Rehearsing Memory, Belton 2015

Moving image installation, film installation, audio walk and printed piece, 2015

A project with artist Belen Cerezo, commissioned by Belton House for Trust New Art.

Commissioned for the centenary of the establishing of a machine gun training camp on Belton Park, Rehearsing Memory, Belton 2015 explores the different ways we commemorate the complex histories and stories of the Machine Gun Corps (MGC), here in the present using a reflective, exploratory approach to address how it is remembered by Belton’s community.  We worked with staff, volunteers and the public within the wide programme of events (archaeological digs, talks, exhibitions, archival research and re-enactments) that took place at Belton House during summer 2015. Each part of the project functions on its own as well as forming part of a whole, that encourages new reflections on the scale of the camp, the complexity of training for, and the role of memory in imagining the future and the part that Belton park plays in storing memories. 

Part 1, moving image work, the stables
Part 2, audio walk, 1 hr, in the parkland to the site of the training camp
Part 3, ‘expanded card’ limited edition printed work distributed off site to villages, organisations and groups locally
Part 4, film essay, shown in the billiard room

Audio Walk excerpt

The audio walk started in the marble hall and guides visitors to the (now empty) site of the Machine Gun Corps. Taking in viewpoints from members of the Belton community, historical materials and the actual experience of researching in the park, over 5 chapters, the walk is a reflection on remembering and place.