Why I’m interested – Katie Shipley
I am interested in the personal stories and local myths and legends of Stoke-on-Trent, the lives that have woven around the buildings and events in the city. I would like to use the QR codes to reveal memories of the town to give life to the buildings, places and events that are slowly being forgotten and replaced.
As part of a New Generation Space funded commission at SHOP on Stoke town, artist Anna Francis hosted a tour of the town and a revisioning/rebuilding activity for local artists. During the activity the artists involved made suggestions for ways that the town could be improved. Katie Shipley raised the idea of QR code information points across the town. These would be discrete square barcodes that when scanned by a suitable mobile phone would reveal a piece of information. Whether that be architechtural, historical or a personal story, linked to the location of the barcode.
After the event three artists Anna Francis, Kate Lynch and Katie Shipley further discussed the potential of this project and met in Stoke town again. We discussed the potential of the QR Codes to act as a tour around the town and the different formats that the QR Codes could be presented; in the pavement, collages on walls in shops, small thumbnail images or large. The artists have decided to apply for funding to pilot the project in Stoke town, with potential partnership with The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
