What's On Directory Opportunities
Menu Login Search
A group of people are gathered in a forest, stood and sat in a circle. They are holding pieces of paper listening to a person speak. There are blankets and flasks on the ground.
Reflection

Rural Facets - reflection and artist edition

Artist Lau­ra Eldret reflects on a trio of gath­er­ings con­vened in part­ner­ship with More Than Ponies & VASW as part of How Can I Stay?

Posted
06/01/25

Rural Facets began as a trio of gatherings for artists, to network, share practice and amplify our narratives of the rural, created in response to VASW open call for artists to host in-per­son gath­er­ings for oth­er cre­ative prac­ti­tion­ers in rur­al contexts as part of their programme How can I stay?

Gatherings took place in the woodlands of the New Forest, online and at Lower Hewood Farm. Rural Facets was created and convened by myself (Laura Eldret), partnership with VASW and More Than Ponies, and co-hosted with PaC artists (James Aldridge, Gemma Gore, Alys Scott-Hawkins and Melanie Rose) in June and September 2024. The model of the Rural Facets gatherings was informed by commons, commoning and by PaC, a monthly meet-up of artists in the New Forest – together we walk, explore and create a commons of exchange and support to strengthen one another’s practice.

The trio of Rural Facets gatherings were intentionally designed to take diverse forms (online, inside, outside, geographically spread out) to broaden accessibility and have enough time between sessions to allow for participating artists who were invited to contribute to think, share their practices and navigate the expansive area of discussions of ruralities and creative practice. Thirty-nine artists participated in Rural Facets.

A group of people are gathered in a forest, stood and sat in a circle. They are holding pieces of paper listening to a person speak. There are blankets and flasks on the ground.
CREDIT
A group of people are spread out walking on a path through a wooded landscape. It's a sunny day and they are carriyng day rucksacks and chatting
CREDIT
Five people are dispersed in a forest amongst trees and ferns they sit, lie and crouch on the ground
CREDIT
  • A group of people are spread out walking on a path through a wooded landscape. It's a sunny day and they are carriyng day rucksacks and chatting
  • Five people are dispersed in a forest amongst trees and ferns they sit, lie and crouch on the ground

In the Forest …

In late June 2024 we gathered in the New Forest at Whitefield Moor car park, saying our hellos and sharing intros. Under the bright hot sun we walked following the Ober Water stream before settling beneath the trees. We paddled, sung a she-shanty, ate bread and brownies, and drank tea, before being led in exercises attuning/ listening/ bodies by Gemma and drawing with Mel.

"It had a sincere tranquility to it, which I often find hard to find as a neurodivergent person. Because of this, connection felt easy, natural, organic and unforced. I feel like I was able to take in a lot of knowledges without being over-saturated, with plenty of time and space to simply 'be' and exist amongst others"
Artist Rae Turpin on the Rural Facets artists gathering in the New Forest

Three people are spaced apart in a luscious green forest, they are crouching, resting and exploring the ground
CREDIT

Rural Facets online gathering…

We met online ten days after our first gathering. The session began with an artist presentation from James Aldridge and an introduction to Lower Hewood Farm from Alexa de Ferranti, artist and farmer. We were then joined by Michael Woods, Professor of Human Geography at Aberystwyth University, who specialises in the emergent 'global countryside' and 'politics of the rural', rural policy and rural social movements. He shared with us a presentation titled Assembling the Rural. We then went into breakout sessions for smaller group discussions on ruralities, narratives of the rural and ‘rural artist’ practices.

