Beyond the Map
a commission for Dorset National Landscape
2021
Beyond the Map was a project commissioned by Dorset AONB (now National Landscape) to take a creative and inclusive approach to community engagement in the Char Valley. Emma built on the concept of parish mapping, focussing on the process rather than making a specific piece of work. Inspired by Common Ground, the project aimed to create a collective expression of values about how people felt about their local landscape. Common Ground have always placed Local Distinctiveness at the heart of everything they do. They explain this…
“Distinctiveness is about particularity in the buildings and land shapes, the brooks and birds, trees and cheeses, places of worship and pieces of literature. It is about history and nature jostling with each other, layers and fragments, old and new. The ephemeral and invisible are important too: customs, dialects, celebrations, names, recipes, spoken history, myths, legends and symbols.”
Emma and Jess delivered oral history gathering sessions alongside printmaking workshops. We worked in schools, village halls and with community groups. Emma also produced kits so that participants could contribute remotely by post. These were sent out and left in phone box libraries.
Zoom in and move around the map, clicking on place markers to reveal the artworks, videos and more!
