Who are we?

MY INSPIRATION

The images above are a part of what inspired me for this project.  Being Cornish myself, I know the importance of keeping our heritage alive and what it means to all those that surround me.  I have been enriched with the knowledge of my home county and my family that live there.  So, as a Cornish girl that now lives in the big city of London, it is important to myself that I remember my routes and embody the memories and traditions that have been passed down to me from my family who I can then pass on to the next generations. 

Heritage is not solely an item that can be owned by anyone. 

It is experiences, 

memories, and 

For me, the importance of getting funding and being recognised by FEAST is the pride that would be received in knowing that Cornish Heritage would begin have a meaning again.  Cornish Identity would begin to be understood as something that is different an unique from the English, even though we are within that country.  The uniqueness of a project like this is knowing that the participants would be sharing their own experiences, traditions and memories that they have collected over the years with their family.

Undeniably, there are many other projects that have been funded by FEAST and the Arts Council, that have made significant contribution to Cornish Heritage, but the participation, and the opinions shared from the Cornish would be the originality within this project.  It would not only be my project, but the project of the county.  

Potential arts funding for this proposed project could come from various organisations like Arts Council England and Cornwall’s local funding organisation FEAST. 

FEAST’s aims is to ‘ to have a lasting effect.  We encourage ideas, skills and resource sharing so that communities are left better equipped to carry on the good work. To achieve a genuine change, which really does bring the arts home to communities, we need new ideas.  FEAST wants to draw on the best ideas from the best people across Cornwall.  That is why we have an open application process’ (feastcornwall.org, n.d.)

Within the organisation there are different types of funding that can be applied for.  There are two main ones:

- Participation

- Audience Development

These are only available to two projects each year, however there are other smaller grants that can be applied for.  Such as:

- Open Smaller Grants 

- Festival Enhancements 

- Bright Sparks

- Moveable Feast

Further details on the grants provided by FEAST can be found on their website:

https://feastcornwall.org/types-of-funding/

Also look at: 

http://www.an-daras.com/cornish-dance/History%20Of%20Cornish%20Dance.pdf 

and

http://cornishdance.com/history/

Below are clips from people performing Cornish Folk dances, most do not require previous training which is a beneficial reason why it is included in many local festivals that anyone there can take part in.

Most of these clips are provided by Cornish Dance Society, a group that continually try to reach out to various audiences in different areas and are the focal point for anyone that is interested in the dance forms.

The most recognised food of Cornwall is the Cornish pasty.  

The traditional Cornish food consisting of root vegetables and meat surrounded by short crust pastry, was in fact a regular lunch time meal for miners.  The structure of the pasty was originally constructed with the crust on the outside for miners to hold onto the food without the risk of dirt getting into their system (Working miners would have had VERY dirty hands!).  The only difference between pasties then and how they are made now is the filling.  Originally the filling would be split into two sides, one sweet and one savory, so then the miners could benefit from a full meal before going back to work for the afternoon.  

It would seem unusual is Cornish pasties were not present and the main focus in food for an event that represents and recreates the humble meal.  Similarly to the drama and dance groups, to be able to involve locals to be a part in recreating the traditional foods like this and many others.

Other recognised Cornish treats also include, splits, scones, saffron buns and all the locally made cheese!

Even the Cornish (and Devon) mining sites are recognised as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Some interest in the creation of the project is based on including local companies and groups.  Part of the reason for this is to incorporate locals own memories and heritage that has been passed down to them by previous generations.  This would essentially create originality within the project as ideas and other old traditions would appear through the shared stories and memories from those all over the county.

The types of people I would like to include would be local theater groups, like the Cornwall Drama Association (an association that has been running for over 50 year). The CDA is a comity of members that support amateur drama groups across the county. So with their participation within the setting they could provide a recreation of what was to happen in the day of a miner and their families.  This would attract the younger generation to begin to visual see what happened within these sites

 http://www.cornwalldrama.co.uk/wp/ 

The actual Poldark mine is located within, what was, Cornwall largest mining site.  Which is also the location to one of the first ever  water-powered tin stamping mills in the world.  This, after much thought, would be an ideal site to provide the foundations of where my intended project would be, as it contains open and inside space. The site also provides, easy location with directions provided by the website provided as well as historical facts that others can learn from.  However there are still various other mining site that would be suitable for such an event too.

Brief industrial history of Cornwall:

Heritage in Cornwall is an ongoing discourse in the county, as it involves identity, ownership and memories, passed down through generations. Those that reside in the county, pride themselves on their heritage as its industrial culture has created the foundations of what the county stand for.  Unfortunately, due to the decrease in the resources provided by the mines many had to shut down, with the last one closing by the 1980’s.  This caused dismay in many residents in the county as it meant finding an alternate industry that they can rely on for their economy.  This is where the rest of England got more involved with the South Western area. During the 80’s Margret Thatcher had a large control over the economy of the nation which also impacted Cornwall. The transition of the Cornish economy proceeded to transform the country into a large tourist heritage site, turning the county into a site for tourist consumption (Zwegers, 2018).  Some reasons for the push in the development of a tourist industry is due to the aesthetic scenery that Cornwall has to offer. This ranges from coastal views, to countryside lands and heritage sites that have been a part of the county for many years.  

Unfortunately, due to the impact the government and British Heritage had and continues to have effects the view the Cornish have on their new found industry.  Many have even become activists and protest against heritage sites that state the English involvement with the county.  So, it is noticeable that throughout the county you would be able to see various marks and symbols created and posted near heritage sites that have been placed there by said activists and those that want to keep the original sense of their Celtic routes.   This saying, the most identifiable symbol in recognising someone or something that is Cornish is the Cornish Flag or otherwise know as St. Piran’s flag.  St. Piran is an icon within Cornish history being one of the three Patron Saints in Cornwall as well as supposedly being the discoverer in tin, hence the mining industry in Cornwall.  With the increase in tourist sites within Cornwall, many believe that they are in jeopardy of losing their heritage and identity to the English.

My Project:

The proposed topic discusses the alternate way in which can bring a sense of identity back to those in Cornwall.  With many heritage sites being taken over by government it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a sense of identity when there is no ownership to said sites.  In connection to Laurajane Smith’s (2006) understanding of intangible heritage, the proposed project will recreate past memories by producing a festival-like event in name of Cornwall’s old industry heritage, expanding on the thought of heritage as experience (Similar to the Golowan festival that happens every summer).  This could include, role-play, family lead activities, dance workshops that teach various Cornish folk dances as well as recreating traditional foods the festival will provide the experience of becoming a mining family for a day.  As will be evident throughout the portfolio, I will present the proposed area in which I would intend for the project, provide evidence of where I would receive funding as well as suggesting the companies and organisations that I would also work with in order to fulfil the project.  This is proposed with the essential positioning that this project is available for. I fully intend to make it accessible for all who wish to join, so it is not restricted to just locals and their families.  The project intends to be a learning environment as well as a fun one, so anyone that joins, regardless of age or background or whether they know anything about the Celtic county, will be able to participate with the hopeful outcome of people leaving with the memories embodied from their experience at the site.  

Da yw genev metya genes. Fatla genes?

Pyth yw dha hanow? Ow hanow yw Beth.

A bleth os ta devedhys? Devedhys ov a Kernow.

A wodhesta konvedhes? A wodhes’ta kewsel Kernewek?

A vynn’ta donsya genev?

Translation:

Pleased to meet you. How are you?

What is your name? My name is Beth.

Where are you from? I’m from Cornwall.

Do you understand? Do you speak Cornish?