The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend saw the launch of an innovative, exciting and ground-breaking initiative. To mark the once in a lifetime auspicious event of Her Majesty’s Jubilee Celebrations marking 70 years as Head of State there was an unveiling of an exciting commemorative public art project to mark the occasion and immortalize the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
The iconic Community Archway Project, “Archway to Modernity”, is a collaborative project with many stakeholders who treasure the legacy of the City and region and wish to see an artistic exhibit on the doorstep of Soho House – home of Matthew Boulton, the father of the Industrial Revolution. The unveiling ceremony took place at 4pm. This was followed by a buffet reception at the house of Matthew Boulton – the now world famous Soho House.
Accompanying the unveiling and the reception was an opportunity to see an exhibition especially curated and produced by a team of artists, academics and community groups to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee and the launch of the commemorative piece of art. This exhibition was an amazing opportunity for participants to learn about the importance of the Industrial Revolution whilst celebrating the Platinum Jubilee, and the history of Handsworth.
The launch day at Soho House, in Handsworth, included speeches, exhibitions and photo opportunities for people to celebrate the launch event. Handsworth is now a densely populated super-diverse area of Birmingham. Historically though, it was located in the county of Staffordshire and remained a small village from the 13th century to the 18th century. When Matthew Boulton lived at Soho House he set up the Soho Manufactory in 1764. The Soho Manufactory was the largest factory in the world. Handsworth today is regarded part of Birmingham and home to many cultures, identities, faiths, languages and traditions.
The exhibition married history, art and community spirit through its various elements. Taljinder Kaur, a local historian, spent over 10 years collating the detailed historical facts and photographs that made up a number of timelines regarding the homes on Soho Road, alongside the general development of Handsworth from a small sleepy village to a thriving city suburb. Harr-Joht Kaur, an artistic volunteer, depicted the Industrial Revolution’s positive and negative outcomes in a beautifully illustrated and hand-drawn art piece, which in turn encourages the reader to reflect on their own interpretation of the facts they are presented with. Alongside these panels were some unique art pieces donated for the exhibition by artists, and joined by creative pieces curated by students of Nishkam Primary School, Birmingham.
The Lord-Lieutenant, John Crabtree OBE, the Queen’s representative for the West Midlands, was honoured to be present for the event and spoke eloquently when addressing the distinguished guests in attendance. He said, “The Nishkam centre is a wonderful example of a community that reaches out to all communities, all heritages and all faiths… The archway will stand, not for just the history of this area which has seen the whole history of Birmingham, but also for a sense of common purpose that will bring us all together.”
The Nishkam Centre were extremely grateful to host the event in partnership with Soho House, with whom they have a shared motivation to bring together communities to celebrate our shared heritage.
