Oxford Covered Market will launch a new audio tour, The Un-Covered Market, this weekend.
The City Council commissioned Oxford-based multi-media artist Charlie Henry to create a participatory installation that embraces the history and communities who use the market. You can watch the trailer here.
Charlie gathered stories and memories from Covered Market users of all ages, who reflected on the market’s long history of being at the heart of the city centre’s community and its influence on the lives of the people that use it.
The Un-Covered Market guides listeners around the market as it interlaces sound recordings with poetry from local artists – including Barney Norris, Naomi Poole and Carl Tomlinson. As well as poetry, snippets of mindfulness are interlaced with extracts by local historian Malcolm Graham about the history of the Grade II-listed building.
The voices guiding the tour are trader Denver Woodley from Bonners Oxford, with tour creator Charlie Henry.
The audio tour is accessed via the dedicated page on the Covered Market’s website that will go live Friday, 15 October.
The Un-Covered Market Launch Weekend – 16 & 17 Oct
To celebrate the launch of The Un-Covered Market, Charlie will be setting up a special pop-up recording booth and poetry workshop in the former Oxford Aromatics’ unit (Avenue 3, opposite Pieminister in the centre of the market) for the weekend of 16 and 17 October.
Traders and members of the public are invited to visit the booth to contribute their own stories and experiences of the market first-hand. These recordings will then form a new Covered Market oral history archive to keep for future generations to enjoy.
In addition to the recordings, Charlie Henry will be hosting a free poetry workshop where all are welcome to simply drop by and get stuck in.
Un-Covered Launch Weekend programme of free events:
Saturday 16 October
10.00am – 2.00pm Audio booth recordings –
2.00pm – 4.00pm Poetry workshop open to all just drop in
Sunday 17 October
11.00am – 2.00pm Audio booth recordings – all welcome
The recording booth and workshop will follow the latest Government COVID-19 guidance. Participants will also be asked to wear face coverings where possible and use the hand sanitisers provided.
Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Charlie Henry’s audio art installation brings our beloved covered market alive. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear more about the market and for members of the public and market traders to contribute their own accounts of using the market. I hope many people will come to the market this weekend and share their stories as well as exploring and shopping there.”
