ARTIST BRIEF THE LAST BUS: Journeys
Curator’s Statement I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. I am not cruel, only truthful ‚ The eye of a little god, four-cornered. THE MIRROR, Sylvia Plath
I believe that the role of an artist, whatever material you choose to create with, is to be a documenter. We document the times in which we live, the emotions that we feel, and through this we explore our own version of humanity. It is with this in mind, and with the opening stanza of The Mirror by Sylvia Plath for guidance, that I intend to look upon the changing landscape of Stoke-on-Trent. For so many of us who visit or come to this city to live, ‘the old bus station’, was our entry point. It has been the site for hellos and goodbyes, for the start of working days and the end of drunken nights. Its absence will leave scars. Its destruction will mean that future first arrivers have a different sense of this place. This is both happy and sad, as most change is. As artists, as documenters, it is our responsibility to faithfully reflect how this affects the city, the landscape, and its people. Let’s take The Last Bus to celebrate, mourn, and mark the passing of time. Siobhan Mcaleer, Curator