Slow Boat concludes its journey to Stoke-on-Trent

Working with artists and communities is always a complete joy, and on Slow Boat they are in close proximity – you feel the collaboration and creativity very directly and first-hand. These were very creative sessions but also social encounters. It was important to have a broad range of activities linked to the city and environment: from lumen printing to cyanotypes; and from willow crafting to zine-making. A highlight was the culminating day on the canal with Ikon Youth Programme (IYP), at the landmark Victorian canal-side pumping station. Raw materials on the way to Stoke-on-Trent and ceramics leaving the city for customers in the UK and beyond would have sailed past this place. These iconic buildings are the heartbeat of canals and water systems and the building in Stockton Brook, built in 1884, is being transformed into a contemporary Arts & Nature Centre by artists Louise Adams and Mark Delf who led the concluding workshop with IYP.

It was also a special highlight to invite diverse communities to take part, including asylum seekers, local families, young people at risk of homelessness and art students. Slow Boat can offer a space to people from many different backgrounds and that’s important to experience and to facilitate. On Slow Boat it feels like everyone is a participant and that feels very democratic.

Working in collaboration with Ikon and on Slow Boat was a wonderful opportunity. The boat provides a unique opportunity to slow down and immerse yourself in the landscape, working closely with nature and the immediate surroundings, which is so unusual and important in today’s world. The boat felt informal, a place of care, and a space that becomes part of the communities you are journeying through, offering inspiration and a change of pace, and that is quite a unique opportunity. There are restrictions of course, the most obvious one being the narrow space, limited materials, equipment and power supply, but that only enhances the opportunity to slow things down, place craft, analogue and low-fi techniques at the very centre of the activity, and to think about materiality and making. As an organisation, GRAIN Projects do not operate from a space and we are used to working outside the gallery environment in unusual places and the public realm. However, this was our first time programming and delivering on a boat. Ikon’s Slow Boat was a lovely way of being reminded that creativity is everywhere, and the difference these interactions can make to people’s lives. Nicola Shipley

What has been the impact of the project?

Its been amazing to see members of the local community in Stoke-on-Trent taking time out to pause, relax and take in their natural surroundings on Slow Boat. Its also been inspiring to spend time with young people refamiliarising themselves with the wildlife on their doorstep, made possible by canal journeys that offer an alternative view of the city. Rosie Abbey

What is next for Slow Boat?

Slow Boat will now make its way to Wolverhampton to host workshops as part of Wolverhampton City of Youth Culture with Wolverhampton Arts Centre. It will also support outreach work with local schools and colleges led by the University of Wolverhampton.

Afterwards, we will spend an extended period of time in Birmingham, engaging with students from Birmingham City University. Young people from Hospital Rooms will join us on the boat and at the gallery for workshops with artist Nilupa Yasmin, who is collaborating with Ikon as part of our summer exhibition Thread the Loom. The boat will also be open to the public for family weaving days in July. Rosie Abbey

Slow Boat is supported by Freelands Foundation, read more about the project here.