In this reflective essay Harpreet Kaur explores what it means to be a Trustee of Art Gene in the context of her own relationship with the place(s) she has called home. Art Gene is an artist-led charity based in Barrow-in-Furness, and was featured in Corridor8 Issue 2: The Borderlands Edition in 2009. At that time the organisation was only a few years old, having been founded in 2002 on the back of artists studios in the derelict former School for the Advancement of Science, Arts and Technology. Now more than twenty years later, Art Gene is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, and has a gallery space as well as continuing to host the residencies that formed its foundation.
I’ve relocated many times in my life, jumping between English cities as well as countries abroad. I have lost count, but definitely moved more than forty times. I noticed as I made these moves, having now become tired of them, that it’s important for me to feel some sense of belonging, connection and excitement about where I live. I ask myself whether I feel seen, heard, represented, celebrated? This can be about many different things, but in particular many of my moves have helped me to realise that if my ethnicity and heritage are valued, and quite simply if I see people that look like me walking down the street, the place has the potential to become my home. If you don’t ever relocate you may never learn what it is that you’re taking for granted, or what is making you feel safe in a place.
On Friday 9 February, 2024, I popped on a train from Manchester to Barrow-in-Furness for two exhibition openings; Place – Re:discover Barrow and All the other things that we are located in the Art Gene Gallery – Nan Tait Centre, and It wasn’t my first visit. As a board member of Art Gene, I’ve visited twice before when the exhibition space was a white empty box. Seeing the gallery now full of art, people, and chatter was exciting. The Place exhibition in Art Gene’s main gallery marks the culmination of the Rediscover Barrow – Lost Shops cultural programme (2019-2024). It was led by Art Gene with Barrow’s cultural consortium – including Full of Noises, Signal Film and Media and Theatre Factory – with local residents. The initiative was delivered in partnership with Westmorland and Furness Council. Artists working in film, sound, visual arts and performance created works that share the stories and histories of the culturally and economically important Duke Street and Cornwallis Street. Their works reflect Barrow’s history and the collective experiences of people that have lived and worked there.
We are all connected in some way, shape or form and can find ways to relate to each other if we apply creativity.
On arrival, I am warmly invited into the building and offered a drink. On a table is a feast of vegetarian food prepared by local cook Russ Dean, using ingredients from Art Gene’s Allotment Soup, the Isle of Walney Community Growing Space. I have been spoilt with interesting dishes on each visit I’ve made to Barrow, including memorable pie and peas on my last visit; Art Gene never disappoint on this front. Something else I love about Barrow is how friendly everyone is, and the pride of place that exists in this town. Maddi Nicholson, Art Gene’s Director, formally opens the show and introduces the speakers, Chris Altree; the Mayor of Barrow, councillor Viriginia Taylor, council officer Helen Houston and Art Gene’s artists-in-residence Sarah Hardacre and Julie O’Neill. There is a wide representation of the community present, spanning different ages, genders, and backgrounds. It is notable how the event has brought everyone together on this cold, wet February evening.
The show and speeches reveal the significance of the project for Barrow and why funding and support from Historic England has been crucial in helping to preserve and improve the town. Each time I visit Barrow I sense how important Barrow is to the local people. Themes such as leisure, shopping culture, Barrow’s buildings and landscapes and everyday experiences are explored through the work of artists Sarah Hardacre, John Hall, Colin Aldred and Maddi Nicholson. Naturally, this makes me think about my relationship to place and home, which is a very delicate subject for me. I am curious to know what the exhibition brings up for others similar to myself, who did not grow up here, but have a connection to the work and to Barrow. With this in mind I meet Miranda Hill for the first time, she is Art Gene’s new Programme Associate. Miranda grew up in Watford on the outskirts of London, studied and lived in Manchester, spent almost a decade in London and recently moved to Barrow in October last year. She worked closely with the artists for the Place exhibition and to produce the accompanying Lost Shops catalogue marking the final year of the project. I spoke to her about what attracts her to the North and to work with Art Gene:
‘I am interested in the intersection of art and ecology, the impact of arts and nature in public spaces, and how art can be used to understand a place and engage with a place. So it is very exciting to be working with Art Gene, who are producing local events, projects and exhibitions focusing specifically on re-envisioning the social, natural and built environment. There is a ‘just do it’ attitude here, I think people can spend far too much time behind their computer screens talking about what they’re going to do and not actually doing it. Art Gene are the complete opposite! They are out there in Barrow, speaking to people and making projects happen, it’s really inspiring.’
