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| Preston Street Union | SERGE/SURGE | 28 May 2019 | Photo: Jonathan Price |
Maps of voting patterns published just after the 2016 EU referendum and the 2017 General Election show Exeter as a tiny island of red in a sea of blue. Proudly Remain and perennially Labour, it stands in stark contrast to its Devon neighbours. Modern Exeter may not be the most multicultural of cities, but its long-standing overseas connections mean its positive attitude to European trade and migration is nothing new.
Migration used to be a relatively neutral word that described the movement of people, animals, information or ideas from one place to another. But in the context of a historical museum collection, where the provenance of many objects is tied up with empire-building, colonisation and war, it’s a highly charged concept. Add a sprinkling of Brexit uncertainty, and you’ve got yourself quite a hot potato.
We presumed the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) was aware of migration’s potential spikiness as a theme when it commissioned Preston Street Union (PSU) to work on it in relation to the museum collections. For our part, we thought that by focusing on Exeter’s history – its historic wool trade, its ancient city walls – we could discuss migration, but in a cooler-headed way. Of course, in the current climate (including anti-Trump and Extinction Rebellion protests), any organised public action will be read as overtly political. But making live work in public spaces is what PSU does.
We were initially inspired by First Nations artefacts in RAMM’s World Cultures collection, which incorporate fragments of red woollen cloth produced in the south west of England. They seemed like potent material traces of complex international trade relations. Originally used to build relationships with indigenous peoples, the cloth ultimately became an incentive, along with the promise of protection, for handing over ancestral lands to colonisers. Eventually, the cloth fragments found their way back to Britain as part of these First Nations 'collectors' items.
Wanting to show Exeter’s connectedness with the wider world, we devised a dramatic breaching Exeter's city wall with of 15 metres of red woollen fabric. We knew this ‘surge’ of serge could suggest incursion, defence or escape. That red could read as the socialist ‘red flag’, as a claim by an invading force, or even as blood and death – and we encouraged this ambiguity in the face of migration's complexity. But, most of all, we intended our unfurling fabric as a red carpet of welcome.
We not only raised and released the generous bolt of fabric from on high, we cleaned and re-rolled it after it had fallen to the ground, working carefully and diligently in relay as a team. And, dressed in an improvised uniform of caps and knee-pads, we carried this awkward, weighty, comment-provoking object across the city in an untidy march. At the next site we would signal it in, directing attention with paddles and whistles like train conductors or marshals on an airport runway. Throughout our actions, the fabric always moved outward and onward, extending itself into the world. The fabric was the star-turn – often taking its own surprising route as it spilled over the wall and hit the ground with a satisfying thump. We were merely its enablers.
After its final surge we carried the length loose to a waiting table under a shady tree, where we served warm Exeter Pudding, made from a historic recipe. We’d embroidered the serving cloth with a tribute from the nearby statue of Thomas Acland that commemorates his “generous heart and open hand”.
In an unexpected turn, the gathered crowd descended on the table before our red carpet of welcome could be properly laid at their feet. They had spied the Exeter Puddings on offer and, unable to wait for the hosts’ invitation, were already tucking in.
SERGE/SURGE is the first of two works on the theme of migration
to be produced by Preston Street Union for RAMM. It was commissioned by Lara Goodband, Curator of Contemporary Art at Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum and supported with funding from Arts Council England.
PSU also acknowledge the kind support of Sovay Berriman, Topos Exeter, Exeter Phoenix, Exeter Castle and Jonathan Price. Exeter Puddings were researched and baked by Ebdon’s Refreshments.
Review by Leigh Curtis, Exeter Observer
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