The Way We Were

Siobhan Fedden reviews the Looe Street Detectives closing event on Sat 1 Feb

‘Looe Street Detectives’ was a 10 day research residency at Plymouth Arts Centre, in which artist Sara Bowler worked with residents of Plymouth to explore the history of Looe street, on which Plymouth Arts Centre is situated, and the history of the surrounding area. As a final celebration of ‘Looe Street Detectives’, Plymouth Arts Centre hosted ‘The Way We Were’.

This was an event hosted to reflect upon the exhibition and history of Looe Street through re-staging activities that took place as part of the original Virginia House Settlement (Plymouth Arts Centre’s current location was once known as The Virginia House Settlement, a social centre set up by Nancy Astor). The family-orientated day began with decorating biscuits to mimic the name plaques within the exhibition, a valentines themed card making and sewing session and children engaging with the exhibition space through play. The highlight of the event was a tea dance in which everyone from the oldest attendees to the youngest children got involved. Everyone enjoyed learning dances such as the Rumba, the Pasodoble and Line Dancing. The event closed with a fantastic screening of the Jill Craigie film ‘The Way We Live’.