We Are Seven Commune Project

We Are Seven commune project We Are Seven; Ian Cooper, Daphne Fitzpatrick, Rachel Foullon, K8 Hardy, Adam Putnam, Dana Sherwood, Allison Smith Throughout August a group of Seven New York artists have been residing in the Lake District. Ditching their familiar urban abodes, they sought greener pastures. The residency is a joint project between The Wordsworth Trust and Grizedale Arts, with the intention being that the artists would live as a commune in Rose Cottage, the recently acquired Wordsworth Trust guesthouse in Grasmere. They brought their own agendas, although a common interest was a fascination with romanticism and the importance of emotions and imagination. Whilst some of the artists look directly to the historic Romantic and craft movements to inform their work, these investigations were beginning to become aware of the paradox of nostalgic tourism. It is apt that the residency has taken place at the Wordsworth trust. As together with the geological wonders, William Wordsworth and the Lakeland poets are the reason tourist flock to the lakes in droves each year. The problem with tourism is nothing new as Wordsworth himself points out in his Guide to the Lakes These tourists, heaven preserve us! Needs must live A profitable life: some glance along, Rapid and Gay, as if the earth were air, And they were butterflies to wheel about Long as the summer lasted: some, as wise, Perched on the forehead of a jutting crag, Pencil in hand and book upon the knee, Will look and scribble, scribble on and look Until a man might travel twelve stout miles Or reap an acre of his neighbours corn… As informed artists from New York, they had some idea of the extent of the tourist influx. And of course they add to this number, only to be differentiated by profession, research and their work. Perhaps this would involve projecting identities onto the landscape and allowing the scenery of the Lake District and its surrounding cultures to feed into their responses and actions. All visitors are looking for something from the area, with their sensibilities dictating their commitment to seeking out inspiration or some semblance of solace. As a focus for their activity, the Seven have been conducting twice weekly meetings in the Wordsworth Trust rotunda, which act as catalysts for debate. Local residents, tourists and artists were invited to the meetings to inform or steer the direction of the discussion and contemplate the activities of the artists. Throughout these discussions it has been clear that although the opportunity to pursue solitude and unmediated nature or culture is proving increasingly unattainable, this is still yearned for. The dialogue has been indicative of a difference between what we as tourists and consumers expect from the landscape and what it can deliver right now. As consumers we want satisfaction and if the abundance of tourists affects this, then of course there is disappointment. However the artists have demonstrated in some ways, through their optimism, that the lake district and life can still offer epiphanies against the odds, and I guess we all have the responsibility to work harder and veer off the metaphorically beaten path to find them. Daniella Watson