[H]onister Slate Mine is pleased to announce that for the first time it will be part of Cumbria’s award winning and countywide arts festival C-Art from Friday 8th – 17th September 2017.
Set against the stunning backdrop of Fleetwith Pike and the Northern Fells, artist in residence Terry Hawkins will unveil his third and final sculpture as part of a trio dedicated to the long history of slate mining at Honister, to coincide with the launch of the 2017 arts programme.
The sculptures will stand on the remains of the bridge head at Honister Pass with mother and child on one side and father on the other. Their position, separated by the bridge, mourns the literal loss of the bridge but also the many lives lost and families decimated during the long history of slate mining at Honister. However, the ball hammerhead a traditional tool of the slate worker, represents the strength and resilience of the slate mining community in the face of tragedy.
Terry Hawkins, artist in residence at Honister Slate Mine said: “Honister Slate Mine has played an integral part to the transition I have made to become a sculptor and I am privileged to be working alongside such a team of incredibly skilled craftsmen who work here at Honister. I have learnt how to combine traditional methods of working with slate with my own techniques to produce the large-scale sculptures that I have dedicated to the long history of slate mining at Honister, and the sheer resilience of the slate mining community when faced with tragedy. I am delighted that through C-Art this year, people will be able to visit the mine and be reminded of how important mining was, and still is today as Honister is the location for England’s only productive/working slate mine”
Jan Wilkinson, Co-owner from Honister Slate Mine, said: “It is the first time that Honister Slate Mine has taken part in the C-Art festival and as Terry’s sculptures beautifully illustrate the long history of mining at Honister we look forward to welcoming the C-Art followers and many more to experience them first-hand. Come and view the final sculpture that will complete the trio and pay tribute to the communities shaped by the history of slate mining. We have been working with Terry for 15 months now and through his unique craftsmanship he has captured the true spirit of what Honister is all about.”
Come and see the sculptures at Honister Slate Mine for yourselves from the 8 -17 September as part of C-Art Festival 17’s programme that sees Cumbrian artists alongside national and international work.
