Northern Voices is an immersive installation piece that challenges the preconceptions and stereotypes of Northern society. As a Northerner studying her vernacular, Georgie became interested in the phonetically written form.
"In North Yorkshire dialect, we have a culture of abbreviation—of missing a lot of letters from words or words from sentences. As a visual response, I have cast ultraviolet contours from an archived topographic map of my home village, Robin Hood’s Bay, over a series of fluorescent screen printed typographic layouts. Only parts of words are visible at first, unless you persevere and let your eyes adjust. This is a nod to the situations where somebody doesn’t understand my dialect. Given time
to adapt, further communication (verbal or visual) would allow for a deeper understanding. The UV shines a 'new light' on stereotypes whilst reflecting our optimistic mentality. I’ve found that the stereotyping in the South attached to being Northern is biased and not necessarily fair—I’ve found that throughout history Northern citizens have put humans before hierarchy; shown in the many radical movements originating and nurtured in the North such as campaigns for Women’s Suffrage, Chartism, the Industrial Revolution, the founding of the independent Labour Party and the campaign to abolish slavery. Through tracing the origins of our dialect back to Norse origins, it's clear that our Northern ways of speaking have accumulated through years of a non conformist culture within a climate of resistance."
to adapt, further communication (verbal or visual) would allow for a deeper understanding. The UV shines a 'new light' on stereotypes whilst reflecting our optimistic mentality. I’ve found that the stereotyping in the South attached to being Northern is biased and not necessarily fair—I’ve found that throughout history Northern citizens have put humans before hierarchy; shown in the many radical movements originating and nurtured in the North such as campaigns for Women’s Suffrage, Chartism, the Industrial Revolution, the founding of the independent Labour Party and the campaign to abolish slavery. Through tracing the origins of our dialect back to Norse origins, it's clear that our Northern ways of speaking have accumulated through years of a non conformist culture within a climate of resistance."
The shock of moving from a small seaside village in the North York Moors to a southern city resonated deeply within Georgie; she noticed there was less of a community and a definite disengagement with the untouched landscape in the South. She wanted to communicate the intensely profound sense of belonging she felt when at home on the cliffs, and the total sensory immersion that makes the location for a deeper humanity. Residing within a National Park, among the elements allows for both a clearer mindset and calmer psyche—using intense colours and abstract lighting helps to illustrate this feeling.
