Songlines and Social Haunting

This documentary explores creative, co-produced research work with 6 groups in de-industrialised communities in northern England, and develops its 'song lines' through to 6 international settings via community radio. Listeners across the world will contribute their responses to our work, which will return to us - developing these 'song lines' - as we explore notions of community, memory, power and hope. This research worked in 6 communities in areas of Britain that were previously seen as very important centres of industry: coal mining and ship building in the North East and, in the North West of England, textiles, pottery and coal. Today though, those industries have gone, closed down by the government and affected by global market competition – which has left a legacy of social problems, poverty and has fractured traditional identities. Last year, the political situation in Britain was shaken by a popular vote for ‘Brexit’, for the country to leave the European Union. Former industrial, working class communities in the North of England whose voice and political power seemed so often to be sidelined, voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU. At the same time, right wing nationalist political forces have been gathering support in communities like these right across the Western world. This provides a context for our work, but however different these communities seem from yours, in this documentary we hope to raise important questions that are meaningful to anyone who wants to explore ideas of community, memory, the production of knowledge, and how we might imagine a better future.