What makes Frome, Frome? Who gets to shape the town’s future? And how do the stories we tell about where we live influence what comes next?
Residents are invited to explore these questions and more at The ForEm, a free, one-day event taking place at The Silk Mill on Saturday 19 September from 10am to 6pm.
Part village fête, part research exhibition and part Speakers’ Corner, The ForEm offers a playful and thought-provoking opportunity to explore Frome’s identity, celebrating the town’s independence, creativity and community spirit while also examining its challenges, contradictions and changing character.
The event has been created by Frome-based artist Kate Keara Pelen through a collaboration with the University of Glasgow’s Civic Imaginary Partnerships research project. Co-produced by the Civic Imaginary Partnerships team and Sue Palmer of Future Shed Frome, The ForEm builds on a year of conversations with residents, artists, community organisations and Frome Town Council about how people experience the town and imagine its future.
Rather than presenting the research as a finished report, The ForEm invites people to engage directly with the ideas, questions and themes that have emerged. Through performances, films, artworks, games and interactive installations, visitors will be encouraged to share their own perspectives on life in Frome and what they hope for the town’s future.
Highlights of the day include:
- A community loom created by artists Claire Orpin and Tamara Jones, building on work developed with local children and young people
- A programme of community films led by Dr John Sealey of Fabian’s Films, capturing residents’ stories, experiences and hopes for Frome
- Performances and unconventional guided tours from artist and theatre-maker Tom Spencer
- Reflections on Frome’s traditions, characters and civic life from Martin Scott, Town Crier and Cheese Lord
- Exhibitions of films, oral histories and artworks created throughout the research project
Visitors will also have the chance to meet the research team, ask questions and contribute their own views on what has been learned along the way. The day will conclude with a screening of the community-produced films, followed by a discussion with some of the people involved in creating them.
The Civic Imaginary Partnerships project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is exploring how communities across the UK can imagine and shape the future of their places. Findings from the work in Frome will contribute to a report and recommendations that will be shared with Frome Town Council later this year.
The ForEm is free and open to everyone. Whether you stay for ten minutes or the whole day, organisers are encouraging people to bring their memories, questions, concerns, hopes and ideas about Frome.
