Art in our DNA
Arts and creative practice weave through the work that we do at Homebaked CLT, may it be in the objects and site specific events we create, how we tell our stories or how we engage in the process of imagining – a home, a space, a way of being together.
Here are some of the ways art is in our DNA.
TRAININGS FOR THE NOT-YET
We followed an invitation by Jeanne van Heeswijk to this exhibition at BAK – basis voor actuele kunst in Utrecht. The exhibition was a series of ‘trainings for a future of being together otherwise’ which took place amid artworks (or learning objects as Jeanne sees them) by Jeanne and an array of international artists and activists engaged in social change. During the time of the exhibition (14 Sep 2019 – 12 January 2020) each week a different community-to-community training took place in the gallery covering a range of subjects emerging from the practice, such as radical care, solidarity economies and the right to the city and unfolding in hands-on practices of cooking, storytelling, movement and debate.
Photos: BAK
Homebaked was invited to contribute a learning object and co-facilitated the peer learning week on ‘Decommodifying Housing’. For the learning object we collaborated with URBED and Jeanne to produce an installation of a 1-1 model of a terrace front room holding a multi-media Homebaked archive for visitors to engage with. Alongside the object we developed a timeline of housing struggle in our neighbourhood, Liverpool and beyond.
Photo: BAK
For the training we travelled to Utrecht with seven participants from across the CLT, bakery and Homegrown Collective. We took over the activist kitchen to provide (vegan!) pies for the daily lunches in the gallery, baked and brewed live, painted banners with the refugee collective ‘We are here’, learned about the Barcelona ‘right to housing’ movement and of course enjoyed the Utrecht nightlife and each others company. It is not that often that we get to travel together and find time to talk to each other away from the daily life of Homebaked.
Photos: BAK and Britt Jurgensen
Lead artist for Homebaked was Britt Jurgensen, the learning object featured works by Catherine Dalton, Peter Carney, Tim Brunsden, Fred Brown and Jeanne van Heeswijk. The training was led by Angela McKay from Homebaked Bakery, Sam Jones from Homegrown Collective and Tom Murphy from Homebaked CLT.
DEAD PIGEON GALLERY IN A LITTLE TERRACED HOUSE
We commissioned the brilliant Dead Pigeon Gallery to take over 189 Oakfield Rd as a gallery and events space. Both Jayne Lawless and Catherine Dalton, the artistic lead of Dead Pigeon have engaged with Homebaked from the very early days and shaped the organisations with their input both as artists and community activists.
Jayne developed a concept inviting artists that have weaved in and out of Homebaked since it’s inception to contribute responding to the concept of home.
The exhibition opened 10th of October 2019 with live performances and outdoor projections. It was available for visits into January 2020 and hosted a Christmas Family special. The exhibition was a large success with over 200 visitors from all over the region and fantastic reviews.
The artists featured were:
Janet Brandon, Fred Brown, Tim Brunsden, Peter Carney, Catherine Dalton, Jess Doyle, Grace Harrison, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Tim Jeeves, Sam Jones, Britt Jurgensen, Jayne Lawless, Mark Loudon, Deborah Morgan, Louis Jeck-Prestidge, Silent Sleep, Lena Simic, Jo Steel, Mia Tagg, Melissa Tennant, Ehsan Vaziri, Franny G. Williams
Photos: Jane MacNeil and Mark Loudon
THE THING ON THE REC
Behind Oakfield Terrace is an old recreation ground, locally called ‘The Rec’. At the time the terrace houses and bakery were built (finished in 1906), this land was owned by the Marquis of Salisbury – at the time a major landowner in the area. The Salisbury family sold the land to Liverpool Council, with contractual protection on its recreational use for the people of Anfield.
Map from 1884; Liverpool Mercury article from 1883
In 1935 Donaldson Street Wash (and bath) House opened at the edge of what had now become a recreation ground. Many people in the area have fond memories of The Rec, apparently for many years guarded by a ‘cocky watchman’ and the place for much play, leisure and gossip. In the 1960s the land was tarmacked and became a place for sports and continued to be a very popular hang-out for young people. Over the years The Rec fell into mis and disuse and for the people living close-by it became a safety issue – to the point that at some point during the Housing Market Renewal period, the council locked the fences permanently.
Recreation Ground and Donaldson Street Wash House, year unknown
At Homebaked we had always been interested in exploring what this ‘recreational use for the people of Anfield’ could mean and become today – so with a lot of curiosity and thanks to the support of the Arts Council England, we embarked on a process of testing and piloting that use creatively. Lead artist on the project was Britt Jurgensen, and creative micro-commissions to explore types of use went to Sam Jones (Growing and Green Space), Patricia Levey-Bennett (Markets) and Elaine Cresswell (Play).
Photo: Mark Loudon
Designer/builder Nicolas Henninger was invited to help us create a space for people to congregate in and around; something that would be beautiful and surprising, that we could build together publicly – and which, of course, would protect us from the weather.
Photos: Mark Loudon, Britt Jurgensen
Building publicly and together with whoever would like to join is an important part of the process, as this is where we get to know new neighbours and other folk: sometimes people offer physical work and sometimes they give a story, a joke or simply good company. In the process, our structure became known publicly as ‘The Thing on the Rec’ – even featuring red curtains and a chandelier as a centrepiece!
Photo: Mark Loudon
In a series of events, we prototyped different uses for the land and started local conversations around the past and future of that particular bit of common land: with ‘The Thing’ in the centre of all affairs, we staged local markets, crazy golf, high teas and swing dancing, a ceilidh, northern soul dance classes, DJ sets, cinema nights, barbecues and play days.
Photos: Mark Loudon, Jane McNeil
The project also seeded several initiatives: Sam Jones developed the micro commission into the community business start-up Homegrown Collective (link). Homebaked CLT is working with the local residence group ‘Four Oaks’ and Liverpool City Council on the development of the Rec into a playful, beautiful and educational leisure and green space. The process also led to the ‘meanwhile-use’ project Homesquare.
Photo: Britt Jurgensen