A huge creative undertaking that saw community and craft groups across Hull joining in comes to fruition this month as An Alphabet of Hull is revealed. The venture was organised and co-ordinated by Miranda van Rossum and Hanna Lutkin, who invited people of all ages to claim one letter of the alphabet and make it their own.
Each of the letters represents a person, a place or a thing associated with Hull. The groups all got to work creating their own 1m x 2m artworks which are now to form An Alphabet of Hull trail.
All the letters will be free to view but most are placed within public buildings, so the opening times will determine when trail followers can see them. The launch of the trail is on Saturday, October 24, coinciding with the start of the half-term holiday.
Miranda said: “Finding locations has probably been the trickiest part, particularly as we were looking for places that ideally had some relevance to the theme of each piece. Fortunately, we have succeeded for the most part.”
Miranda, who previously cross-stitched 100 miniature designs at interesting locations across Hull, in the space of 12 months, to support Hull Food Bank, said An Alphabet of Hull had been “quite a lot of hard work for everyone involved”. She was delighted with the results, she said.
“It’s so much better than I ever could have hoped. When we started, my idea was to create extra-large cross-stitched pieces on wire mesh, inspired by a Dutch project.
“However, while the mesh and cross-stitching do still feature in most pieces, people have incorporated a whole array of different techniques and materials, including crochet, knitting, quilting and beadwork, to name but a few. The makers have really made the concept their own, and the end results are so much better for it.”
Miranda said: “Some pieces will stay in situ once the trail comes to an end – the K for KR piece will go on permanent display at Craven Park at the start of the next Rugby League season, for example – whereas others will return to their makers.” Some of the groups involved have been Square Peg Hull; Foster for Hull; Malet Lambert School; Matthew’s Hub; Friends of Alderman Kneeshaw Park; Rooted in Sunshine (Rooted in Hull’s women’s group); St Hilda’s Greatfield; Fred Moore Library Knit & Natter Group and North Bransholme Community Shop.
“We’re particularly pleased to have engaged quite a large number of younger people, not just the school and the Matthew’s Hub Youth group, but also Messy Momentum at St Paul’s church and visitors to The Big Malarkey festival,” said Miranda. Some of the groups that were formed for the project will “continue on”, she added.
The project has come together with Miranda and Hanna providing the mesh and the participating groups providing their own materials. “We are grateful to Men in Sheds for providing about half the wooden backing frames free of charge, and to the Makerspace at Central Library for hosting two fantastic workshops to create the signs accompanying each piece, again free of charge,” Miranda said.
The 26 pieces will be displayed right across the city, from Gipsyville to Greatfield, and from Bransholme to Hessle Road, with a number in the city centre. “We’ve managed to secure some great locations, with D for The Deep going on display at The Deep, Larkin and Venn at the University, and T for Tigers is at the Tigers’ Trust.
“There are also a number of pieces going on display in Princes Quay and in various libraries.” People will be able to find a map and information about each piece, including when it is accessible, at the dedicated website analphabetofhull.co.uk
Miranda is already preparing for her next project, starting next year, called Have A Heart. She said: “The idea is for people to make hearts with a supportive message, which will then be brought together to create one giant heart. Afterwards, the hearts will be distributed to organisations who think the people they work with would appreciate such a heart.”