An artist from Stone is getting people talking with the help of her ‘chumbrella’.
The #chumbrella is simply an umbrella adorned with the Twitter hashtag – a shorthand form for sharing which is familiar to millions of Twitter social media users. And Sarah Nadin hopes it will help to get people talking in open spaces around the world, but is trialling it in Stoke-on-Trent city centre this month.
She said: “#chumbrella is a social project which aims to enhance our public spaces. Quite simply, it is an easily identifiable umbrella where the individual is giving consent for another person to come and share their space, whether the reason is for protection from the elements, or just a friendly chat. It’s going really well in Stoke and we’ll be moving to other towns and cities soon – it would work really well in Stone!”
Armed with #chumbrellas, Sarah was outside the Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley from 11am until 1pm on Saturday and will be there again on Saturday 15th and 22nd. Anyone taking part will be able to keep a #chumbrella and use it to keep the conversation going in their own communities
Tony Jones from Bradwell has agreed to trial the #chumbrella. He said: ”I was really eager to get involved in this project when I heard about it. I think we have to find ways of breaking down the barriers between people – we seem to be increasingly suspicious of strangers – and this project gives us a way of starting to talk.”
Anyone wishing to join Tony can contact Sarah via email at sarah@chumbrella.org – you can find out more about the project at www.chumbrella.org
The project is being supported by Stoke-on-Trent arts programme Appetite through ‘The Kitchen’, which is an artist professional development programme. The Appetite programme is funded by Arts Council England and is led by the New Vic Theatre in partnership with B Arts, Brighter Futures, Partners in Creative Learning and Staffordshire University.
