where we've been
The Generator: Stories & Memories
The Generator: Stories & Memories An oral history project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Stories & Memories project captures the voices, recollections and experiences of those who studied, worked and created in the historic Packe Street building over the decades. Through these personal stories, we are preserving the building’s rich creative legacy while sharing it with new generations as The Generator begins its next chapter as a vibrant community arts venue. With thanks to Institute Loughborough for their continued generous support and for providing the filming location. Click on any picture below to read or watch the full interview
020 Jemma Bagley
A Bucket Catching the Drips: Jemma Bagley on Art Space's Earliest Exhibitions in the Generator Gallery
Jemma Bagley studied textile design at Loughborough Art College from 1987, and by around 1997 was helping run exhibitions and workshops for Art Space, a group still going today, in what was then a semi-derelict generator gallery. In this interview, she talks about hanging work from the building's own gantry hook, an accidental audience wandering in off the street, and how the space taught her almost everything she knows about running a socially engaged arts practice.
Interview date: 06.12.2025
013 James Chantry
Dreaming for Real: James Chantry on Kevin Ryan's Vision for The Generator
James Chantry worked alongside Kevin Ryan, the driving vision behind The Generator, from the project's earliest days at Charnwood Arts, including the "Firing the Generator" consultation weekend that filled the derelict building with cardboard boxes, acrobats and live drawing. He traces Kevin's commitment to the space back through more than a decade of conversations, and reflects on what it meant to be handed an old Yale key to an empty building and told: it's yours.
Interview date: 08.10.2025
010 Nenagh Watson
Pushing boundaries and reimagining The Generator
Nenagh Watson doesn't mince words. A puppeteer and multimedia artist who spent 30 years pushing boundaries in Manchester, she's exactly the kind of creative The Generator was designed to serve. When the project was still in its consultation phase, Nenagh was one of the voices championing space for local artists – and she's got some strong opinions about what the venue should become.
Interview date: 20.02.2025