Inverclyde Shed Collective Oral History Project

Coinciding with the Year of Storytelling (2022-2024) this collaboration with Inverclyde Shed and Jenny Wicks explores people's connection to place through presenting the every-day and extraordinary life histories of members of the Shed, adding a more personal and modern dimension to the ‘Ships and Sugar’ legacy that is often associated with Inverclyde. The Inverclyde Shed is a community group that provides recreational facilities to advance the social needs, health and well-being of people living in the Inverclyde area. By creating, developing, sustaining and maintaining workshop facilities, they offer opportunities for people in Inverclyde to meet and undertake creative, physical, purposeful and recreational activities of their choice. Their membership is open to anyone over 18 years old and currently includes a wide range of retirees, crafts people, ex-servicemen, professionals, photographers, programmers, engineers, architects, carpenters and others. The Shed aims to reduce isolation of people in the area thus contributing to their physical and mental wellbeing and developing the capacity of people in the Inverclyde area to share their skills and knowledge with others in the community. Glasgow based artist Jennifer Wicks worked with nine core members of the Inverclyde Shed spending time with each of them, recording their stories; gaining a deeper understanding of the history and politics of Inverclyde and how these have shaped individuals and the community at large. Listen to the Shed Sound Archive.