A Week In South-West Cornwall

At the beginning of April, I spent a week away in Cornwall, specifically in the corner point. The quiet and historical landscape was the perfect retreat, and ideal inspiration for this project.

I previously came when I was a child, over 15 years ago, and can't remember much, so it was a discovery with fresh eyes. The trip reminded me of my connection not just to the land, but also the sea. (Perhaps owing to my star sign Pisces and having affinity with water). I'm reminded to explore all the elements, not just the land, which all link to my love of nature.

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Analysing The Landscape

From the road perspective, the land is akin to The Peak District, waving horizons with wide open fields, cut by long and winding roads. In a car, you can reach from one coast to another within an hour, and this makes me think I'm on an island, as if Cornwall if separate from the English border.

The many historical sites and ruins adds layers of history, but also fantasy. You feel whisked away into another world, and literally into another time. The Cornwall Heritage Trust protects 16 sites, such as Iron Age villages, hill forts, stone circles, and burial structures; and many more operated by The National Trust and English Heritage. There is so many, you feel the entire land is lost in time, and you're walking through time itself.

Locations are essentially vessels to time, and the inhabited spaces are rich in history. When I think of Cornwall, the phrases 'rich soil', and 'lost energy' comes to mind. There is a harmonic connection between these now peaceful protections, the physical remains, and ghost energies from the people and stories that once resided there.

Take-aways

• Thoughts about land history, and the energies that run through them

• Locations are vessels in time

• Connections between peaceful preservation, physical remains, and ghost energies from the lively past

• How can I visualise this? Explore location-based memories and feelings through materials and illustration

References

Cornwall Heritage Trust, https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/visit/our-sites/