Suzanne Lacy
The Circle and the Square

The Circle and the Square was made in Brierfield Mill in Pendle, Lancashire in collaboration with arts organisations Super Slow Way and In-Situ and interfaith educational charity Building Bridges.

From the 1960s until its closure in 2010, Brierfield mill brought together South Asian heritage and white communities as they operated the textile looms side-by-side. Without this common ground, they continued to live in close proximity but grew apart. For two years, Suzanne Lacy worked with residents in Pendle - exploring their cultural and spiritual backgrounds and the socio-economic circumstances that shaped their relationships with each other.

In a final three-day performance, people were invited to observe shape-note singers and Sufi chanters, participate in singing sessions, listen to former mill workers and join a 500-person banquet. These moving parts are brought together in The Circle and the Square - the beautiful, deeply moving multi-screen audiovisual installation presented at the Whitworth.

This exhibition ran from 26 November 2021 – 29 January 2023

Image: Suzanne Lacy, The Circle and the Square, Brierfield, United Kingdom, 2015-2017
Photography copyright: Guzelian Ltd.