If you step into Penlee House through March and April, you’ll have the chance to explore the climate-focused exhibition, The Shape of Things: Our Place in a Changing Climate (running until 26th April).
This community-curated exhibition is all about exploring the effects of climate change in Cornwall, drawing on historic artworks and photographs from the collections at Penlee House.
As one of the partner organisations of this eye-opening project, we had the opportunity to engage with local children, using the works in the house as a creative exploration of climate change through art and discussion.
Building connection through art
For this project, we picked two artworks from Penlee House Gallery’s exhibition: one, a townscape of Penzance, and, the other, a farm in West Penwith. These pieces provided the perfect starting point to discuss two key themes, transport and food – both essential elements in the conversation about climate change.
Working with children from Gulval School, we then led a vision workshop, using these artworks to explore past, present, and future environmental changes. We examined the townscape of Penzance, noting the forms of transport depicted in the 1800s, then comparing them with today’s transport systems, and discussing their pros and cons. We then looked at the farm scene, considering historical food production and transportation, the current state of dairy farming, and imagining what sustainable farming practices could look like in the future.
Bringing the creative vision to life
The children then brought their ideas and conversations to life through collages. Using prints of the original artworks, we helped them overlay their visions of a sustainable future directly onto the images, showcasing how transport and farming could evolve to be more environmentally friendly.
These powerful, imaginative pieces are now on display as part of the exhibition, alongside a little explainer from us about how we work with the community to put people, place and planet first.
Taking it further
With these artworks now up at Penlee House, our team at Sustainable PZ are also hosting some events through the course of the exhibition, to help expand the conversation.
Our first event is a talk, where we’ll be discussing our work, the exhibition, and how we can join together as a community to put people, place, and planet first, on April 4th. Keep your eyes peeled for exact timings!
We’re also hosting a Climate Café on April 9th, where anyone who’s curious about climate action, looking for ways to get involved, or experiencing climate anxiety can join us to enjoy tea and cake – all while connecting with others in a supportive environment.
To find out more about the exhibition, click here.
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