Residency begins..

This week I started my residency on the Oxford canal. The canal, which was completed in 1790, runs between Oxford and Coventry and passes through many small villages en route. The first engineer James Brindley designed the canal so it followed the contours of the surrounding hills and valleys, resulting in a gently meandering journey through the English countryside.

While the canal was built to transport coal and other goods to and from the Midlands to Banbury and Oxford, today it is mainly used by holiday makers and those choosing to live on narrow boats which cluster by the towpath.

Banbury played a crucial role in the Canal Revival, after Tom Rolt restored his boat 'Cressy' at Tooley's boatyard in Banbury, and took a journey which resulted in the book 'Narrow Boat', the spearhead of a movement to rescue the canal system which was no longer profitable for commercial use. (The map here shows Banbury wharf in 1882)











Through the course of the residency I will be exploring the history of the people and places who used the canal in its commercial heyday, and looking at the identity of people living on and using the canal today. I will be recording the journey from Oxford to Banbury by foot, bicycle and boat, using video, sound and photography to document the present day and glimpses of the past.

The resulting artworks will be presented on Canal Day, October 7th in Banbury.