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Littlehampton’s Lobsters: Update Page
At the start of 2009, Littlehampton Museum was awarded £26,800 by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to carry out a local community project titled ’Littlehampton’s Lobsters’.
The project explores the work of internationally renowned Bauhaus artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy who was inspired by Littlehampton’s blooming lobster fishing industry and stunning historic boatyards during his visit to the town in the 1930s. During his two year stay he created one of the first aquatic films, capturing the fascinating natural habitat of the lobsters, with the Burtenshaw family playing a starring role as one of the many local fishermen’s families featured.
The Launch 6/2/2009
(From back)
Cllr Mark Butler, Town Mayor
(Left) Stephanie Bolt, Lead Artist
Juliet Nye, Museum Curator
Dick Leggatt, Lobster Fisherman
Local people are encouraged to  participate with an open call to examine and
explore their personal archives relating to the 1930s in Littlehampton, images of or by Moholy-Nagy himself, and the lobster fishing industry in the 1930s. All of the information and artefacts that are unearthed throughout the project will be displayed and interpreted in a major temporary exhibition in spring 2010. A multimedia catalogue will also be produced and distributed locally, featuring the collections gathered from the public, the research into Moholy-Nagy’s groundbreaking underwater study, and the wider impact of his achievement.
Photo Trails around Littlehampton Harbour - April 2009
The photo trails were held over the Easter holidays in conjunction with the RNLI, who provided the groups with special access to the Coastguard’s Tower which featured in Laszlo Maholy Nagy’s iconic film.
The 2 hour sessions began at Littlehampton Museum, with a private screening of the Lobsters film, before departing towards the Harbour on foot, where a tour of the movie hot spots was conducted by Lead Artist to the project Stephanie Bolt. Participants were given especially commissioned ‘pocket books’, which acted both as simple viewfinders as well as guides to the scenes/stops along the way. Any photographs and completed pocket books will feature in the major temporary exhibition at Littlehampton Museum in Spring 2010.
Due to the success of the April photo trails, a further series of sessions were carried out during the school summer holidays 2009.
Photographic Conservation Workshop
In November 2009 Museum staff undertook specialist training in photographic conservation, with expert Susie Clark who travelled to the Museum to deliver the training.
A workshop was then put together for members of the public, many of whom took up the offer of a FREE opportunity to bring along their personal photographic archives and learn how to care for them. Feedback from the day was excellent, with the workshop being well attended. Museum staff hope to repeat the workshop in 2010, alongside the temporary exhibtiion in Spring 2010.
EXHIBITION DATES ANNOUNCED!
Saturday 6th March - Friday 16th April 2010
Hearne Room Gallery
The exhibition will run for 6 weeks, and encapsulate the work of the project as well as showcasing artefacts, memories and siginficant images collated by the Lead Artist from local people, community groups, and the Museum archives. The two films that have been commissioned for the project will also be on show daily, and a new interactive touch screen console will be situated in the Maritime Gallery, for a more in-depth look at the Project.
THE EXHIBITION LAUNCH - Saturday 6th March 2010
The launch of the exhibition was a great sucess, with over 40 members of the public attending and fresh local lobster served to all the guests. The local press were in attendance, with the BBC visiting the exhibition and planning to feature it on their website in the near future.
Project Website Launches 25th June 2010
Follow the link below to view the final output for the successful ’Littlehampton’s Lobsters’ Project. The website features the two commissioned films, the original ’Lobsters’ film shot by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and a book of the project, written by the lead artist Stephanie Bolt. The website will be live for 1 year, until 25th June 2011.
There is also a link to the project Twitter page set up by the lead artist, as a forum for people to discuss the work.
The project team would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who have generously donated their time, artefacts and knowledge to this project, without which it would simply not have been possible.
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This page was last updated on 31/08/10 at 14:06:02
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