Responses
Mix of Participants
Jessie Blindell: The group was made up of really interesting artists, curators and writers of all ages, which worked really well. Everyone was incredibly supportive and open and there was a real sense of care and responsibility to one another. The selection of participants worked very well in terms of overlapping themes and references and in the different ways these all, in one way or another, related to Mike’s work. This meant that there was immediate scope for discussion and provided a framework to explore the various texts, films and references used throughout the workshop.
Amy Dickson: The make-up of the group was so well judged. What an incredible group of people! I have never been in an organised group situation that was so respectful, inclusive, self-regulating, intelligent and FUN! To begin with it was daunting to be the only curator when the majority of other workshoppers were artists, but this also gave me a clear role to play, which felt familiar and comfortable and I really enjoyed. It was such a treat to have the opportunity to get to know artists’ work in both formal and informal ways over the week and to continue to get to know their work subsequently.
Maya Ronchetti: I thought the group was very well curated and you could feel the consideration that had taken place to bring really kind and open people together who all had something different to share. The group size and age range was spot on and allowed for a really balanced and tender week to flourish. I enjoyed how everyone’s work overlapped and had interconnecting threads in some obvious and some less obvious ways.
Charlie Duck: It was perfect in every way. Within the first few hours it seemed that a real camaraderie had formed and we felt like some kind of wonderfully odd family – all for one and one for all.
John Wedgwood Clarke: The composition of the group was very good. It was a pleasure to be the artform outsider, at least in terms of labels, although I soon discovered how important writing was to many participants’ practices. I think it essential that curators and communications were present as these are highly creative mediators and shapers of the art ‘experience’.
Donna Mitchell: It was incredibly valuable to me to be part of a group of participants who all have strong connections to the South West. Having not lived here for a few years I feel that I could move back and feel much more connected.
Andy Parker: As the week progressed and we got to know each other, the incredible care of the selection process became clear. Links between experiences and interests continually emerged and had the positive effect of forging relationships borne of genuine commonality.
Harriet Bowman: Since finishing the Cornwall Workshop, I often think of each of the participants and their practice. There are underlying themes that run through all of our work, which become more and more apparent through time. It was such a rich experience getting to spend an extended period of time with them and going beyond just the surface of practice. It was very special.
Programme
Andy Parker: It was a jam-packed week and I’m not sure how it could have been otherwise. The activities were brilliantly varied and perfectly judged for the themes we were exploring – there was nothing that seemed out of place or unnecessary. Activities were able to evolve as we learned more about each other, so the whole itinerary had some spontaneity, and was rather magical for that.
Amy Dickson: I think the programme was incredibly well judged and a good balance of movement in the outdoors and interesting site visits to prompt conversations and reflections, coupled with more traditional classroom activities back at Kestle Barton and at CAST. I really loved that the group took shared ownership of the programme and that members contributed suggestions based on how the workshop unfolded and the way Mike and Teresa invited this. I loved John’s writing workshop, the chance to hear Harriet’s audio work and the walks to Tom K’s various dystopian sites. The group responded sensitively to each other and the issues that came up, and because the space was held so generously there was space to tweak the programme as we went along. It was great!
Tom Skinner: The programme was brilliant. Having only lived in Cornwall for a short time, I was introduced to so many amazing places and landscapes, some that I had been meaning to visit for a while and some that I never would have known existed without the workshop. I loved hearing everyone talk about their work or interests on the first day – it gave all the participants space to introduce themselves and opened up initial correlations between everyone’s practices.
Simon Lee Dicker: The decision for the workshop to be not at all like school with a rigid formal agenda really suited me. This relaxed approach allowed for relationships to develop between the group in an unforced way through our numerous site visits and excursions. I would take nothing away and would happily add another week.
Sam Trenerry: The workshop went above and beyond my expectations. Past participants had said how incredible it was, but it was only on attending that I realised what an unrepeatable experience it was. I was quite nervous at the start, meeting Mike and spending time with complete strangers, but the group dynamic was brilliant. From the start it felt relaxed and we all got on well and felt comfortable speaking openly about ourselves and our work.
John Wedgwood Clarke: The workshop was deliberately unstructured and in its way raised questions about the relationship between workshop leader and participant. This was not designed to be a conventional teaching experience, more an evolving conversation that ranged across borders of status and role. It would be impossible to pick out extraneous moments as all of them, even the hiatuses, contributed to the evolving narrative of the week.
Donna Mitchell: The Cornwall Workshop surpassed anything I could have hoped for in advance. The reading list Mike provided seemed to act as a sort of manual or indeed travel guide for the zones we visited during the week. The locations and experiences appeared to become loaded with epic visual cues just apt for film scripts or science fiction novels.
Amy Morgan: I don’t think anything was missed or needed to be taken away – with Mike’s support, we were able to curate the week to be what we all needed as individuals and as a group, flowing between talking out on a walk to controlled time of presentations. Even though the week has ended, the group are still talking and sharing ideas, expanding on what the week offered us.
Location
Maya Ronchetti: The incredible hospitality and tending to us that took place at Kestle Barton really was the glue to the whole experience. To create an environment where there was no stress or worries is quite hard, but I felt really held and supported yet not overly trapped in the accommodation and by those hosting the week. It was perfect and magical.
Tom Kaniok: The accommodation and hospitality at Kestle Barton was very important. I felt very privileged to stay there and the facilities were lovely. It was the perfect place to think about contemporary art in the rural context. The catering was excellent, beautiful meals presented by Shane, and an abundant supply of coffee kept me going. The hospitality made it a very special week and one that I was sad to leave.
