Artists to Explore the Rich History of Burmantofts

Kremena joins East Street Arts as one of two artists researching and reporting on the history of Burmantofts and New Briggate as part of our Heritage Action Zone Project.

She enjoys working on socially engaged heritage projects with untold stories yet to be discovered and inviting communities to become history makers and helping them respond to their own social histories in creative ways.

Additionally, she is drawn to this project because of its creative potential. The choice of artistic journeys defines the output and is keen to see how the project develops in the coming months.

Kremena comments:

“THE HISTORIES OF BURMANTOFTS CERAMICS ARE UNDER THREAT OF ERASURE AND DISPLACEMENT. THIS PROJECT WILL ENSURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. THIS PROJECT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE ART TO CONNECT LEEDS’S COMMUNITIES BY VISUALLY UNCOVERING AND REMINDING THEM ABOUT THEIR FASCINATING SHARED HISTORIES OF CLAY, INDUSTRY, AND MIGRATION.”

Finally, she hopes this project will demonstrate the importance and the need for creative collaborations within the heritage sector. Ideally, it will instigate future participatory, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational initiatives encouraging artists, historians, heritage professionals, and communities to work together to achieve their common goals of bringing to light untold historical narratives.

Rosie joins us as an Artist-Educator to use the fascinating history of Burmantofts and New Briggate to engage local residents and co-create new artwork with the community.

Trained in ceramics at Edinburgh she practices as a silk painter creating work inspired by narrative and nature. She is active in community engagement and has worked in this area for thirteen years working with a huge range of groups.

Rosie says she is drawn to the Heritage Action Zone project by a few different threads.

” I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE EXPLORE AND SHAPE THEIR SENSE OF PLACE. I AM FROM LEEDS AND LIVED IN BURMANTOFTS A WHILE AND ADORE THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED BURMANTOFTS FRONTAGES, WHICH TO ME SPEAK OF LEEDS. THIS WAS AN INFLUENCE ON MY WORK WHEN I WENT ON TO STUDY CERAMICS.”

She is excited about a project that brings these together and hopes it will both shine a light on Burmantofts ware as well as generating a sense of belonging and historical context. As a practitioner, Rosie hopes to find new ways of enabling communities to come together that are creative and safe.