Raw Material Exhibition

2006 Photo MA graduate Mishka Henner opens a new exhibition at the Air Space gallery in Stoke on Trent from the 16 - 21 June. The work was commissioned by Arts Council England West Midlands and is an exploration of North Staffordshire, a territory rich in cultural and
artistic heritage seeking to forge a new identity in a post-industrial era.

On entering the 21st century, much emphasis is placed on the need for
northern towns and cities to develop aspirational identities to attract
outside investors and succeed in the global marketplace. Having worked in
the north of England for the past four years, we came to North Staffordshire
between October 2007 and April 2008 and found a landscape scarred by
economic forces that have left deep psychological and physical wounds.
Throughout our series, motifs associated with vulnerability and a coming of
age appear alongside motifs of role-play and faith.