Sharing Heritage
Punk rock music inspired a life-changing subculture, affecting fashion, politics and attitudes. Creative Factory marked punk’s 40 year anniversary by interviewing and photographing 20 punks from Walsall, recording their memories of the music’s impact on their lives and on their home town.
They shared the stories in an online archive, tabloid newspaper-style booklets and a touring exhibition. Promoting the project at music festivals, in punk magazines and on radio shows encouraged a wide range of people to get involved in heritage for the first time.
Steve Pottinger, project leader, said “The best moment was seeing some interviewees coming to the exhibition, often their first time in Walsall art gallery, and bringing their parents or children. Sometimes families learned something about their relations they never knew before!”