Industrial Heritage Stronghold
Luke Perry Sculptor
Longbridge Memory Map 2012-14
In this project, I worked in residence at Longbridge (Ex Rover Works) for 2 years one of the outcomes was Memory Map, a large-scale map build with hundreds of ex-workers based on oral history projects, creative sessions, creative writing groups, volunteer historians and walking tours.
I spent hundreds of hours talking and making with the older residents, many of whom were deeply emotionally scarred by the collapse of the factory, the strikes and subsequent unemployment. These sessions were a kind of art therapy, allowing a space for a narrative of
both positive nostalgia, bitter loss and acknowledgement of change. The final artwork was visited by thousands of people and became a local talking point for the years that it remained in place.