John Wedgwood Clarke: It takes grace and skill to cook for and host so many people so effortlessly. The accommodation was luxurious and made it feel very special, a very rare interlude from the down-at-heel poetry scene. The communal spaces made it possible for us to meet and mingle with different levels of formality. The proximity of Kestle Barton to the Helford River was a joy to me. I had one unforgettable early morning swim on my own when the tide was high and the water glassy and still.
Simon Lee Dicker: What a treat! Being based at Kestle Barton had a very positive impact on the workshop. The accommodation and hospitality were truly wonderful and it was very hard to return to real life afterwards!
Jo Lathwood: I felt very lucky to be in such a lovely space and to be fed such delicious food. The hospitality was definitely the armature of the experience and provided such a warm and welcoming platform.
Andy Parker: The atmosphere of the site created by the old buildings and the geographical location is wonderful and perfectly set the scene for our explorations. The quality of the accommodation and space far exceeded my expectations. From the moment we arrived until the very end, the food was out of this world. Shane and Toto didn’t miss a beat, but most notable was their genuine hospitality and warmth. To be in a new space with new people was a bit daunting at first and it made a huge difference to feel so well cared for.
Amy Morgan: Kestle Barton is in such a beautiful part of Cornwall – it was wonderful to be able to wake in the mornings and wander around Frenchman’s Creek before the day began. The absence of the distractions of daily life meant that we could get really involved in the experience – living and eating together. These relaxed times were where the conversation really flowed without pressure, because we are genuinely interested in one another’s practices and experiences.
Harriet Bowman: The accommodation was brilliant. Spread across five cottages, it felt like we had enough space if we needed a break and had a more communal area in one of the main houses where we ate and socialised. I can’t really explain how significant the catering was; to be fed and relieved of domestic duty made it possible to focus on the workshop and people around me. What a treat.
Value and personal outcomes
Jessie Blindell: The questions, conversations and references shared during the week are all helping me rethink approaches to making and how I can incorporate landscape and conversation further in my practice. I feel I have a new and expanded network of supportive friends in the South West – we are already looking at possible collaborations and other ways to come back together, which is really great.
Tom Skinner: The workshop gave me some time to think about making my own work again, what this might look like and how it might take shape. Taking influence from everyone around me was incredible and their insights and recommendations for my work were really valuable. I’m excited to feel part of the artistic community in the South West again, remembering how many people are around making really interesting work. Being able to attend each other’s exhibitions, screenings and programmes feels like it will continue for a long time to come, staying in touch and supporting one another.
Simon Lee Dicker: Attending the Cornwall Workshop has improved my confidence, helping me to be more resilient, and has already had a direct impact on how I have approached running a workshop for younger artists. The selected group of participants have become a network of critical friends and I envisage this will support my ongoing creative practice and lead to future collaborations and exhibitions.
Tom Kaniok: The experience has been very enriching for me, as an artist and as a person. It provided a much needed platform to discuss ideas, processes and the peculiar nature of being an artist with people who have huge amounts of experience. Working here on the Lizard peninsula can at times be very isolating. Being part of the workshop made me feel that the things I am responding to locally are of interest and relevant in some way.
Jo Lathwood: First and foremost I see the connection and bonds that I have made with all the workshop participants as valuable takeaways from the workshop. It is so rare to be given time and a supported space to genuinely connect with other creatives. I feel as a cohort that this experience has provided strong ties and in the future we will be able to support each other in more events.
Donna Mitchell: I came away from the workshop with a renewed vigour. I was stalling on a couple of projects which I intend to take action on immediately. Making the initial connections with members of art institutions and curators can be very intimidating when you work on your own in isolation. This experience has made me realise I shouldn’t shy away from continuing to connect and expose my practice.
Charlie Duck: Besides the colossal gift of the new friendships that have formed in the immediate present, to put in words the longer-term value feels almost impossible. I know that there will be immense value from the experience.
Amy Morgan: I think I will be reflecting on this time at the workshop for many years to come – my brain is bouncing with ideas around material and narrative. It has given me a new way to start looking at my practice again, after a feeling of being stuck – thinking about what I want to get from my practice / what I want other people to get from it. Thinking about sculpture in the wider context of object, sound, film. The support of the group has made me feel more confidence within myself as an artist.
Maya Ronchetti: The immediate value of the workshop was how inspiring it was and how much of a stimulating change of pace the workshop was to day-to-day life. The immersion in an environment where daily chores or pressures to check emails was unnecessary and blurred into the background offered a mental spaciousness that was so stimulating and rare. The long-term value is the reminder to slow down, make connections, go for walks, seek a change of scenery and social landscape more often to ensure inspiration and creative energy isn’t getting stagnant or dwindling.
Amy Dickson: The workshop has already been a touchstone for me as I navigate some tricky issues in my role at Harbour House. I keep coming back to the realisation on the workshop that I like difficult things and this is part of my practice, and even who I am, and this has really helped me be more resilient. I think this is one of those life learnings that will stay with me forever, both in my practice and beyond. Thank you Mike and Teresa! I have also reflected on how important the soft moments are professionally as a curator, particularly in a leadership role, and I think this will help me make more time for these. This has always been part of my practice, but I will give this more importance in the future, rather than feeling like the ‘proper work’ is the more mechanical or even academic aspects of my practice. I have often felt guilty about taking time over the soft moments/exchanges and interactions, even though I have understood their importance – perhaps because I enjoy them. Moving forward I will delight in them without (or certainly with much less) guilt.