Watermarks

I am very pleased to say that I am starting a new project called Watermarks, thanks to funding from Wakefield Council Culture Grants.

Watermarks is a geographical and visual exploration of the Wakefield district’s waterways.

The Wakefield district has several waterways flowing through it and from it.

The River Calder enters the district at Horbury and merges with the River Aire at Castleford. The River Aire then leaves the district at Knottingley (This waterway is navigable by barge via the Calder and Hebble Navigation & Aire and Calder Navigation)

This canal and river system was hugely important to the district as it was used to transport coal from the local coalfields to the nearby power stations (now demolished) and on to the port of Goole for export.

The River Went starts at Ackworth though the source might be further upstream, following Went Beck. This is a small river that starts, I believe, in the heart of the district.

The River Dearne enters the district at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and leaves near Woolley Grange.

For this project, I will travel the length of these four waterways documenting what I can see, find, and experience. For the Calder and Hebble and Aire and Calder Navigation I will travel the length of the waterways, from West of Horbury to the East of Knottingley, by barge (approx. 35km)

For the Rivers Went and Dearne, I will walk the sections that are within the district’s boundaries.

Through this project, I hope to promote the use of the waterways for leisure, recreation, and well-being.

The project will culminate in an exhibition of work I create, inspired by these journeys and experiences, in Wakefield Cathedral in January 2024.