TEAM TALK BRING “THE APOSTLES” TO LIFE!

April brought me back together with my Boro guide Brian as we headed out to Redcar to meet the men from Team Talk once more. Our mission: to wrangle this gang of ex-steelworkers into a modelling session of sorts and create a living version of Mackenzie Thorpe's classic sculpture, “The Apostles”.
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The idea was born when Team Talk visited Arthaus last autumn (for full details on that rowdy occasion, check out my previous blog post!). Mackenzie joined the group via Facetime and talked about “The Apostles”, describing it as “The Middlesbrough Last Supper” - wherein a group of flat-capped working men leaving the pub on a Friday night, immersed in their tall tales, jokes and debates, fall into the instantly recognisable positions of the Apostles themselves. Well! This sparked quite a conversation and we laughed about the notion of recreating the sculpture with the men of Team Talk. What better models?! How fitting that these Teesside working men should be the ones to do it?! The plan was set in motion.

Brian and I arrived at the 'Boot Room' (Redcar Athletic Football Club), where the Team gather for their weekly meeting, and joined them for morning coffee. I looked around the room at the men as they clustered in smaller groups, deep in conversation, and thought about the harsh history of the industrial North, the decline of its defining industries like the steel mills and factories of Teesside, and the tough times every man in the room will have faced. And here they were bantering over the morning papers and sharing out the bacon butties! I was struck by the strength of their camaraderie, how their shared history has laid the foundation for these weekly gatherings, a chance to take a break among others who come from the same world and know its hardships....a chance to meet up and have a laugh.

​At this point the gang were spreading out, getting louder and more raucous. I remembered Brian's warning that it might be a challenge to get them organised...and wondered once again what I had let myself in for!
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I needn't have worried. These guys were ready for the challenge! As we gathered together, I was thrilled to see every one of them produce a flat cap in readiness, keen to uphold this unifying feature of the sculpture. There was a bicycle. A satchel. And even a dog! We were in business! I assigned roles (there was some negotiating over who was Jesus and who was Judas), and each of my models studied the sculpture carefully to make sure he was bringing his part to life. Who needed to be miming laughter, who needed to be listening, who needed to show a separateness from the others...it was all there.
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We staged the session both indoors and outdoors, with the outdoor version appropriately being shot on Redcar seafront not far from the decommissioned blast furnaces of the steel mills. This Team, being so deeply connected in their personal histories to what Mackenzie is representing in his sculpture, really did bring “The Apostles” to life. There couldn't be a better group to make the idea work! The guys themselves were just amazing, full of enthusiasm and laughter; it was a fantastic morning! I will let the final images speak for themselves...

Huge thanks to Team Talk for being such great fun and so willing to take on this challenge: Brian, Tony, David, Peter, Alex, Colin, Eric, Cliff, Paul, Mick, John, Richie, Paul, Roy, Martin...and Tess the dog!
​Thanks also for my very own Team Talk Hoodie, I feel like part of the gang!
*Watch this space for further adventures with Team Talk – I wonder what our next project will be?!