Paul Murphy plays out the mourners at the funeral of The Site

Yesterday a funeral was held for a forgotten croft in Digbeth. The ceremony marked the death of industrial use for a burnt-out warehouse overlooking the river Rea. Public Artist Hannah Hull spent three months researching this site of No Special Interest, in order to give it a dignified and highly personal farewell.

It was a truly lovely service despite the cold and the rain (which seemed strangely fitting).  It was officiated by Ben Waddington with music from  Paul Murphy and readings from artist Arlene Burnet and architect Joe Holyoak, who gave us timely Extracts from Michael Parkinson’s Visioning Document.  Afterwards we all enjoyed a light buffet, Digbeth Phoenix Ale and music from Chromatouch at The Anchor. 

You can pay your respects and view articles from the service at The Rea Garden, 1-8 Floodgate Street, Digbeth, B5 5ST from Monday 30 December until Sunday 13 December, 11am-4pm.

You are also invited to join in the talk ‘A Certain Kind of Death – Rebirth in Digbeth’ at Eastside Projects on Tuesday 8 December at 6.30pm

In conversation with Alberto Duman, Hannah Hull will expand upon the rationale behind the funeral, and take the opportunity to relate it to the recent and imminent changes in the Digbeth area. Drawing from their personal archives, they will explore notions of ritual and memorial in the context of urban regeneration.

If you’d like to learn more about this contact Hannah Hull on mail@hannahhull.co.uk or 079 3252 8888.  In the meantime I’m going to leave you with a touching poem by Hannah Hull taken from the funeral’s Order of Service:

Poem

The curve of fallen steel.
The precise hue
of faded blue.

Heavy rain reveals
metal hoops
in every size.

I dug a hole.
Shards of shellac
waterfall, spill.

Tucked away
sodden boxes
barricade

Time has its own design
A monument
to itself.

Hannah Hull