Why Artists?

By Andy Abbott and Anna Taylor of In-Situ Arts

Now we’re into quarter four with almost a full year of The Gatherings behind us, we’ve been reflecting on our experiences of embedding arts and artists into the various projects that aim to connect people to Pendle Hill.

It’s also a time of reflection for us within In-Situ. We’re both finding our place in the self-organised artist-led-organisation turned Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation with a new permanent home in The Garage at Northlight Mill in Brierfield.

As part of the process we’ve been discussing what it means to embed arts into everyday life, the particularities of Pendle and the immediate area that we’re in, how we connect with diverse audiences, what the proper approach to that is and the pace at which it can be done well. Key to this, with regards to The Gatherings, is ‘Why is it important for artists to work on environment projects?’

Why Artists?

Whilst artists aren’t the only people that can help people connect with the hill, we believe they do have a particular knack for offering fresh perspectives and helping people see things in a new way. We hope that through engaging and working with artists that people who previously didn’t think the hill – or the various activities and projects that make up the project activity - was for them, find a way in.

As an artist led organisation another thing we find that the thing that unites us, and the artists we work with, is a curiosity for people and places. It’s fascinating to learn and understand more about the relationship between the landscape and how this affects daily life of residents be it through their work, leisure or outlook on life.

Being curious involves working in an open-ended way, where the outcome remains responsive and adaptive to what is learned through the process of spending time in a place and with its people. Like a good coach, a good artist working in this way may be wary of looking for what they want to hear or tell people, offering full stops, statements of fact and telling people how its done. Instead they may ask questions, start conversations, notice the unremarkable, or unearth the remarkable in everyday places.

Listening projects

Listening, then, becomes a crucial skill in an embedded arts practice. How well have we done this over our first year? What have we heard and how has it shaped the outcomes of the projects?

Our major commission in year one was for an artist residency alongside the archaeological dig at Malkin Tower. Over the course of the five-week dig Nastassja Simensky and Rebecca Lee recorded the process through photography, sound and video, interviewed and chatted to the archaeologists and students on the dig, explored the landscape and researched local and social histories. Half way through the project they shared the material they’d been gathering through a series of sessions held in libraries and community spaces around the hill to get feedback from local people about what elements stood out or connected with people. Knowing they were going to be working towards a performance of some kind they also offered singing workshops to people interested in engaging with project this way.  The resulting performance was a multilayered ‘micro-opera’ that offered an interpretation of the dig through the perspective of objects, trees, animals and people that either witnessed or took part in it. 

We have also played a part in the Summit Stones commission by supporting artist Henrietta Armstrong. Through working with In-Situ Henri has been able to extend her sculptural practice in an embedded and socially-engaged way.

The twelve stones that she has created to be installed around the trig are the result of conversations with local people around the hill and what it means to them. The way in which the stones will be installed – partially buried with only the top face visible – hopes to create a new folklore and rural/urban myth about their form and function, to be uncovered by archaeologists of the future. 

Also as part of the Summit Works we commissioned artist Alice Withers and designer Ben Holden to create some signs that aimed to inform visitors about the works, but also sparked and captured conversations. Alice posed as a ‘curious tourist’ chatting to people on the hill about what brought them there, capturing their stories and encouraging selfies. 

Local voices and the year ahead.

Although it was the smallest project it is perhaps Alice’s engagements that have best embodied the type of work In-Situ has enabled and practised since its formation in 2012. The project acted as a sounding board for local people and visitors, offering them an ear and, through some of the signs produced from the conversations, a voice visible on the hill.

It quickly and easily generated a plethora of anecdotes and stories that ranged from the informative to the romantic. It also created room for some of the more challenging conversations arising from the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership that we need to acknowledge going into the second year. Some local people have really felt the benefit, and others find that this change is spoiling the rugged natural landscape that they want to spend time in and take a pride in. There are questions around who benefits from the work being done as part of the Landscape Partnership – visitors, locals or both?  

 Going into the second year of the PHLP and The Gatherings strand specifically we want to put this idea of listening and reflecting conversations at the heart of the programme. If our role is to uncover, reveal, strengthen, develop and expand relationships to the hill then how can we better connect and work with local knowledge and skills, including that of artists? What if the hill could listen, or ask questions? What would people say to the hill? What do all of these things mean to people here? Can we be the ears of Pendle? Our first annual Gatherings event in May will be a chance to find out.