Y Prosiect Penpont
- Hana, Alumnus & Young Volunteer
- Apr 24
- 9 min read
When I sat down to write this blog, I was asked how I came to be a part of the Penpont Project. An email, I remembered, so I searched the depths of my inbox for the particular one. Having not re-read it since the beginning of the project, I smiled when I saw the subject: "The Greatest Opportunity Ever. Seriously." 5 years down the line, I can confirm the truth of this statement.
Project sometimes feels like an insufficient word to describe the happenings at Penpont Estate. At its most straightforward, it's the UK's largest youth-led nature restoration initiative. But the piece of land at the heart of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park has provided so much more than a site for nature restoration alone. Since 2019, the project has blossomed into an ecosystem of its own. Just as the sun, water and rocks work alongside the plants and animals, nature and people at Penpont share a symbiotic relationship.
One of the most beautiful things about the collaborative nature of a project like Penpont, is that it allows each individual an opportunity to find their own niche within the greater movement. The way the group operates in smaller sub-groups or task forces enables people to pursue areas of interest and contribute to a larger change. To describe the impact of this feeling is difficult, and words don't seem to do it justice. It is empowering and transformational to have autonomy over decision-making while also working closely in community with friends and collaborating with people from different generations.
Youth leadership enables young people to have a voice when our opinions and ideas are often overlooked. We bring new perspectives and broaden the horizons of even the most established experts. We don’t claim to have all the knowledge and experience that might be needed to create the change, but we do have energy, optimism and a vision for a better future. That’s why collaboration is so important, uniting components to enable change to begin.
In a world so riddled by troubles, it can be so terrifying to think about the future. Last year, Action for Conservation released a report exploring eco-anxiety in young people, and a huge 64% of young people surveyed had experienced eco-anxiety in their life. The opportunity to be involved in leadership can ease these anxieties through learning and action. It empowers you to take control and be the change you want to see. As well as reshaping my own outlook on the future, being able to connect with like-minded peers, form friendships and support each other was so valuable. It also enables interactions with adults in a professional context, giving confidence as I enter adulthood for myself.
The source material:
At Penpont, there is an oak tree that fell and died. From its dying roots sprouted a new oak that stands tall and proud on the face of the hill. We often return to this oak tree during site visits to reflect, both on our progress and our ambitions. We cherish it as a symbol of growth, new life and nature's circularity.
I had my own moment of circularity last summer when I became lucky enough to be Penpont's first Young Artist in Residence. Having recently progressed from my role in the Youth Leadership Group to a more advisory role to make way for a new generation, I wondered how my involvement might change.
An artist residency provides artists with dedicated time, space, resources and support to create art. It is often an opportunity to put aside day-to-day responsibilities and focus solely on creativity. My residency at Penpont was monumental. It’s the first time I'd been commissioned, my skills recognised as professional. It was also my first time visiting Penpont as an individual, which brought new layers to my relationship with the project.
I've been creative for as long as I can remember. I always had big dreams, "I’m going to be an artist when I grow up". I was imaginative, daydreamed a lot, and believed anything was possible. I still have a wandering imagination and I find inspiration everywhere. Naturally, being a part of the Penpont Project is no exception. Roaming around the landscape isn't only a journey for my legs but for my mind too. A chance to allow my thoughts to meander as they please, a safe place in which no dream feels too big.
Exploring the tributaries:
During the residency, I spent a total of ten days fully immersed in the estate. I camped by the river, eating, sleeping and working surrounded by nature.
For the first few days, I focused on reconnecting myself with the land. Rambling around, letting my thoughts wander, conversing with the Penpont locals: Robert McDonald, a renowned artist and man of much wisdom; Athene, trained as a saddler, who owned a shop in the area selling welsh textiles; Morag an artist whose unique work celebrates natural materials and the landscapes in which they sit; the Davies family, who live and farm on the land; and the Hoggs, of course, who own and manage the land, not only sharing priceless knowledge with me but extending extensive hospitality and kindness.
I collected trinkets on my walks, leaves and stones and scraps of sheep’s wool. I did a lot of sitting and looking and sketching, and reflecting. The rolling hills of the Brecon Beacons and their plethora of natural beauty offers an extensive amount of visual playthings for an artist, of course, but Penpont is inspirational in a multi-dimensional manner. I feel a spiritual connection to it, as if the land speaks to me.
I find a particular connection exists between myself and the River Usk, which flows through Penpont’s core. I am so drawn to the movement of the water, the dappling of the light on its surface, the sounds of its flux. The river existed before it was named Usk, before Penpont was built on its banks, before it became home to a community of creatures. Water is a constant on Earth, yet it's ever changing, it shapes and reshapes, flowing fast and free.
Once I'd given in to the pull of the river, I turned my attention to depicting its character through mark-making. A bottle of ink became my medium, its fluidity more apt than the harshness of a pencil.
