ARTSPACE / STILL WATERS

Alex Blackmore, James Alexander and Kevin Alexander in the yard of Ulverston's Hope And   Anchor.  Kevin is his family's historian. Kevin's family  have Stake Fished the Duddon Estuary from the same spot for over a century, and he was here today to talk us through a few fascinating stories about the development of Askam and to point out areas of  interest on the map provided by Dan from Greenlane Archaeology. Kevin is a great story teller who can bridge the years with an   aside .  Looking through photos of his ancestors at work in the estuary in the 1930 and earlier, he points out boats that  still  sit on his family land,  oars that are now in his lockup, or the Stakes that were  used as weapons in an altercation before the first world war. We'll see Kevin again soon when we meet him for a walk around the estuary, Askam pier, the ponds nearby and those on former mining land.

 Still Waters is the 2022 Artspace project.  We will explore local associations with water and  land in Askam in Furness, on the Duddon Estuary in South Cumbria.  Animator James Alexander,  Audio Visual artist John Hall,  Outdoor Performance specialist Alex Blackmore and Photographer Lindsay Ward will work with local people, history groups, academics  and archivists to explore the estuary, the ponds , and the tracks and desire paths  looking at lore, shared history and current use. Shared research, site visits, public meetings and talks will inform a collaborative approach producing audio pieces, mapping, artists moving image and performance. There will be more posts further up by now from field trips, conversations  and experiments....  The Sir John Barrow Cottage will double as James' workspace and, if restrictions allow, we will be opening the doors  in order to share his practice with visitors. Thanks to our friends a...