Retired? - The Bigger Picture comic cover

Whatever people say I am: Retired

That's what I'm not

The Bigger Picture

This story is based on focus group research with retired people from Burton Joyce and challenges the stereotype that once your working career is over, your life is too. For our four featured characters, the arts provide a social 'lifeline' and the opportunity to embrace new experiences. The arts also provide an opportunity to develop social networks. The only problem is, they're all too busy to meet up. The artist for this issue is in his 70s and retired a while ago. But this hasn't stopped him consistently producing new work...

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Meet the team

Dr Loretta Trickett

Research: Dr Loretta Trickett

Dr Trickett's research interest is in masculinity, the fear of crime and victimisation. She is a member of various working groups on hate crime in Nottinghamshire. For the past two years she has been a member of the Arts Council England funded project The Bigger Picture. This consortium of academics and arts organisations are investigating the impact of inter-generational arts programming on the experiences of exclusion and isolation within minority communities in Nottingham. Dr Trickett has focused on the experiences of the retired and elderly.

James Walker

Writer: James Walker and others

James has dedicated a large chunk of his life to promoting Nottingham. This has included 13 years as literature editor of LeftLion magazine and various cultural projects with Paul Fillingham, notably; Dawn of the Unread, Being Arthur and the Sillitoe Trail. His most recent work was 'Cheap Gossip for Retail Later' as part of the City Arts Words of Wisdom series which aims to bring older and young people together through literature.

James Walker

Brick

Artist: Brick

John 'Brick' Clark was born in Berne, Switzerland in 1949. As John Stuart Clark, he is the author of several travel books The Chalke Way and After the Goldrush. As Brick, he has contributed numerous political cartoons to a variety of UK and international publications. His comic books include Depresso, the double Eisner Award nominated To End All Wars, East of Aleppo and most recently The Curious Case of Leonardo's Bicycle. In our previous project Dawn of the Unread, he was the creator behind 'My Long Walk with Slav'. In 2015 he became an Honorary Associate Professor of English at the University of Nottingham.

brickbats.co.uk

Paul Fillingham

Production: Paul Fillingham

Paul is an award winning creative, experienced in the design of commercial and governance-led online services, and founder of digital consultancy Thinkamigo. A long-time collaborator with James Walker, Paul is interested in digital inclusion and the use of technology as a catalyst for knowledge transfer and cultural change. He co-produced the Sillitoe Trail and Dawn of the Unread and is responsible for digital production on Whatever people say I am.

Paul Fillingham