Alt. Country
At the weekend I traveled up to Cumbria for the grand opening of Grizedale Arts’ new home, Lawson Park. Part artists’ residency centre, part experimental self-sufficient farm, Grizedale’s spanking new premises are the result of architects Sutherland Hussey’s redevelopment of a near-derelict hill farm overlooking Coniston Water. Now, in the interests of full transparency, I should disclose that I used to work at Grizedale Arts and that I’ve just finished editing a book about their programme over the past decade (‘Grizedale Arts: Addding Complexity to Confusion’) so I’ll stand back and let the pictures do most of the talking.
The assembled guests
The bog garden
The eclectic interior mixes Arts and Crafts furniture, mid-century Modernism, a Japanese woven-rush wall, and specially commissioned pieces by resident artists.
Artist Wapke Feenstra of the group Myvillages offered tastings of Dutch horse’s milk. (A little thin, but drinkable. Apparently, the bigger the animal, the milder the milk. Rat’s milk is presumably best avoided.)
An honesty stall, at which garden and artists’ produce is offered for sale to passers-by. The money-tin is deliberately left visible and stealable. Only once has it ever gone missing.
Pablo Bronstein’s potting-shed facade can be seen behind the fruit cages.
At the weekend I traveled up to Cumbria for the grand opening of Grizedale Arts’ new home, Lawson Park. Part artists’ residency centre, part experimental self-sufficient farm, Grizedale’s spanking new premises are the result of architects Sutherland Hussey’s redevelopment of a near-derelict hill farm overlooking Coniston Water. Now, in the interests of full transparency, I should disclose that I used to work at Grizedale Arts and that I’ve just finished editing a book about their programme over the past decade (‘Grizedale Arts: Addding Complexity to Confusion’) so I’ll stand back and let the pictures do most of the talking.
The assembled guests
The bog garden
The eclectic interior mixes Arts and Crafts furniture, mid-century Modernism, a Japanese woven-rush wall, and specially commissioned pieces by resident artists.
Artist Wapke Feenstra of the group Myvillages offered tastings of Dutch horse’s milk. (A little thin, but drinkable. Apparently, the bigger the animal, the milder the milk. Rat’s milk is presumably best avoided.)
An honesty stall, at which garden and artists’ produce is offered for sale to passers-by. The money-tin is deliberately left visible and stealable. Only once has it ever gone missing.
Pablo Bronstein’s potting-shed facade can be seen behind the fruit cages.
