In the ever-evolving narrative of our lives, the past and future co-exist in a delicate balance, each informing the other. Our recent ‘Oral Histories and Futures’ workshop, led by esteemed University of Manchester researchers Liz Ackerley and Laura Fenton, illustrated this interplay beautifully. They inspired us to go on a temporal journey, where we explored our personal histories tied to places that hold special meaning, to share and reflect collectively, and then to look thoughtfully toward what the future might hold.
At the workshop’s conclusion, we were presented with a variety of expressive pathways:
- Form a narrative about a memorable everyday place from your past.
- Pen a letter to the future, possibly addressed to a special location you have in mind.
- Create a tale that envisions the future of a particular place.
- Or, feel free to create something unique that the workshop/ theme sparks in you.
Inspired by these prompts, the following pieces of writing were created. Continue reading to enjoy our collective memories and forward-looking visions. We welcome you to add your voice to the conversation in the comments below. If you’re intrigued by Liz and Laura’s innovative work and methodologies, you can reach out to them at austerityalters@manchester.ac.uk or follow their updates at @austerityalters
Janet Isherwood
Venice
I always wanted to go to Venice but it was so expensive. It wasn’t until I discovered youth hostelling that I found out how cheap it could be. Venice is a place almost frozen in time, but for me it is still alive. The architecture and the colours are stunning. It’s amazing that so much has been built in such a small space. I like everything about it. The buildings are so decorative and with so many patterns. It is beautiful in a way that we can’t match today. These paintings were all done from my photos after the holiday. They prolong the feeling of being there.
As to perspective, I always check this with a ruler and do some measuring too. It’s not necessary in a sketch book. Trying to do a finished painting on holiday is too difficult. People walk in front of you and it’s usually impossible to get the view I want without
taking a photo.
Jean Byrne
The Anglesey Coastal Path
In 2012 we discovered there was a guide book for the 125 mile Anglesey coastal path. The route is split up into 12 sections which sounded quite easy to us, as we like walking. Traditionally the path starts and finishes at St Cybi’s Church at Holyhead near the furthest point from the mainland. We decided to approach it differently and start at Section 6 Menai Bridge, the nearest point to the mainland. Over the next 3 years we spent weekends visiting Anglesey and completing one or two section each time. Firstly we booked accommodation in Beaumaris. Then we took the bus out to Menai Bridge and walked back to Beaumaris. This was the start of a great adventure. We didn’t only encounter beautiful dramatic scenery, but nature and wildlife.
Until we did these walks, I had little knowledge of the part places like Anglesey had in providing the raw materials for the early part of the Industrial Revolution. We saw the eerie remains of the copper mines which were considered no longer viable in 1850 and are still there to be seen today. The crumbling tall chimneys and beehive shaped kilns of Porth Wen brickworks are also still there. There are no roads leading to this brickworks. Its products were exported by ships and the brickworks were abandoned before roads were built.
One of my favourite places was a quarry near Holyhead. The photo shows how nature has taken over and covered over the jagged landscape left by the quarry. I was overwhelmed by the number of different purples mauves and lavender colours of the heather and yellows and orange shades of the gorse.
In September 2014 we completed the last section of the path and sat drinking the dregs of our flask of stewed tea and munching a chocolate biscuit saved to celebrate our achievement. As we sat on the bench at Menai Bridge, we were joined by 2 young men carrying camping gear. We asked if they had been doing the coastal path and how long it had taken them. They told us they had camped out on the route and completed all 125 miles in a week. We thought this was quite funny but it didn’t lessen our sense of achievement. After all, it is really the journey that matters rather than how quickly you reach your final destination.
Shane Murray
Manchester 2035
Radical Manchester has ushered in yet another period of seismic change since it became the seat of Green Britain’s Parliament for the North in 2035. The first industrial city, Cottonopolis, once inspired awe and horror in equal measure. Now this car-free city is celebrating its second year of winning a clutch of global environmental awards – Clean Air/ Clean Lungs; Vertical Gardeners & Food Growers Champion and top of the bill…the David Attenborough Award for Preservation and De-Consumption. Community media is full of anecdotes about improvements in people’s mental and physical health – and this at a time when the city and the country have witnessed a steady and continuing influx of people fleeing countries worst affected by climate change.
