Lakes art exhibition invites participation

FOR LAKES LOVERS, there’s an exhibition at Wordsworth House and Garden in Cockermouth – Scree: Reimaging the Lake

District Fells. But it isn’t confined to the gallery. It offers a series of playful ‘route experiments’ that invite you onto the fells for inspiration and learning, from Catstye Cam to the Coledale Fells.

Local poet, writer and photographer Lucy Burnett co-created the exhibition with the National Trust, encouraging viewers to respond personally to outdoor spaces and reflect on our impact upon them. Originally from Galloway, Burnett is a fell runner and mountain lover. Having completed the Wainwrights aged 16, she became a Mountain Leader and environmental campaigner. Now, she channels these concerns into creative pursuits. Scree is the manifestation of her passion for the mountains of Lakeland and her determination to preserve them.

In a candid blog revealing her motivations, where she details holidaying in the Lakes as a youngster, Burnett writes,

“I’m implicated in everything that Scree questions – have been since an early age, and continue to be.” Scree: Reimaging the Lake District Fells

features film, photography and poetry, with loans from Tullie House Museum and Gallery and the Wordsworth Trust. Burnett also shares honest fragments from her guidebook and her own artistic responses, as well as digital offerings. A series of creative labs are also being held throughout the exhibition, hosted by Burnett and offering concessions for those who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, as having a disability, or Cumbrian residents on a low wage or in receipt of benefits.

■ Scree is open daily except Thursday and Friday until 6 November, 10am-4pm. Admission is free with entry to the house and garden. For special events and evening talks booking is essential. Contact 01900 824805 or email wordsworthhouse@nationaltrust.org.uk for tickets. For more info, visit scree.co.uk