The Change Room

Florence Arts Centre, West Cumbria

An exhibition by Anna Clough, Owen Herbert and Sam Evans

Inspired by a visit to Florence Arts (based in the changing room of an old mine) and the industrial heritage of West Cumbria, this show looks at objects caught up in a moment of change – wheels which no longer turn, rock faces exposed to the light…

Through drawing, sculptural works and film, this show presents an exploration of systems of exchange, growth and transition. The former changing room of Florence Mine provides the bedrock site for this interaction between industrial heritage, landscape and contemporary art practice.

The exhibition raises questions about where knowledge lies in a landscape, referencing ecology, community, objects and expertise. The work is concerned with what kinds of knowledge these are, inviting a closer inspection of these conventional categories. It invites a response around where the boundaries between these are useful, or might be more usefully blurred. The project is guided by practice-led research into geological history, prehistoric land use, industrial heritage, and contemporary methods of exchange.

The artistic interpretation is guided by poetic questions inspired by the site: What is the use of a wheel which has ceased to turn? How is it different if it is a temporary pause? What happens when a rock face is exposed to the
light?

The Change Room encourages live engagement through workshops, archival material, object loans and further reading, as well as the artwork on display. These emerging artists invite a curiosity towards process, a re-evaluation of categories, and a probing of narrative objects. They aim to use art practice as a descent into the heritage; present, and future; of Florence Mine. This exhibition marks a significant milestone in a developing relationship between these artists and Florence Arts Centre, now in its third year.