“... there is an argument that in order to adapt to global changes we will all have to live a semi-rural life in order to survive or at least embrace the philosophy of living with less-convenience which will ultimately slow the pace of life…the Rural Facets online session resonated with this, offering a critical analysis of what the 'rural' is and how artists respond to and operate within the confines of living and working rurally …”
Artist Melanie Rose

A screenshot of a group zoom meeting showing 25 people attending and a slide being presented that shows a collage of images of people in different rural landscapes. The text on screen says 'The rural is an assemblage. The countryside has material and expressive components'
CREDIT
A screenshot of a group zoom meeting showing 4 people attending on screen and a slide being presented that shows a collage of images of people in farm factories and locations. The text on screen says 'Art can disrupt and juxtapose, drawing lines of affinity between rural communities in different parts of the world'
CREDIT
A screenshot of a zoom meeting showing a person presenting and a slide being presented that shows a collage of images of rural countryside's and people in these locations. The text on the slide says 'The rural as an assemblage. The countryside is comprised by heterogeneous human and non-human components'
CREDIT
  • A screenshot of a group zoom meeting showing 25 people attending and a slide being presented that shows a collage of images of people in different rural landscapes. The text on screen says 'The rural is an assemblage. The countryside has material and expressive components'
  • A screenshot of a group zoom meeting showing 4 people attending on screen and a slide being presented that shows a collage of images of people in farm factories and locations. The text on screen says 'Art can disrupt and juxtapose, drawing lines of affinity between rural communities in different parts of the world'
  • A screenshot of a zoom meeting showing a person presenting and a slide being presented that shows a collage of images of rural countryside's and people in these locations. The text on the slide says 'The rural as an assemblage. The countryside is comprised by heterogeneous human and non-human components'

At the farm …

In September we had the joy of gathering at Lower Hewood Farm. The day began with Claire and Tim, who manage the land and the food production, talking to us about regenerative agriculture and soil restoration. This was followed by a packed day of everyone sharing their ‘rural’ practices, with walks, making-sessions, film screenings, performances, exhibited artworks, and tattoos! Alongside we enjoyed endless rain, food from the farm and laughter.

Rural Facets was really valuable in helping me become aware of a community of other practitioners engaging with the rural in the south west and opening up conversations around sources of support and networks in the region. The sessions were informative particularly at the farm info was shared on matters of soil, organic farming and permaculture – whilst also being a fun gathering!
Artist Eugenia Ivanissevich

A clump of shaped hay stands upright on a purple sheet of card covered with hay. In the background we see a close up of a person kneeling shaping hay in their hands.
CREDIT
A group of people stood, crouching and sat outside a large open sided farm building storing hay and tools. The people are working in groups to shape hay which is piled up around them.
CREDIT
A close up of three people working together to shape hay into a sculptural form. The hay is tied with pink binding. In the background we see another group working with hay. They are in a farming environment.
CREDIT
Five people are stood in a line smiling and listening to someone talk who we can't see. They are stood in front of a farm building in a courtyard area.
CREDIT
A group of 13 people are stood together in a lush green field. In the near distance are farm buildings, a trailer, gate and tress and in the background rolling hills.
CREDIT
A group of people are stood inside the entrance of a large polly tunnel containing lush green plants. They are stood together listening to a person talk.
CREDIT
A group of people are stood inside the entrance of a large polly tunnel containing lush green plants including sunflowers. They are stood together listening to a person talk.
CREDIT
A group of 12 people are walking in a large circle in a lush green garden surrounded by trees. Some people are carrying large sticks. They are all wearing rain coats.
CREDIT
Two women stand at a wooden table with cut out paper transfers scattered across the table top. One woman is applying a temporary tattoo to the other persons arm with a sponge. There is a woman near them stood laughing and looking at the surrounding people in the room.
CREDIT
A group of 11 people are stood under a large tree in a semi circle listening to a person stood in the middle facing them. They are all wearing rain coats.
CREDIT
  • A clump of shaped hay stands upright on a purple sheet of card covered with hay. In the background we see a close up of a person kneeling shaping hay in their hands.
  • A group of people stood, crouching and sat outside a large open sided farm building storing hay and tools. The people are working in groups to shape hay which is piled up around them.
  • A close up of three people working together to shape hay into a sculptural form. The hay is tied with pink binding. In the background we see another group working with hay. They are in a farming environment.
  • Five people are stood in a line smiling and listening to someone talk who we can't see. They are stood in front of a farm building in a courtyard area.
  • A group of 13 people are stood together in a lush green field. In the near distance are farm buildings, a trailer, gate and tress and in the background rolling hills.
  • A group of people are stood inside the entrance of a large polly tunnel containing lush green plants. They are stood together listening to a person talk.
  • A group of people are stood inside the entrance of a large polly tunnel containing lush green plants including sunflowers. They are stood together listening to a person talk.
  • A group of 12 people are walking in a large circle in a lush green garden surrounded by trees. Some people are carrying large sticks. They are all wearing rain coats.
  • Two women stand at a wooden table with cut out paper transfers scattered across the table top. One woman is applying a temporary tattoo to the other persons arm with a sponge. There is a woman near them stood laughing and looking at the surrounding people in the room.
  • A group of 11 people are stood under a large tree in a semi circle listening to a person stood in the middle facing them. They are all wearing rain coats.

