Jiglu: Farmtalking: Discussion: RE: fmd road show

Originally from: Farmtalking

Hi Coleen

It would be interesting to know exactly which travelling Art Company was wanting to put on the Show?

As you may remember, Julia Currie put on a photographic exhibition, 'In the Shadow of Foot and Mouth' – http://farmtalking.com/news_jc_artexh_141002.html – which included Ian geering's photographs and letters, poems and drawings from children, mostly in the West Country. I visited the exhibition in Stroud last year and it was very well received by those who attended, including some who had been affected by FMD.

There was also the Art Gallery Exhibition 'Love, Labour & Loss – 300 Years of British Livestock Farming in Art' 20 July to 15 September 2002 at the Tullie House Museum, Carlisle. – http://farmtalking.com/whatson-archive.html.

The Oaklands Trust also put on a play, 'Never Ending Sunset' – http://farmtalking.com/news_never_ending_sunset.html – which sadly I was unable to attend, but understand it was also very well received. It was hoped it would travel around the country too, but as far as I know it hasn't done so inspite of efforts to arouse interest by the Everyman Theatre, a National Theatre Group.

Early in 2001 I was contacted by a young man who had obtained funding to enable him to collect and collate a record of the FMD crisis for posterity and I did what little I could to help him.

Of course there will also be those who try to make money from other people's suffering in one way or another, at the same time there are those who have good intentions and have no desire to make a profit from such ventures but do need finanial help to stage them!

If some of those affected choose not to attend it is understandable but it might well do some good if any of those who are totally unaware of the scale of what happened were to attend and became informed by it.

We certainly should 'not forget' and anything that informs the ignorant and can help to remind us it must never happen again is to be welcomed IMO!

Author wrote:
A meeting was held at the old Great Orton (now the Watchtree Nature Reserve) yesterday between locals and someone from a travelling Art Company.
They want to put on a show around the Country, concerning the horrors of fmd through graphic images etc. The reporter said the whole idea was – so people would NOT FORGET and that the whole episode of fmd could be taken to people who perhaps did not witness it. It was decided to ask the local people as they has lived through most of the horror (with the burial pit being on their doorstep) what their views were.
By all accounts the meeting was not harmonious,and it was decided that it is far to raw and still uppermost in many people's mind to allow this to go ahead. In other words – the time is not right.
It did not say if this would be a paying and therefore money making exhibition.
I think that people did not wish to know what was happening when fmd was taking hold – so I am not sure to take these horrid horrid images would be of any help (unless of course it is to make money).
It was also said that the exhibition was to help and to stop it happening again.
Well we know how to do that, and it is not via any exhibition.
I know what they mean by it all being still raw. They showed some footage of the animal transporters pulling into Great Orton full of sheep going to be slaughtered, along with the burial pits. I simply burst into tears. I was taken right back, as if it was yesterday.
I know that pictures of wars etc do go on show and that people do go and view them. I do not feel this was a war, and that it only happened because of lies – but then when I think about it – is that not how wars start, because someone in power allows it! – or wants it.
There was also a small debate on Radio 4 on Sunday regarding Public Enquiries. I quote this as best I can..
"The people have to obey by the law of the land. If they do not – they must face the consequences. A public enquiry is the only way we have open to us, of holding people in high office to account. Without that, they are free to do as they please"
Coleen