Exhibition Unveils Previously Unseen Folk Artifacts

A new exhibition, titled Un/common People, is currently displaying artifacts from various museums and private collections. This showcase highlights the folklore, art, and customs of the Wessex area. Having commenced in Swindon, the exhibition is scheduled to travel to the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, the Poole Museum, and will conclude its tour at the Salisbury Museum. The displayed items span a historical period of hundreds of years, extending to contemporary times. Anna Bryant, the Exhibition Coordinator, stated: “Many of these objects haven’t been seen in public before – it’s been a real labour of love.” The exhibition features items sourced from five museums collaborating under the Wessex Museums partnership, as well as from private lenders across the region. Additionally, the Museum of British Folkore has contributed loaned objects. According to the organizers, assembling the exhibition required approximately a year and a half. They also noted that a significant aspect of the undertaking involves clarifying the definition of “folk.” Kirsty Hartsiotis, who serves as the Collections and Exhibitions Officer at Swindon Museums, remarked: “Folk – it’s us, the people. People are folk. It’s what we do. “It might be songs we sing, the stories we tell, the things we do to celebrate.”It’s not commercial. It’s not high culture, it’s grassroots level for ourselves” she elucidated. Although Stonehenge and Avebury are prominently featured, stories and songs constitute a central element of the exhibition. Folk musician Chloe Hetherington was commissioned to re-record these. Numerous songs have been gathered, and a select few are presented, alongside various stories. Among the stories is one from Swindon, known as the Female Robber, which was documented by local poet Alfred Williams. He traversed 1,500 miles across the region in the early 1900s, compiling community songs. Additional narratives include tales of Stonehenge’s construction by the wizard Merlin, a ghost in Highworth being subdued with cider, and the curiously titled “maid and the maggot.” Ms Hartsiotis commented that in the story, the woman brings a maggot home, but added: “it’s a mistake, I’m just going to say that”. The exhibition displays artwork created by individuals throughout history, such as a picture composed of 20 distinct types of tiny seeds, including poppy, stinging nettle, and daisy seeds. Also featured are remarkable large pincushions crafted by soldiers recuperating from World War One. Visitors can additionally view hand-drawn posters from the Stonehenge Free Festival. Attendees will have the opportunity to discover potential superstitions, exemplified by a collection of antique shoes discovered within walls. Simon Costin, representing the Museum of British Folklore, elucidated: “These are shoes which have been secreted within a house, often underneath doorways or within chimneys. We don’t really know why people did it. “There are theories that they were hidden away as protection against witchcraft, the idea being that the sense of the individual would be hidden in this object so evil influence would be directed towards the shoe,” he further stated. The exhibition also delves into the folklore aspect of the region. Mellany Robinson, also from the Museum of British Folklore, provided an instance from Calne concerning persistent rumors of a former medieval castle. She noted: “This story has been so persistent that people decided in 2010 to conduct a dig at the site where the castle is believed to have been constructed.” Although investigators did not locate a castle, several objects were unearthed and are now part of the exhibition. In addition to art and craft items spanning centuries, the exhibition also features contemporary objects, such as decorated skateboards, pebbles painted to commemorate the Covid-19 pandemic, and World of Warcraft figures. Amy de la Haye, affiliated with the London College of Fashion, also contributed to the exhibition’s creation and expressed that “folk” is ubiquitous. She elaborated: “The way that people communicate is not only through their dress, but they way their decorate their skateboards.”These objects are evidence of a life lived. They were objects made for daily life, for people’s homes,” she concluded. For updates, follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.