On the Edge (Charles Fletcher)
19min 54s – 16:9
Synopsis
‘On the Edge’ presents a portrait of the city of Lancaster’s ‘Mill Race’ district, an area known fondly by locals as the city’s ‘last dereliction area’. Once home to a thriving port, factories and workers’ houses, the Mill Race has a long and chequered history but faces an uncertain future.
Artist Statement
‘On the Edge’ is a film about a part of a city that is overlooked and passed over. Threatened with wholesale demolition in the 1960s, the film presents a portrait of a place in limbo: caught between the past and a prolonged stay of execution from the wrecker’s ball, it seemed like an unpromising place to make art. Yet, every place has its story to tell and people who care for it; the Mill Race area of Lancaster turned out to be built upon a wealth of untold stories. From stone sinks to fly towers, it was exciting to be able to hear these narratives first hand and bring them to a wider audience through this film.
Charles Fletcher
How does the past bear upon the present? This is the question that I ask myself as an artist. The relationship between past and present forms an intimate part of my life and I think it is only natural that I should seek to capture it in my artwork. The challenge is to capture this experience with authenticity, to speak of its relevance and tackling this ever-evolving problem is what creates the urgency and necessity to keep on making art.