Artist designs fabric walk
ARTIST Anoushka Athique has created a colourful walkway by hanging purple material from buildings.
Residents can take part in the self-guided tour through Middleport and Longport after the 29-year-old completed the final stages of the project earlier this week.
The idea behind the initiative, which has been funded by the £100,000 Place Space and Identity Programme, is to encourage more people to explore the area.
Anoushka, from Brighton, said: "I chose purple material because it is a colour that is lacking in the surroundings and will stand out and really brighten up the place.
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"The material is sustainable and will last throughout all weather conditions so people can walk through whenever they want.
"I have stitched the material together and attached it to lampposts and bridges to make the features really stand out in the landscape.
She added: "This is the first time I have worked in Stoke-on-Trent and it has been a really great place for this project.
"I hope a lot of people will take time to do the walk."
The 30-minute route starts at platform two at Longport Railway Station and is over a mile long.
Anoushka will be leading a guided tour of the walk on September 17 at 2pm as part of Steelite's 'Green Week'.
For those who wish to take part in the walk themselves, a map of the route can be found online.
Middleport resident Pauline Kerry, aged 68, of Newport Lane, said: "I think the walk is a nice idea but I don't think it will make a difference to the state of the area.
"People have tried brightening it up before, we had walls painted and some graffitti boards were put up but after a while they just go from looking colourful to grubby and I think the same will happen this time."
Place, Space and Identity is a collaboration between the former regeneration body Renew and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, supported by Arts Council. Areas to benefit from the project so far include Shelton, Stoke, Hanley and Meir.
The project has seen doorways revitalised and painted different colours in a run-down city centre street and an outdoor cinema was built in Meir from entirely recycled materials.
Those looking to take part in the walk can find the route online at www.walk4life.info/walk/fabric-walk or for more information about the project, visit www.placespaceidentity.org.
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