historians and residents of the Mill Race, past and present, the project guided the production of a short film about different perspectives of the Mill Race area, its history, and distinctive geographical location through the eyes of those who know it best. The film crew was made up of film students from Lancaster University who I contracted and supported enabling them to gain paid experience of working as part of a film crew; in return, I benefited from their technical expertise. One of the key target groups for engagement was the student residencies in the Mill race area and interviews with several students living in the student residencies,of which there are many in the Mill Race, were an important aspect of the production process.

Background Context: 

‘Mill Race: Flow of Change’ was a three-year programme to deliver a wide range of place-based cultural opportunities to help reveal and experience the area’s unique histories and distinctiveness. It celebrated the Mill Race area as a core and dynamic part of Lancaster that is directly informed by its heritage but also shaped by its emerging, contemporary character. It fostered an environment for co-production, forging new relationships that strengthen the local cultural ecology and extend and broaden the current cultural offer.

Project Output:

On the Edge (of the city), HD video, 20 minutes.

Screening event at the Gregson Community and Arts Centre, Lancaster, 26 February 2024.

Guest tutor on LICA237 Art, Site and Interaction.

Commissioned by Lancaster Arts

Supported by:

Lancaster City Museums

Historic England

Lancaster University