Burnley Bus Station, 2009. Refreshed 2013
6 tonnes of Cast Iron and Aluminum. 140 minds, 22 eyes. The extraordinary, the everyday, the intimate, the unseen. Hopes, fears and dreams for the future.
‘Observatory’ is an artwork that presents a portrait of Burnley in images and words. It is a portrait made up of many different views, as seen through the eyes of a number of people who live, work or study in the town.
The artwork consists of six ‘monolith’ sculptures, arranged in a circle. The monoliths are made of Cast Ductile Iron and each one weighs over 1 Tonne. Each one also incorporates a slide viewer at its centre. Looking into the intimate space inside the slide viewers reveals a selection of 60 images of different aspects of Burnley. A few of these images are of famous buildings and landmarks, others show less well-known attractions or viewpoints. They are fleeting, tangental, subjective glimpses that show many varied views of the town as it really is and the lives of those who live there.
What is a town? Does it consist of buildings and streets, or is it made up of the people who live or work in it? How do towns change over time and how do these changes affect the way people think of the place where they live, work or visit? How can you represent many of the different faces of a place and the different aspects of it that people who live there think are important?
These are some of the questions behind the selection of these images. ‘Observatory’ exists to capture the essence of Burnley, to celebrate the unique character of the town, but also to ask questions about how places feel, what makes them unique and what we do as citizens to change the places we live and work, for better or worse.
‘Observatory’ was originally commissioned by Burnley Borough Council in 2009 and the first selection of images was chosen through the ‘Future Predictions’ process. The original intention was to capture Burnley at a moment of great change and also to link the past, present and future. In 2013 I was approached by Burnley Borough Council to refresh the selection of images and also create some new interpretive signage to encourage more people to see the new images. The new images came through a combination of: a competition in the Burnley Express, research into archive photographs showing views of Burnley at different times in the past and a selection of arts projects and events which have taken place in recent years.
