Stomping Ground went off to the Merz Barn for the weekend with a wonderful bunch of West Cumbrians to explore Dada Art and create some of our own. We created an exhibition with the Art in a shop window in the middle of Workington near the hub and were very entertained at the expressions our naked man’s mannequin bottom invoked.
In our lovely hideaway in the Langdales we practiced frottage, collage, Dada poetry and more in the pursuit of serious silliness. The (badly) sung risk assessment and the Wig Out Ping Pong were highlights of everyone’s.
And when we did our exhibition in a shop near Workington’s Hub we held an opening event where we invited the guests to participate in and be subjected to some wacky Dada inspired art.
The participants of the project formed a group called the Western Frontier and we set up a social platform where they could contact each other about future creative projects on the West Coast.
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- Stomping Ground style introductions – Cake Decorating and a Risk Assessment delivered with Gem on guitar.
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- We were very impressed.
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- Lies!
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- The evenings work encapsulating the essence of Dada Art. Those persky animals got up to all sorts that weekend!
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- Ann Holmes Collage – inspired by the beauty around us.
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- Gayle McCrickards Collage – insprired by life and using Dada techniques.
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- Mary Davidson’s Dadart – inspired by life experience.
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- Celia’s Dada sculpture using found objects, recycling and Collage.
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- Rosalie Shorts Collage which you could play as a game!
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- Ann Holmes’s amazing recycled boat.
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- This was in pride of place in our Pop Up Shop Window Gallery in the centre of Workington.
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- Snake Sticks in the exhibition.
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- Stomping Ground’s bin proved to be a useful easel for Celia’s sculpture.
The Western Frontier was born out of the feeling that is was quite tricky being a lone creative on the West Coast and after people left school the opportunities to follow a creative path were sparse to say the least. But we thought that as a group ideas could be supported and come to fruition, and a self sustaining group has more longevity rather than one manged by us. This project happened as part of the Empty Shops Project and funded through the Arts Officer at Allerdale Borough Council.