Arthur Gardiner (CO) my new personal hero - 22nd September 2016

-->

This morning I managed to grab breakfast at Salford Museum and Art Gallery and find time to finish the book I have been reading on Conscientious Objectors (CO’s) in Huddersfield by Cyril Pearce. It is a truly illuminating book focusing on one communities support and the reasons behind the large proportion of CO’s in that area.

What it made me realise is that at the turn of the century the “workers” were extremely well connected and supported through different organisations, political and religious parties, social clubs, unions and trade guilds, something that I feel that we have lost over the last forty years. The overriding feeling was of the bravery in face of the weight of a nation, peers and propaganda to stand up and say that you would not fight! My new Hero is Arthur Gardiner who point blank refused conscription on the grounds that he did not want to murder a fellow worker in Germany:

“ I am 26 years of age and I work as a wool and cotton dyer. I cannot conscientiously undertake combatant or non combatant military service. For a number of years I have devoted my time and energy, both publicly and privately to the economic and moral uplift of humanity. I am opposed to all forms of militarism. I believe it to be a detriment to the welfare of all nations “

Arthur Gardiner at his tribunal.

The problem being that conscription was brought in with The Military Service Act of 1916 to compel single men between the ages of 18 and 40 to some form of military service. This became law on the 27^th January my birthday! next year I turn 40 and will be celebrating the fact that I will no longer be deemed fit for military service due to my age!...maybe I have to wait till 41? 




more informaton Cyril Pearce and the Pearce register of Conscientious Objectors here :
http://www.1914.org/news/cos/


more information on Arthur Gardiner here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01s6fbd

Fighting Resistance WW1 - Artist Residency at Salford Museum and Art Gallery & Working Class Movement Library

I am pleased to announce that I have received Arts Council funding for a new project working with Salford Museum and Art Gallery and the Working Class Movement Library. I will be Artist in Residence as part of an open Network Residency with access to both institutions with the aim of creating a new body of work for public exhibition.

 The project is based on a contemporary artistic response to the World War I centenary looking at Conscientious Objectors, War profiteering, War resistance and Shame Propaganda. I will have access to the Pilkington Tile and Pottery archive which is now part of the Salford Museum and Art Gallery collection.

 As part of this year long project I will be working with Mark Devereux Projects,  and also partnering with Castlfield Galleries New Art Spaces Churchgate House in Bolton where I have a great studio space to work from.

 The exciting thing about the project is that it is research driven and there are no pre-conceptions about the artwork that will be created. This gives me freedom to follow my muse and artistic process, to create a contemporary response to World War I.

Research has started to day with the arrival of two great books, The Pot Book by Edmund De Waal - an A-z guide of over 300 makers, schools and styles throughout history and Comrades in Conscience by Cyril Pearce - The story of an English community's opposition to the Great War.


This blog will be used to document the project as it develops