Eric Robson's opening speech

The broadcaster & Cumbria Tourism chair launches the new HQ at Lawson Park June 25th 2009

Director Adam Sutherland with guest Eric Robson

Intern Matt tries the delicious nosh

What a day - many hands made light work! Great food c/o Alistair's mother-in-law, great flowers c/o Meg and a very good speech from Mr Robson, bringing together Ruskin, Grizedale and land use very neatly indeed.

And saying the gardens were "superb" too (!)

Phew - now onto the 10th and the art crowd....

Posted by Karen Guthrie on 27/06/09 at 21:28

Topics: 'celebration' 'launch' 'lawson park'

Matt wrestles with light

Meg, high on housework

Web guy Dorian in the library

The scene at Lawson Park as we ready it for its local launch today, many thanks to volunteer Meg Falconer who really put in the hours, as did web guru Dorian Moore and interns Sophie Perry and Matt Do...

Posted by Karen Guthrie on 25/06/09 at 12:42 : 0 Comments

Escapism on Hackney's No.25 bus

Posted by Karen Guthrie on 19/06/09 at 22:34

Len and some of his work

Len is the grandfather of artist Matt Do (of Matt & Ross fame), he recently visited Lawson Park along with a goodly sector of the Matt clan  - Matt is currently working (very hard) with us in the lead up to the opening on the 25th. Len who is 86, still works as a gardener not too mention maintaining his other interests, including wood turning. He brought a group of his turned bowls and other items as a gift for the collection. He also took a chunk of wood away with him to make into Lawson Park pens for us - now thats what I call a grandfather.

Posted by Adam Sutherland on 17/06/09 at 19:03

Blue Bayou

The brilliant blue Himalayan poppies have been attracting the passing visitors into the garden to take photographs, which we all thought was rather nice, until we discovered that they had also been pulling up the plants for the unripened seed heads and dumping litter and banana and orange skins, it does rather put you off being welcoming.

Posted by Adam Sutherland on 17/06/09 at 08:09

1723hrs and a big storm has hit the Vittoriale. Here's hoping the power holds out....

Posted by Alistair Hudson on 05/06/09 at 16:22

All aboard

Jonathan, banners and bones do Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Great Dictator

Even though the final push at Lawson Park is well underway, projects continue apace, just to try and prove we are not going to be a slave to our building like other art institutions. Though the bags under my eyes reveal why it's a hell of a lot easier just to do one thing at a time.

So I've buggered off for two days to Lake Garda to finally realise our project with Jonathan Meese, to make a performance from Vittoriale degli Italiani, one time home of futurist poet and militarist Gabriel d'Annunzio and now a beautiful and extraordinary visitor attraction. The hanging gardens provide a gentle green backdrop to the monumental stone constructions celebrating dictatorship.

The best gardening touch of all is the battleship Puglia rammed into the hillside and merged with a network of granite paths, the most impressive garden terrace I've ever seen.

On deck, with Garda stretching out behind it, is Jonathan painting flags and fascist memorabilia all the time being filmed by his cameraman Jan. One tourist/culture offianado got a bit steamed up over the imagery and you can see why. Looking forward to the party tonight with all the dignitaries and skeletons with Hitler mustaches.

We seem to be all set up for the webcast, wunderkind webmaster Dorian remains chipper and so too is Jonathan, happy in this balmy enclave of dictatorial splendor.

tune in turn on drop the tiny mustache 

www.dannunzioz.org

Posted by Alistair Hudson on 05/06/09 at 13:28

Ladina Fessler working on Lawson Park's meadow

This Bank Holiday sees us reinstating what was the lawn bit of the wlldflower meadow in front of Lawson Park -underneath this soil is the equivalent of a small house containing the water and drainage for the new hostel. Here's our jolly Swiss intern Ladina weeding....

Posted by Karen Guthrie on 25/05/09 at 10:14

Topics: 'wildflower meadow'

Loose suit Jack

Just back from a most untimely trip to Denmark and Sweden looking at craft and design. A full account of the ins and outs of the world of mid century modernism and other things like, what is craft for? you can look at the trip's own website and blog http://www.formingideas.co.uk/view/blog - it was an Arts Council event to look at how to develop crafts in the UK.

I was interested to see Paul Potts - whom I initially mistook for Jack Dee - plastered very large outside the Danish Crafts Council, the poster promoted the very recently unknown Paul with the fact that he has had 60 million hits on You Tube - interesting no?

Posted by Adam Sutherland on 17/05/09 at 06:24

Chair exhibition

Morris, Guille, Lyons, three great UK designers from the 1940's and 50's all ready to move into Lawson Park, barr a little upholstery including Adam Chodzko's Leather jacket intervention

Posted by Adam Sutherland on 13/05/09 at 22:29