Crow Park was in focus as Keswick residents took part in a film for a National Trust art project.
The Cumbrian-driven production team shot seven outlandishly costumed local participants, who are not trained actors, as part of its year-long Desire Line project which centres on the park and its role in establishing the National Trust.
Each person took on the role of a non-human element of the local landscape; the geology, the weather, water, plant life, animal life, insect life and, of course – for a place called Crow Park – bird life.
Action was led by artist Rebecca Beinart who is fronting the projects but included input, ideas and inspiration from the performers.
Based on a storyboard of ideas developed with Cumbrian writer and artist Wallace Heim and dancer and artist Simone Kenyon, it was filmed by RL Wilson and Larry Campbell who are both based in the county.
They will edit the piece over summer with input from Rebecca and plan to make the film available for public viewing in autumn.
Jessie Binns, from the National Trust, said: “We’re so grateful to all the community performers, and the Cumbria-based artists, for collaborating with Rebecca to make this performance so creative.
“Each person brought something of themselves to the project, and we can’t wait to see the end result. It feels like so much skill, knowledge and creativity is all right here in the communities around Keswick, and we’re so glad that people want to share that with us and the Desire Lines project.”
All the costumes were made from upcycled outdoor gear, including coats, tents and paragliding wings, and were designed in collaboration with Cumbria-based textile designer Maggi Toner-Edgar and Viri Sica, who works at Alpkit Keswick’s repair shop.
NT volunteers were on hand to explain to visitors what the project was all about.
One of them said: “It was such fun explaining to visitors what was happening. It mattered not if they were local residents or visitors, their responses were genuinely enthusiastic and encouraging.”
A temporary interactive artwork has been installed in Crow Park which is in situ until the end of July.
