Lost in Cumbria by artist and activist, Maddy Humberstone, is a mixed media installation exploring the plight of Cumbria’s endangered and extinct species which runs 12 March – 29 May 2022.
This imaginative installation is a celebration of Cumbrian creatures past and present, exposing the impact humans have had on their existence. Evoking the familiar trophy rooms often found in historic houses, wildlife fills the exhibition spaces at Blackwell revealing the ramifications of human inaction and offering a glimpse of how different life could be living alongside the lost creatures of Cumbria.
Enlisting the Kirkby-in-Furness community and internationally renowned designer Deborah Milner, who was raised in the village, Humberstone has produced a body of work illustrating an impressive range of skills across several craft disciplines.
Humberstone is a RADA graduate specialising in mould making and casting, sculpting, poly carving and puppet making, as well as furniture making and upholstery. She has worked with a wide range of organisations and clients including The Conran Shop, Selfridges, Budapest based fashion designer Merò, Studio Bablesberg Berlin, The BBC, and Bristol based Jag Props. She was part of the Corvus Angelicus creative team who brought stilt walking angels to the streets of Bristol during lockdown in 2021.
Humberstone travelled the world as an aerial circus performer before training in prop design. Her work encompasses her passion for the environment, a love of the theatrical and a sense of connection to the place she is in.
Maddy Humberstone comments, “I haven’t worked in a historic house before and was not sure what to expect. Being at Blackwell and working with the Lakeland Arts team reminds me of working in the Conran shop, I’ve been given a lot of creative freedom. This exhibition represents a personal rediscovery and reconnection to the landscape and communities where I grew up. I’ve felt a deep sense of the preciousness of life during this creative process, not just for the wildlife, but for us humans too.”
Naomi Gariff Programme Curator Lakeland Arts said, “Maddy Humberstone has transformed the gallery space at Blackwell in a way that’s never been done before. It’s a room within a room, connected strongly to building whilst bringing the outside in. It has been an exciting artistic commission to work on.”
It is part of New Year New Make a Lakeland Arts’ commissioning strand supported by Arts Council England that brings craftspeople together with communities to create new work that encourages dialogue and new ways of thinking.
