Whilst we were installing the Dwell Time exhibition at Huddersfield Railway Station this morning, we had a couple of conversations with passerby by. People were curious what we were doing and some commented on the previous work which had been up since 2015. We invited people to the launch event tomorrow and had quite an indepth conversation with someone about the bit of train line between Hebden Bridge and Burnley.
Hopefully our exhibition will prompt dialogue about mental wellbeing. It’s still very much a stigmatised issue and without dialogue about it, there is bound to be huge gaps in knowledge and misunderstanding. We really hope people will engage in the work and it prompt a conversation; whether that’s with their family or friend or a stranger in the waiting room as they comment on the show. I would love to spend a few days in the waiting room just talking to people about the work. We’ll have to ask the station staff at a later date if they’ve gleaned anything from things they’ve either overheard or the conversations they’ve had. Typically people often ask “so what’s this about then?” before even reading or engaging with the work. It will be interesting to get an insight into how the station staff perceive it and then convey that to their customers.