Knowledge commons and an edition…

As the project evolved, the first and second gatherings took place, the artists edition was planned, an online noticeboard for the group was populated with various ideas, and a web of conversations and communications was unfolding between participating and host artists. I introduced the idea of understanding the project as an ‘experimental knowledge commons’: collectively sharing, collating and distributing our knowledges of the rural with each other and beyond, and exploring how a ‘commons’ may be a way to convene diverse communities and knowledges.

Understanding Rural Facets as a knowledge commons (Hess and Ostrom, 2011) provided a way of accounting for multiple modes of knowledge (spoken thoughts, artworks, lived experiences, creative practices, reading, writing, etc.) being shared and understood to be of equal importance and relevance. It enabled participants to feel that they might share whatever they wanted and to take out of the project what they needed.

Above is the Rural Facets edition that maps and forms part of our experimental knowledge commons we created of creative rural artist practices. Words were harvested from our conversations, shared artworks and activities. These are presented as a weaving of descriptors, solids, fragilities and possibilities of our rural facets. The edition is freely available to all under a creative commons license, and as a limited number of print versions via MTP (for the cost of P+P).

Rural Facets, 2024. Artists edition by Laura Eldret & contributors listed in acknowledgments
CREDIT
Rural Facets, 2024. Artists edition by Laura Eldret & contributors listed in acknowledgments
CREDIT
Rural Facets, 2024. Artists edition by Laura Eldret & contributors listed in acknowledgments
CREDIT
  • Rural Facets, 2024. Artists edition by Laura Eldret & contributors listed in acknowledgments
  • Rural Facets, 2024. Artists edition by Laura Eldret & contributors listed in acknowledgments
  • Rural Facets, 2024. Artists edition by Laura Eldret & contributors listed in acknowledgments
Order print version of the Rural Facets editionWEBSITE

Acknowledgements

Rural Facets, 2024. Artists edition by Laura Eldret. Words co-authored by Alexa de Ferranti, Alys Scott-Hawkins, Andy Parker, Emily Hawes, Eugenia Ivanissevich, Fiona McDonald, Fran Farrar, Gemma Gore, Hannah Rose, Hector MacInnes, James Aldridge, Jenny Staff, Jessica Potter, Jinny Jehu, Kasia Garapich, Laura Eldret, Laura Hopes, Liz Clifford, Lynne Williams, Melanie Rose, Rae Turpin, Rachel McRae, Sarah Filmer, Simone Einfalt, Simon Lee-Dicker, Tamsin Loveday, Tracy Dovey, Vanessa Rolf. ©️ 2024 distributed under Creative Commons license BY-NC-SA.

With special thanks to all participating and contributing artists (both named and unnamed), Michael Woods for his thought-provoking contributions, the access and generosity of Claire, Tim and Alexa at Lower Hewood Farm, and all those at VASW who made Rural Facets possible.

References
Hess, Charlotte and Ostrom, Elinor, 2011. Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice, The MIT Press.

VASW

Related editorial

Three people are walking together holding on to each other as they cross a log over a muddy puddle in a rural environment. They are dresses in outdoor wet weather gear and laughing at the situation.

PaC: a com­mons of exchange and support

Artist Alys Scott-Hawkins reflects on PaC, an artist peer group who reg­u­lar­ly meet in the New Forest.
Posted
13/01/25
Find out more +