How to tell the Story of a Place- Pickle Problem Solve
A mural created in Stoke telling the stories of the local residents and the history of the old library building.
After our callout on Linkedin for all of your public art related problems, (see and add your thoughts here…) One of the most common was how to successfully tell the story of a place. So how can you capture stories from the past or convey local traditions/celebrations and turn them into a physical piece of art?
Thinking caps on, here are a few ways public art can do this…
1. Trail Markers in Significant Locations
The favourite of the solutions as it ticks off so many boxes for health and wellness, activating spaces and education. Lots of bang for your buck. Trails can take on many forms which we have an entire blog post dedicated to here so they’re flexible to any budget, space and story.
They can include an option to scan QR codes which expand on the trail pieces information. This is a great alternative to trying to cram all the information into one piece. Think of the marker as a point of intrigue that makes the audience want to discover more.
Use utility boxes, bird boxes, printed contour cut shapes, fibreglass sculptures or wooden animals to tell your stories in a consecutive or random order. Collaborate with a community group to choose the stories and you have a super well rounded public art project.
Part of the Fosse Foxes trail. Telling community stories and a plaque with a QR code which let's the audience find out more.
Illustrator Astrid Jaekel's project 'If These Walls Could Talk'
showcased old Stories, rumours and myths about the Wigtown and its surrounds with outdoor wallpaper.
'Grab a map to guide you around this playful large-scale, installation and learn the history of the town, told from a bricks-and-mortar point of view'.
More from Astrid Jaekel as she celebrates Edinburgh World Heritage, telling stories in illustrated panels sited in small alleyways on Edinburgh's iconic Royal Mile.
2. Illustrated Timelines
A sequential timeline is a great way to showcase the history of a place, especially if you have a good record of how a space has changed over a period of time. Some may say its an obvious answer, and dare we say a little bit boring? Depends how it’s done.
You can get creative with the location of the timeline- is it on the floor, in tiles across a brick wall or even up a flight of stairs? Is it in a dark alleyway which is deemed unsafe which could be made safer with some bright colours and some care and attention. With bespoke illustration and typography you can make it a piece of art rather than an information board which then feels like a celebratory piece of work for the space.
This wonderful timeline from illustrator Dave Bain shares the history of the RWA in Bristol in a fun and engaging way.
3. Local Materials & Existing Infrastructure
Instead of dropping in something new, why not use materials local to the place, embedding the story into the work from its core? Maybe there's a local stone which could be used to carve objects to place around the town? Often there are offcuts you can get relatively cheap to add a local touch to a project.
Also, there are probably already notable (or not so notable) landmarks in the way of utility boxes, bus shelters and fences which could be the perfect canvas for art which has that physical link to the space. Maybe there’s a story to be told about the different benches within your town?
Alphabetical Studio celebrates Thamesmead’s undervalued natural environment by bringing a local nature reserve to life. Using existing fences to communicate their messaging.
Using existing infrastracture in the form of utility boxes to showcase local wildflowers in Shirley.
Stonecarver Steve Roche using a local stone in a collaboration with muralist Zoe Genders
4. Projection Mapping & Animation
Animation and video are both ideal media for telling stories. Why not showcase them somewhere more prominent? Project onto a building and create an event around the history of your location. This also avoids lots of problems around working on protected buildings which you can't usually touch! It could be a ticketed event or something free for all ages as a way to showcase the pride you can have for a place. The video could also be used online and in indoor spaces to further its reach.
'Workers of the Roundhouse' was a project we worked on for Birmingham Roundhouse which showcased all of the different types of occupations that were housed in the space. It was projection mapped onto some outdoor windows which can be seen from the nearby canal towpath.
A projection on Blaby Town Hall celebrating the work we did on a map design showcasing local attractions.