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A day out in Dudley Time inside passes slow, So we went out for the day, My favourite place to go, The high street in Dudley I'm sure that you'd agree It's not like any other town, There is lots to do and see And there's space to run around There's a playground there Just in the middle of the street And fruit growing everywhere The strawberries taste so sweet There's lots of places for grown-ups Where they like to chat and sit They say 'hello ya right bab?' And then Tarra a bit. There is no need to in When it's black over bill's mother Because should the rain begin The canopy is the perfect cover The grown-ups pick the veggies And call come get some grub We jump down from our climbing trees And head over to the food hub We get the buz back home for tea And get it down our wazzin I look back on the day with glee My Dudley town is bostin.

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Dudley was pretty much at the centre of the Industrial Revolution. It had many advantages like making things faster, leading to technological advancements, a wider distribution of wealth and the social changes that came with this. However, it also had its own set of problems that are still relevant today which we need to acknowledge and address to successfully move forward, mainly: overpopulation, housing, water, air pollution and depletion of natural resources.

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LED lights in window

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'Quick eating pigeon'

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A Test Item

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Up high buddleia + fern waving in gentle breeze

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Slow Rick stopping to talk to shop keeper

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Small slow sway of sign on street

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Kid on bike

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"A tram travels along Wolverhampton Street in Dudley.."

Photo Past Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Change Difference Familiar Identity Life Memory Missing People Old Shelter Survival Transport Unfamiliar Words Vehicle Speeds

Gentle flapping of purple bin liner hanging out of bin

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Slow car 11, faster car 9, faster van 1

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In this picture from 1914 in Dudley, you can just make out my grandfather. He's the small boy with the cap running across Wolverhampton Street in the days when the trams were still running. Years later we worked out that this day was probably a defining moment in his life, the day he chose never to have a second thought or to be bullied by others. You can see him running. This is because he had stolen the ham you can see him carrying under his arm. This one action started a chain of events for my grandfather that would go on to dominate his formative years. Petty larceny, theft, criminal activity that would shape him, turn him into one of the most notorious villains in the Black Country. When he died in 1972, this photograph turned up amongst his possessions, in a locked drawer of his bureau. We agreed amongst us that no one in the family had ever seen this photo before, curious as to its importance to him. On the back of the photo he had written the date and time, together with a brief note - "Me stealing ham from W.Smiths, butcher". He would have been 10 years old and this was perhaps his first, or at least one of his first criminal acts. We have no idea who took the photograph or how he had come to have the original print in his possession, but it appears that it held some significance for him as he kept it all of his life locked away in his bureau drawer.

Imagining Text Story Creative writing Actions Chance Connection Creativity Familiar Food Identity Imagination Interacting Justice Life Memory Moving Old Past People Speeds Stories Surprise Unfamiliar Words

'Fast motorbike / loud & fast'

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Slow car reversing into bay where I am sitting

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Slowly walking couple - man helping older woman

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LED lights in window

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Woman waiting

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Slooow peeling of cladding on 1st + 2nd storeys of bldg

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Subway.docx

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Subway Here, it’s all about the brand. Green and yellow Flashes of black As staff move quickly to Make subs 6 inch Foot long In the lunchtime rush It’s all go, go, go. Here, it’s all about the image. New York subways Map the walls Alongside Legends Heroes Iconics Classics Not names I would associate With sandwiches But to be fair I am not the target here Too old by a country mile. Here, it’s all about immediacy Driven by technology Attractive to young minds Thumbs scroll over phones To place orders To make payments To text their mate, who’s Sat right next to them Phones, phones, phones As the Deliveroo driver Double parks across the street To pick up a meal deal As ovens ping and Cookies slide off trays and A student picks and goes No desire to sit in or Wait a while. Here, it’s all about speed and It is busy. A boy in a boiler suit Made for a man Jokes with his mate He can’t decide what to order There’s too much choice He doesn’t know what he wants He needs inspiration and The counter guy offers him help Bread style Filling Extra cheese Drink and a cookie. His mate ribs him For getting double Jalapenos But he doesn’t care. Here, it’s all about the future Contactless A space in which a new generation move Transactional The model of a brave new world Phone app ordering Because this is what some people want Safe Easy Quick Convenient Just because it’s not for me Doesn’t make it wrong and Judging by the queue at the door They’re obviously doing something right. I leave as another delivery Heads out the door. Boilersuit boy is making his way down the High Street Back to college. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow Grateful for the help with his order.

Poem Connection Conversation Gift Colour Moving Speeds Consumption Food Old Technology Vehicle Lingering Interacting Future New

'Walking fast & hurriedly'

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Flap (gentle) of covers on crowd barriers

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PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPE To create a safe family friendly pedestrianised space on Dudley's high street. By changing up the landscape and introducing micro ecosystem on the high street we aim to improve the health and well-being for the planet as well as the people of Dudley.

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