Brown Fields Blue Skies

We occupied a wasteland, the spoiled remains of a once prosperous industrial past at the beginning of its transition into a period of renewal, its evolution into a new form. This was Widnes Waterfront in a liminal state, an uneasy limbo beginning a new phase of its existence.

Our occupation of the area was fleeting. We worked and rested in our temporary fragile structures, our “hides” that existed for a few hours. Each focused on an aspect of the place now or as it might become. They were places to be still, to observe from, to invite people with specialised knowledge to and undertake various activities. A means to be visible and encounter passers–by. We have left no physical trace behind beyond a set of new images of the Waterfront.

An A2 folded map-log of the project is available from tim.leather@halton.gov.uk

Tea is a group of visual artists Peter Hatton, Val Murray and Lynn Pilling who explore the representation of places. www.teaweb.org

Commissioned by Halton Borough Council. Part funded by the European Union.

Tea would like to thank: Brad Balmer, Ian Banks, Steve Barr, Joanne Beswick, Jenny Carr, Steve Coldock, Peter Cosgrove, Phil Esseen, The Full Monty Café, Bill Geraghty, Louise Hesketh, Tim Leather, Pauline Lightfoot, Paul Meara, Chris Miller, Sara Munikwa, Paul Murphy, Peter Murray, Rob Routledge, walkers, cyclists, security guards, firemen.