Mona and the Moths is a sculptural storytelling project exploring light, pollution, adaptation, and working-class resilience in Bradford’s lost Wapping district.
The work is inspired by the life of my great-aunt Mona, a working-class woman born at 4 Wild Boar Street in Bradford’s now-demolished Wapping Road neighbourhood. Years later, I located the site of her home in a quiet, overgrown woodland, a hidden trace of a district long erased from the city.
The project began with archaeological fragments from the lost Wapping district: dominoes, pottery shards, and oyster shells. When my Aunt Dot saw the pottery she remarked, “such bright pottery in dark times.” Her words became a guiding thread for the work, capturing both resilience and the everyday traces of life once lived there.
Mona’s story is connected to that of the Peppered Moth, which famously changed colour during the Industrial Revolution in response to pollution. Mona’s life was shaped by light deprivation, poverty, and the lifelong effects of rickets. Both stories speak of adaptation under environmental pressure. Species may endure and environments may recover, but individual bodies often carry lasting marks.
At its heart, Mona and the Moths is socially engaged. The work was shared at the Corn Dolly pub, which once served the Wapping community and still stands today. Mona’s voice played over the stereo as a soft textile sculpture was introduced. Using photochromic dyes and sensors, the sculpture reveals hidden pottery patterns and responds to visitors. A guided walk across the busy A650 retraced the footprint of the lost district, reconnecting participants with a vanished landscape.
Through care, craft, and collective storytelling, the project reflects on environmental trauma, working-class heritage, and the possibility of healing.
OUR TURN is a visual arts festival designed and led by artists and delivered by South Square Centre in collaboration with Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, Yorkshire Contemporary, and Bradford Producing Hub. The festival is supported by Arts Council England and Yorkshire Visual Arts Network and commissioned by Bradford 2025.
Event photography by Andrew Benge.
Filming and editing by Marion & Aidan / Redundant Span
Peppered Moth images courtesy of Bradford District Museums and Galleries.
