Prospects

The Meadows, cute name for a road, brutal demolition of the meadows.
 
No poisonous trees in Laburnham Road,
no watercourse at The Mallards,
The Woodpeckers have no trees,
no brambles left in Blackberry Close,
no Moor View for the houses behind the flats,
no salt marsh for The Godwits,
the Hollow Glade now full,
no horses on Paddock Road,
no needles at The Pines,
no fruit on Orchard Place,
no sports on Cricketers Close,
no whey down Curds Road,
no cygnets at Swans Nest,
no lovers on Buttercup Way,
no sheep on Drovers Road,
the Prospect Place is dire,
​
you get the idea
building building building
until there is nothing left
down the right of way.
 
Stuart Bowditch

groving places an emphasis on text this year and Stuart's powerful poem weaves through the project - today appearing in Hatter Street, Churchgate Street and Angel Lane. 

​Prospects is the first new publicly available poem I've written since 2018. The concept had been in my mind for a long time and I gathered the street names used in the piece over several years whilst on journeys around the UK. The theme for groving 2023 seemed to be a perfect fit for the idea so I wrote the poem with this in mind

I always seek out stickers when visiting new places, as stickers on lampposts and other street furniture are an indicator of social, cultural and counter-cultural activity in the area. This format therefore provided a perfect vehicle to display the poem in public spaces whilst accommodating the small parameters required by the commission.

Stuart Bowditch is an artist, musician and field recordist. His practice focuses on places and communities that exist on the fringes, both geographically and socially, with a particular interest in the sonic landscape, capturing overlooked and overheard noises and using sound as a documentative and creative medium. His sound recordings of people, their activities, experiences and environs have contributed to art installations, phone apps, archival records, radio broadcasts, podcasts, dance performances, public consultation events, musical compositions, a computer game, a eulogy and sound tracks to short films.
​www.stuartbowditch.co.uk  Email stuart@stuartboowditch.co.uk Instagram @bowditchstuart Twitter @stuartbowditch