2017 saw Field Notes temporarily take the lead on Penryn Arts Festival to rethink the connection between the town and the arts. This iteration of the festival was devoted to celebrating local expertise; drawing out Penryn’s creative, skilled and resourceful local community; sharing local knowledge, revaluing haptic reasoning, showcasing Cornwall’s connection to making, and exploring contemporary art’s relationship to ancient methods and traditions. The programme included five bursaries for local artists/craftspeople, free public workshops and screening events, an artwork handling collection and a Skills Share Fair.
Photo: Field Notes
CONTEXT
Penryn is an ancient port town on the south coast of Cornwall, it appears in the Domesday Book under the name of ‘Trelivel’, and was named Penryn in 1216 by the Bishop of Exeter. Today Penryn is a small community of around seven thousand people, despite it’s picturesque setting and historic buildings it sits slightly off the tourist trail with it’s larger neighbour Falmouth providing the main local attractions and centre of commerce.
Around 2017 the town offered relatively affordable housing and works spaces, attracting a variety of creatives and creative businesses. Field Notes moved our office from the nearby University campus on to the Commercial Road in the centre of the town and with an open door we found ourself being approached by people living or working in the town, wanting to see more happening and connect to other people, and we gradually built up a picture of a town full of hidden creativity and small scale industry.
Having participated in the town’s arts festival in 2015, Field Notes agreed to take on the role of organiser for 2017 and made the decision to focus that year’s activities on connecting local artists and makers and sharing skills.
Around 2017 the town offered relatively affordable housing and works spaces, attracting a variety of creatives and creative businesses. Field Notes moved our office from the nearby University campus on to the Commercial Road in the centre of the town and with an open door we found ourself being approached by people living or working in the town, wanting to see more happening and connect to other people, and we gradually built up a picture of a town full of hidden creativity and small scale industry.
Having participated in the town’s arts festival in 2015, Field Notes agreed to take on the role of organiser for 2017 and made the decision to focus that year’s activities on connecting local artists and makers and sharing skills.
COMMISSIONS
Penryn Arts Festival 2017 provided 5 small bursaries for local artists, makers and organisers based in and around Penryn, who were looking to develop new projects, workshops and initiatives. The awardees were Phyllida Bluemel, Georgia Gendall, Samuel Rump, Graham Taylor and Amy Lawrence.
ENGAGEMENT
Throughout October and Novemeber Field Notes convened a series of free workshops combining art, food, conversation and making. All of the evening workshops included a community meal that brought participants together to discuss and celebrate what they had learnt. Each workshop was lead by a local artist who shared their skills with a diverse crowd made up of students new to the town and local people of working age right through to retirees. The first workshop was lead by artist anc ceramicist Rosanna Martin, who helped us to make the plates and bowls that the subsequent meals were then served on. A full archive of the workshops can be found here.
A ‘Handling Collection’ of objects at the intersections of craft and art was assembled and made available for loan to local schools, community organisations and individuals. The collection was also displayed at all Festival events. It consisted of an assortment of objects, large and small, sourced and borrowed from a variety of artists, including highly skilled local artists and makers, and internationally based artists. The full collection can be browsed here.
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EVENTS
The Arts Festival culminated in a Skills Share Fair celebrating the creative spirit of the town. This free event which took place in December was a sort of antedote to a Christmas Market drawing together local makers in one place for one day and offering opportunities to try a range of skills and meet creative people.
There was bookbinding with Nina Fenner, woodblock printing with Adrian Holnes, marbling with Dan O’Brien, weaving with Camilla Stacey, Kimchi making with Sohn Kitchen, VR experiences provided by Becala of InterAnima and cyanotyping with Stuart Robinson. Lucie Hernandez devised an illuminated felt star making activity combining textiles and technology, Kate Ogley and Timothy Crowley invited people to press a ceramic bee to add to a swarm destined for an installation on Falmouth University’s Penryn Campus, and the Festival Bursary Holders worked with attendees to make a collaborative ceramic ‘Monument to the last thing you made’.
Fish Factory Arts who had lost the use of their original building at Falmouth Wharf and were in the process of raising funds for a move to Penryn created a display of art, prints and crafts from their studio residents and used the fair as an opportunity to asking what the creative community of Penryn would like from them.
The Handling Collection was displayed, and the plates from the meals were added to selection of artworks and objects donated by workshop leaders and festival participants for fundraising tombola.
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There was bookbinding with Nina Fenner, woodblock printing with Adrian Holnes, marbling with Dan O’Brien, weaving with Camilla Stacey, Kimchi making with Sohn Kitchen, VR experiences provided by Becala of InterAnima and cyanotyping with Stuart Robinson. Lucie Hernandez devised an illuminated felt star making activity combining textiles and technology, Kate Ogley and Timothy Crowley invited people to press a ceramic bee to add to a swarm destined for an installation on Falmouth University’s Penryn Campus, and the Festival Bursary Holders worked with attendees to make a collaborative ceramic ‘Monument to the last thing you made’.
Fish Factory Arts who had lost the use of their original building at Falmouth Wharf and were in the process of raising funds for a move to Penryn created a display of art, prints and crafts from their studio residents and used the fair as an opportunity to asking what the creative community of Penryn would like from them.
The Handling Collection was displayed, and the plates from the meals were added to selection of artworks and objects donated by workshop leaders and festival participants for fundraising tombola.
FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
Penryn Arts Festival 2017 was supported by funds from Big Lottery, Arts Council England, Penryn Town Council and FEAST.
GET IN TOUCH:
info@fieldnotes.org.ukThe development of this website was supported by Cultivator Cornwall
