On this week's episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to artist Heather Peak Morison of Studio Morison about Small Bells Ring, a living research vessel, a floating library of short stories, filled with objects that hold stories, which will travel along the canal network on the RV Furor Scribendi, a fully functioning sculptural narrowboat.
Soon to arrive on the Leeds & Liverpool canal in East Lancashire, it will house the UK’s first national collection of short stories. However, Small Bells Ring is not just about books; it also offers a beautiful space for reading, writing, hearing and discussing narratives, as well as learning about the boat’s workings, maintenance and how to drive and pilot it. As it journeys back and forth between East Lancashire and Coventry, many of the places along the way have a shared post-industrial heritage and common social issues. Small Bells Ring aims to be a catalyst for change, empowerment and expanding the sense of shared community.
Small Bells Ring is an artwork created by Studio Morison and co-commissioned by Super Slow Way and Coventry City of Culture Trust in collaboration with Lancashire and Coventry Library Services and their communities, and Canal and River Trust and British Council.
