The Moment Feb/Mar Edition

We like themes at The Moment. As we’ve mentioned before, sometimes these come?about by chance. Sometimes they’re all part of the plan. Often, it’s a bit of both.

This issue, we had the phrase ‘creative community’ in mind. It grew out of one?fundamental realisation: that there is an amazing amount of creative work going on in?Peterborough, and that lots of people in Peterborough regularly bemoan the fact that?there’s nothing going on.

Obviously, there’s some kind of disconnect here. Sure, everyone knows about the big?events, the big venues, the big visiting bands, artists and comedians – but what about?the smaller, grass roots creatives and events? For some reason, Peterborough’s home-grown talent still struggles to connect with audiences – who then complain about the?lack of culture. Many of those creatives leave for greener pastures, the naysayers then get?to say ‘Told you so’ and it all becomes one big negative feedback loop. Wouldn’t it be nice to break this cycle, and really appreciate what we’ve got going on?under our noses? Maybe then, it would stay, and grow, and flourish all the more.

Some creatives are flourishing, so we thought we’d talk to some of them. They include?local artist Tony Nero, who has built a career in fine art here in Peterborough; street?artist Nathan Murdoch, who has gone from an Eastfield kid being arrested for graffiti to?renowned street artist with a thriving business, and Tyler Clark, an engineer by training?who set up The HackSpace to allow Peterborough people of all ages to get creative?with wood, metal and just about anything else they fancy. All three are also creating?communities, alliances, and partnerships in their own ways.

This was the plan. Then out of the blue came a Peterborough Cathedral talk about?medieval graffiti, which gave us the chance to talk to historian and archaeologist?Matt Champion – an expert on this subject. Through?medieval graffiti, we get a glimpse of the ordinary people?– the real community, whose lives are often left out of?the histories. And what it shows us is that people don’t?change. They always strive to create, to make their mark, to?record their thoughts and feelings. To forge an identity as a?community. To show they matter.

That’s what this issue aims to celebrate – and to facilitate –?then, now and in the future.

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