About FWords : Creative Freedom

‘FWords’ is a creative project to commemorate the Parliamentary Act of 1807 to abolish the British Slave Trade.

Eight individuals were selected from some of Yorkshire’s most talented literary and visual artists, acclaimed through publication, performance, exhibitions and prizes, nationally, and in some cases, internationally. They were asked to respond to this occasion by focusing on the theme of Freedom.

FWords has been created to further raise the profile of Yorkshire’s rich heritage of talented artists, descendants of those who migrated, forcefully and otherwise from Africa and beyond. In keeping with the theme, the writers and artists have been given as much creative freedom as possible to express their response to the commemoration which will ultimately be archived for Yorkshire’s history. The work of six writers, has been illustrated with work from two visual artists, by creating printed materials, broadcasts, digital and dedicated web pages. All of these have been made free and accessible to the public.

The name, FWords was chosen as it was felt that within the concept of Freedom, there were so many ways and ideas to explain it, that it was not one that could be easily contained. The notions behind the word are both specific and nebulous, simple, but also complex, and as one of the writers says, in this sense, it is like love...