Anna Clough

 

 

REAL Barrow Artist in Residence

Anna Clough’s work reflects the British landscape: its ecosystems, romanticisation and heritage are recurring themes within her practice. Her interests lie within industrial systems that exist and operate within the landscape, as well as in how objects can change in value. Led by process, her work is grounded in sculpture, reactivating found materials and forms, often through movement.

Predominately researched-based, Anna spends time working with the land, engaging with the communities and archives that inform her practice. She explores the physical linking of places and history. The outcomes of this research are often site-specific and take the form of sculpture, film, walking performance, social engagement or photography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna was born in Cumbria and is currently based at the Paradise Works Studios in Manchester, where she was awarded the Howarth Trust Bursary 2023-24. Recent shows include, ‘Muck and the Mire’ at Paradise Works, Manchester (2024), ‘The Change Room’ at Florence Arts Centre, Cumbria (2024), and a solo show ‘The Earth is Warm’ at Air Gallery, Altringham (2023).

Anna Clough was Art Gene’s REAL Barrow Artist in Residence for 2024. During her residency, Anna developed a project around mushy peas. She also explored the rich industrial history of Barrow, focusing on the town’s once thriving salt works industry.  

Salt

“I started my residency by exploring the heritage and landscape of Barrow. I visited the Dock Museum, the Barrow Archives, and the South Walney Nature Reserve. From these places, I learned about Barrow’s salt mining industry.

At the turn of the last century, South Walney was home to its own saltworks, which was owned by the Barrow Salt Company. Four large derricks were placed, near Bigger, to mine the salt deposits from the ground. The extracted salt was then sent to South Walney and processed, and then shipped by boat or train. The works were dismantled at the start of the 1900s. A plan to open a “Brine Baths” on Walney was created, hoping to turn South Walney into a holiday destination that would make use of the available natural resources. Sadly, the plans fell through. Today, the salt marshes are a hive of plants, animals and support a rich biodiversity of plants and animals.

I was drawn to the power salt has as a resource and wanted to celebrate the material for influencing change within communities. I investigated salt’s electrical qualities and used it with zinc and copper to create a saltwater battery, which powered a loud archival recording of “Crossing the Sand” (North Lonsdale Magazine, 1866), describing the terrain of an unexpected journey across Morecambe Bay.

Excited by its visual beauty, I also wanted to highlight the lustre of salt as a material. Against the backdrop of its industrial heritage of rebar and corrugated iron, I created a trophy-like tower (inspired by a salt derrick) that provides a platform for the salt to play on. With its slightly unconventional aesthetic and size, the piece celebrates the effect salt has had on South Walney.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mushy Peas

“I was excited to run a project based at Art Gene’s Community Growing Space – Allotment Soup – on the Isle of Walney. Mushy peas are an integral part of the food culture in Barrow, and I wished to celebrate this. The project focused on the lifecycle of the pea. We used the peas to bring together an autistic community to explore the steps of mushy pea creation and how different objects rise and fall in importance along the way. The project explored themes of travel, change, and growth—processes that happen when creating mushy peas.

We began by creating pea-themed drawings, which were screen-printed onto chip shop paper and distributed to The Olympic, Sea Breeze, and Greens Pie Shop. Alongside this, we planted pea seedlings and supported them to grow, by caring for them over the summer. When the peas were ready, we harvested them and made our own mushy peas. Throughout the whole process, we kept drawings, writings, and photos, which were compiled into a “Mushy Zine.”

I would like to say a thank you to all the participants who took part in this project and made it possible, as well as to the staff at The Olympic, Sea Breeze, and Greens Pie Shop.”