Michelle Scally Clarke
The city of Leeds seen through public art - past, present and future. In her essay, Both Arms, Michelle Scally Clarke talks about the statue of that name by William Kenneth Armitage
In her essay, Both Arms, Michelle Scally Clarke writes about the statue of that name by William Kenneth Armitage CBE, a Leeds sculptor known for his semi-abstract bronzes.β― It is a powerful public image of compassion, support and welcome, created as a monument to friendship. It resonates for Michelle about her own life journey as a mixed race care leaver who was welcomed and held by Leeds as a child and now an adult.
βBoth Armsβ also holds great pride and nostalgia for Michelle, a visual symbol of Leeds as a city of hope for now and the future. Her essay explores Leeds as a city of welcome in multiple contexts - adoption and adaptation; migrants and refugees; traders and artists; students; and Nelson Mandelaβs iconic visit to the city in the 1990s.
Michelle Scally Clarke is a writer and performer of drama, creative writing, and poetry. Work includes ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Contains Strong Language 2023, Space2 2016 performance and workshop focusing on mental health βSuitcaseβ, 2018 cross-cultural play βJeans, Whose Genes?β and now peer-led Clear Out Your Closer poetry group, focusing on writing for wellbeing.
Writer/reader, Michelle Scally Clarke
Sound designer, Alisdair McGregor
Producer, Polly Thomas
Looking at Leeds is a co-commission between ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 and The Space with funding from Arts Council England.
A Thomas Carter Project for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3.
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