museum of possibilities

urban wilderness

Chatterley Whitfield is a deep mine colliery in Stoke-on-Trent which was decommissioned in 1977 and then re-opened as a mining museum until 1999. Urban Wilderness worked at Chatterley Whitfield to engage with local residents, visitors and community groups with the past, present and future of Chatterley Whitfield Colliery by asking:

What would you put in a museum at Chatterley Whitfield?

Urban Wilderness invited the public to engage with their concept of a Museum of Possibilities through playful public events including a 'dig' on Chatterley Whitfield Nature Reserve, a 'living library' tour of the colliery with ex-miners and 'mad scientist' workshops with young people at Chell Area Family Action Group (CAFAG).

about urban wilderness

Founded in Stoke on Trent in 2018, Urban Wilderness is an arts organisation run by co-directors Laurel Gallagher, Isla Telford and Jenny Harper. As a collective of artist practitioners they use costume and simple actions to disrupt public spaces and suggest alternative relationships between people, places and the environment.

buildings, artifacts, found objects and ideas for the museum of possibilities

two people in red boiler suits, yellow boots, and white hard hats digging a hole in the dirt

‘the dig’ public surface excavation on chatterley whitfield nature reserve

people in blue and white hard hats pointing at a derelict building

living library tours with ex-miners at chatterley whitfield colliery