How do you like your new roles? Josie asks her two granddaughters.
Brilliant!
Cool!
Do you remember when you were little and we used to bring you here to the Creative Families workshops?
Ooh yeah, says Lorca. We loved the Lion’s Den.
Aw, we made some great pictures and puppets, Simone adds. And we got to play with all the amazing stuff the curators brought in.
The sisters, now young women, work in what was Manchester Art Gallery and is now one of the regional government’s Spaces for Artistic Endeavour. They are Youth Ambassadors – Lorca for New Arrivals and Creative Independence; Simone for MADRE (Movement and Dance for Renewable Energy). The place is always bustling and buzzing. The paintings, sculptures and ceramics are still here but never in the same place, being constantly on the move. This morning, Millais’ Autumn Leaves is accompanying Holman Hunt’s The Hireling Shepherd to adorn the first Harvfest of the Collyhurst and Clayton Community Farms Co-operative. Lowry’s An Island and Valette’s Albert Square, Manchester are taking the short trip to – Albert Square! Someone is doing a talk on deindustrialisation and needs a few ‘props’ to make the point about clean air. Lorca checks the crates are secure before giving the porters the thumbs up.
Shall we go and get a coffee in the Atrium, Grandma? The parakeets will be calling in about now for their morning feed.
Oh yes, let’s.
Tony Goulding
Letter to the Future
“—–And reach for the heavens and hope for the future. All that we can be not what we are”
John Denver “The Eagle and the Hawk” 1971
As I write this on News Years Day 2024, I ponder on my wishes for the reader of these words in 2124. The above Lyrics themselves over 50 years old as I write have, I think a timeless truth in them. Although mankind often fails in its struggles to reach a higher plain, there is always a hope that the future will be better.
The world today is in crisis with many threats looming. Climate change is evident but still governments, the world over, are reluctant to really take effective action to combat it. Wars are raging in Europe and the Middle East with many other countries fighting in them by proxy through supplying the actual combatants with weapons and training. There is also a worrying, worldwide rising tide of nationalism with its undercurrent of racism.
My hope for you, dear reader, is that humanity came to its senses in time and did not allow unfettered greed to destroy our planet. Too that some level of peace had been achieved in the areas of conflict and above all that we as a species have finally realised that what unites us as human beings is more important than that which divides us and with that allowing love to conquer hatred.
That I know is a grand wish. What I expect is that you, as now, will be living through “the best of times – the worst of times” – Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities
If I may be allowed a tongue-in-cheek personal wish it is that the Premier League’s Case against Manchester City has finally been settled and “City” are still playing in that division!
NASA/Apollo 17 crew; taken by either Harrison Schmitt or Ron Evans, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Pauline Omoboye
One step beyond
I know a place that's private
It's set amongst the trees
It's a place I visit regularly
Where I get gentle breeze
It brushes on the nape of my neck
Then rests beside my cheek
Gently hovering in the ether
This feeling is unique.
It's a moment in a fairy tale
A hovering kiss
The feelings aroused inside me
A unique kind of bliss.
So, I write this letter to the future
Leaving footsteps behind
Hoping someone who really needs it
Its secret path they will find.
The beauty of the sunshine forever giving out the rays
This place in the future
The richness of the days
They envelope them comfortably
Showing pictures in their mind
The secret to this special place
Is a rare, magnificent kind.
Rainbows send out colours
Each represents the past
Treasures of best memories
They are made to last.
So, holding hands let us dabble
In the ripples beneath our feet
This feeling of sheer happiness
This extra special treat
Seen only by the innocent
Bringing treasures from beyond the skies
No violence, no loss no damaging lies.
No breaking of any promises
This place envelopes fraying at the seams
Cascading hope and happiness
An abundance of dreams
So, when you’re looking far beyond it
In the distance is the past
It's a future of unadulterated happiness
And it's here to last.
©P.Omoboye
The Stories of Our Lives 