Methodologies of Art, Community, Place and Environment.
Since the 1990s, William Titley has remained undeterred in his mission to create powerful and transformative art experiences through the energy and enthusiasm of participants, intimate conversation, and the emergence of shared narratives in meaningful places.
A lifelong resident of East Lancashire, William has worked tirelessly with friends, family, and acquaintances across the county to deliver projects that have had a tremendous impact on the community. With such an impressive career as an artist, William has received various awards and global recognition for his exhibitions, performances, installations, conferences, and public interventions in everyday situations with local and international communities.
Currently serving as a Senior Lecturer for MA Fine Art at The University of Central Lancashire, Preston, William is a passionate advocate for the power of art to bring people together and create positive change. His unwavering commitment to his craft and the community he serves is truly inspiring, and his achievements are a testament to his dedication and visionary leadership.
In 2012 he co-founded In-Situ, a groundbreaking community arts organisation in Pendle, Lancashire, UK.
You can follow William on Instagram at william_titley
The following are examples of recent work. However, if you need to dive deeper into the various approaches to making social and community art then please use the links at the top of this page to explore the online archive.
Email all enquiries to northernarts@hotmail.com
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The Letter - Film: 2:05 mins. (2020)
A moving image artwork made during a residency at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery in 2020 called Kicking Down The Barriers. The film shows two neighbours in adjacent windows: Imran Ali and Cath Ford.
[birdsong] - Film: 107mins. (2019)
A film that captured the artist and his long term and intimate relations with people, place and environment. The project was initiated by asking people what they could remember about an old film called Whistle Down The Wind starring Hayley Mills (1961), which was filmed around Pendle Hill in Lancashire, UK and involved many local school children. This new interpretation followed over 60 members of the local community as they remembered old scenes and imagineg new ones, and revealed the majestic presence and power of Pendle Hill and the surrounding countryside, and the emergence of contemporary social issues in the process.
Time Machine - Interactive Sculpture. (2018)
Popular music can act as a first step to exploring and developing a sense of collective identity. The music somehow captures memories and wraps them in the cultural sound of your time, always there, in storage, and ready to come back in a flash, triggered by a few musical notes. The Time Machine sculpture utilizes these audio triggers to capture and share collective memories of space and time. Constructed from an old Jukebox, the sculpture holds a selection of community memories evoked by 50 songs on 7" vinyl. The memories are displayed on the selection panel for the audience to interact with and hear the song that triggered each memory.
Gentlemen's Wardrobe - Interactive Sculpture (2017)
Made by a handful of men who care for a loved one at home on a full-time basis, the sculpture, made from two antique gentleman's wardrobes emerged from months of dialogical encounters and playful engagement with found objects. The audio includes a recording of everyday chores and a poem about living with a loved one with Dementia. While you need to see the sculpture in person to get the full experience, this short video gives you a tiny glimpse of the work, which was just a tiny part of the project. 2018