The sunlight bounces off the river as the water moves. This lively motion is impossible to portray through a still image - I needed a way to capture the ever-changing ebb and flow. I used a series of varying-sized ink brushstrokes to represent the dynamic tension of the surface. I arranged them in free-form waves, ditching all realism in an attempt to illustrate the more abstract qualities of the Usk - the sounds, the life, the movement.
Artist Yayoi Kusuma finds her signature polka dots a meditative practice. I share the sentiment, I felt calm, peaceful and fully immersed in the experience when I did these sketches.
Until my residency, most of the art I'd created was for my academic study and came with the common struggle of creativity limited by assessment criteria. This was the first opportunity I'd had to really allow the art to guide me.
Having these sketches brought my emotion to visuals. With these visuals, I was able to conceptualise my textile piece. Cyanotypes were a perfect process for this piece, using the sun and water to create a print. They also happen to have a sentimental connection to Penpont for me. Photographer Andy Pilsbury taught us cyanotyping to create artwork from foraged foliage at an early visit to the site, connecting us to nature through creativity. I remember being so excited by the technique and cyanotyping one of the t-shirts I'd brought with me. It was old and I didn't wear it much, so I didn't care if I ruined it. However, I transformed it into a garment I now treasure. As do I treasure the memory.
Meandering:
To transform my ink drawings into cyanotype prints, I returned to foraging, collecting leaves in varying sizes and arranging them just like my drawings.
In photography, movement is sometimes preserved in still images through exposure techniques. I wanted to feel movement in my work, so this guided my experimentation. Double exposure cyanotypes created two-toned prints and allowed me to feel that sun-dappled effect on the fabric.
Hana creating cyanotypes in the River Usk
One of the key reasons I find myself drawn to textiles is the processes of transformation they undergo. I’ve long been fascinated by the fibre-to-fabric mechanisms. Wool is a fibre synonymous with Wales and its rich agricultural history. Penpont is home to tenant farmers, Sally and Gareth, whose family has farmed on the estate for over 30 years. Their willingness to share their practice with the Youth Leadership Group has not gone unappreciated. I’ve learnt about farming from a completely new angle and experienced holding lambs and administering medication to adult sheep. These are learning opportunities that, without the Davies, I'd have never had.
Wool has a unique natural property - the ability to felt. Felting occurs when the scales on the fibres are agitated in the presence of moisture and they lock together, creating a dense fabric that is neither woven or knitted. Wool felt is one of the oldest known textiles, its uses dating back as far as 6500 BC.
I love the process of felting. It typically uses hot water, but I thought if I could felt the wool in the river water, it would feel more natural. It was possible, and I conceptualised sewing felted rounds onto the quilted textile. I was excited by this idea; the natural white complemented the bright blue well, and it gave me another texture to play with.
I knew I wanted to incorporate sheep's wool into my work, but the appliquéd felting would cover my prints. I was lucky enough to do my residency just after the sheep had been sheared, so an abundance of wool was available. The Davies’ kindly donated an entire sheep's fleece to me, which the piece is stuffed with. I’d carried the fleece by train from Penpont to my home in Manchester, where I washed it in the shower. I have to thank my housemates for never questioning my antics. The clean sheep then returned to Penpont, where it has been immortalised in the Land Library. If you give the work a good sniff, you’ll get a slight whiff of farm. This comes from lanolin, the waterproof oil in sheep’s wool that protects them from the elements.
Traditional Welsh quilts had a sheep's wool stuffing and were often given as gifts. My textile would be my gift to the land. I had a lightbulb moment as Athene told me a story of an old Welsh wool blanket in her shop. It was falling apart - The top layer of the quilt fell off, she said, and there was a beautiful blanket beneath. I began to think about the unseen and decided to use the wool by stuffing the panels at varying reliefs instead. I could then include all its semantics, without obscuring my cyanotypes.
Flowing forward:
Almost a year later, as I write this blog, I’ve taken the time to properly reflect. The rapid pace of life in young adulthood doesn’t leave a lot of room to think. I had to revisit my sketchbooks to put this piece of writing together, and I’m so grateful that I did. I remember the exhaustion I felt when my residency was finished. I’d worked so hard physically, but also emotionally. Particularly in the days just before the launch, every minor hiccup felt like my world was about to come crashing down. I remember the panic that set in when the stuffing of the quilt changed its shape, and I had to unpick seams to manipulate the fit.
Having channelled so much energy into the work, I found it difficult to appreciate it straight away. At the Land Library launch ceremony, I received many compliments on my work, but I felt so fatigued I couldn’t seem to accept them.
The opportunity to look back after having space and time away has completely changed my mindset. I think the quilt is beautiful, and I am so proud of myself. A statement most artists will know is hard to admit to.
All the “mistakes” became integral elements of the piece. The peeking of the wood through the textile is actually now one of my favourite elements of the work. It reminds me of the rock that juts out into the river by the bank where we enter to swim.
Thank you for reading,
Hana
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