Testing Ground: Christian Bell

Pendle based artist Christian Bell was the next artist in-residence. Christian set out to create work with a number of local young people. Reflecting on challenges, exasperated by Lockdown, that young people face, Christian looked to create opportunities for collective thinking inspired by Pendle’s rich history. The origins of Quakerism were of particular interest, so Christian looked to use Pendle Hill - the site of Quaker founder George Fox’s vision - as a source of inspiration in a contemporary context. Christian asked: What message would you write across Pendle Hill?

Two digital workshops took place over the week, exploring the creation of abstract sentences and interactive maps. Christian delivered the workshops over Zoom and has noted that this was a particularly useful learning curve for his practice, as interacting with young people digitally is distinctly different from delivering a face to face workshop. As Christian’s practice involves much research and reflection, he has prepared a report of sorts to document the learning, experience and future of his ideas.