Miranda shares aspects of Barrow’s rich history with me and thinks it is one of the most spectacular places in the UK. She is touched by the passion local people have for the area’s impressive history and landscape. ‘Creativity is a key tool to bring out the pride of local people, to engage with a place and own it’, she tells me. Like me, Miranda notices the warmth of local people and is enjoying living here. I strongly relate to Miranda’s natural affinity with Art Gene and the local area; everyone brings their own magic to a place. Next I move to the Mezzanine Gallery space for the second exhibition opening this evening, And all the other things we are by Julie O’Neill. Speaking with the artist, once again the themes and intentions of this work resonate with subjects that I think and care about a lot. We are invited to question notions of identity and legacy related to the subjects of home and workplaces, and how identity can shift and morph. To be exploring these themes suggests that Julie might also have moved between places throughout her life.
Indeed, after growing up the town of Cleator Moor, about 50 miles north of Barrow, she had previously lived in London, Manchester, Greece and Birmingham and the West Midlands. Her art practice originally stemmed from studying Fine Art Sculpture in the mid 1990s, and she is influenced by the cultural, industrial and geographical landscapes of West Cumbria. O’Neill’s work can be described as socially engaged practice which is led by a concept, issue or query. This exhibition came about through her contact with fellow artist Maddi Nicholson during a previous solo show in Whitehaven Cumbria. She explains that this is the first time she has worked in Barrow or with Art Gene, having visited as a young child to see the submarines, and then as a teenager to see a bodybuilding competition – both of which were not available in Cleaton Moor and Whitehaven. Initially O’Neill wanted to find out how the West Cumbrians of Barrow related (or not) to the West Cumbrians of her childhood home further north. She wanted to see if there were cultural similarities, sensing that there were many sides to the area, and that it had a strong core identity as a place with distinct legacy and pride.
The artist was also interested in the geographical location of Barrow, wondering where else they felt culturally and or politically connected to, for instance Lancashire to the east and the Lake District to the north. We often see ourselves in the work of an artist; they help us to understand ourselves, our journey, and to look in the mirror and to ask questions. Sometimes, they even give us answers. Stepping into these two exhibitions for an outsider reveals much about the place in terms of what you see and hear in the streets, to artistic interpretations of more abstract concepts. For a local, it may nurture a sense of pride, evoke memories, or pose questions about one’s own relation to ‘their’ place. The following day I attend a social history event in the gallery with many speakers including council officer Helen Houston, archivist Susan Benson and local historians Gill Jepson, Jane Mcsorley and Peter Laird among many more. They discuss the works on show, the wider Place project and the history of Barrow. I am surprised to learn how many communities have migrated to Barrow including people from the Midlands, Birmingham and Dudley, which brings a smile to my face as I grew up on the outskirts of Birmingham, in Smethwick. We are all connected in some way, shape or form and can find ways to relate to each other if we apply creativity. There is a massive sense of pride in the Barrow locals that I admire, as well as the special warmth which makes me feel connected to the place. I can relate to the welcoming, and humble yet proud attitude that exists amongst people here. It is how I feel when I return to Birmingham, and struggle to find in Manchester. I wonder why this is?
On my train back to Manchester I am sitting in a carriage with three Barrow ladies who offer me a pink can of gin and tonic. I am delighted to accept and we chat along the scenic train journey. This is only further confirms my impression of the place; one of them would be up early to do the Barrow park run, and as a park runner myself I’m excited to learn there is one in Barrow. I am reminded again of the extent to which we are conditioned to judge, assume and expect things from people and places. This is why I enjoy art, and the way it encourages me to get out of my comfort zone and visit new places. Every locale is changing from second to second and. Interpretations are not fixed. What you see, feel and remember won’t be the same as it is for someone else, and in this way we bring places to life.
Art Gene’s next exhibition If These Walls Could Talk opens on 23 May, the current artist in residency in Jenny Steele and there are Allotment Soup open days taking place over the coming weeks.
Harpreet Kaur is a Manchester-based speaker, writer and researcher, advocating Cultural Value through a socio-political lens, platforming marginalised voices. A cultural consultant working on facilitation, audience development and qualitative evaluation in the UK and internationally.
This exploration is supported by Art Gene.
Published 05.05.2024 by Lauren Velvick in Explorations
1,917 words