Stapleford Granary has looked beyond the traditional exhibition format to create an enhanced experience around its Shirley Baker show – Children at Play. A special screening of Shirley Baker: Life Through a Lens and a project involving community participation have both encouraged visitors to engage with the stories and memories behind the photographs.
The documentary Shirley Baker: Life Through a Lens (2023) offers an intimate look at Shirley’s life and work. Audiences have described the screening as both informative and moving, with many saying it deepened their appreciation of the exhibition.
The centre has also embraced a community-centred approach inspired by curator, researcher and writer Dr Anna Douglas. While curating Women, Children and Loitering Men at Manchester Art Gallery in 2017, Anna invited people who had lived in inner-city Manchester and Salford during the 1960s and 1970s to a gathering where they could share their memories. Several people recognised themselves in Shirley’s photographs, creating an emotional opportunity to reconnect and hear the stories behind the images – link here.
Inspired by this, Stapleford Granary has installed a ‘Playing Out’ noticeboard where visitors can share childhood photographs and memories of those times. The display is steadily growing and is sparking conversations about how childhood has changed across generations. With several school visits planned, it will be fascinating to see how today’s children respond to a time when playing out in the street was simply part of everyday life.
We hope to bring you more news about future screenings of Shirley Baker: Life Through a Lens soon. The film was produced and directed by Jason Figgis, written by John West, and co-produced by Shirley’s daughter Nan Levy in association with The Shirley Baker Estate.
On Now: Stapleford Granary, Cambridge: Shirley Baker: Children at Play, the cultural centre’s summer exhibition, till 25 August
