Chris T-T, Creative Fellow at The Workhouse, Southwell, performs live in the Workhouse's historic Committee Room, 14 October 2016. Part one of 'Oakum' performed a cappella, composed during his fellowship. The preparation of oakum - a fibrous material used in shipbuilding, picked out strand-by-strand from old rope - was a common form of labour in the Victorian workhouse.
The project 'A Ballad for Southwell' has been initiated and managed by curatorial collective, CommonAs, in partnership with The National Trust property, The Workhouse, Southwell. It has been funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.