Analogue Farm established as a community interest company in July 2018 and was active until 2023. It was in a semi-rural location close to Healey Dell Nature Reserve and the South Pennine moors, yet within an hour of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. Our activities included artist residencies, arts workshops, events, and exhibitions. These drew upon and highlighted the nature, folklore and history of the surrounding landscape. The artistic approach focused on ‘slow media’ - supposedly outmoded technologies and practices that involve direct tactile engagement with materials and the land. The company understood plants, trees, wildlife and community as of utmost importance, and aimed to benefit future generations beyond our lifetime.
We organised events for up to 100 people featuring talks, live music, performance art, exhibitions and workshops. Events were based upon wildflowers, plants and herbs, tree planting, dry stone walling, puppet shows and experimental theatre based on local folklore, experimental filmmaking and photography with eco-friendly chemistry. In 2023 we produced Wagon Tales, a project which involved building a bowtop wagon for the community to celebrate the importance of horses in the valley's heritage.
​
We also had The Bug an exhibition space on the main street in Whitworth. We worked in partnership with Bacup Cultural Consortium, Horse and Bamboo Theatre, Mid Pennine Arts and Whitworth Museum. During lockdown, we ran a pop-up organic grocery and refill shop twice a week. We gained council funding to construct an exterior potting shed to facilitate seed swapping and plant sharing.
Aims and Ethos
-
To provide time, space and freedom for people to undertake significant research, develop their practice/s and ideas, and/or produce new artwork
-
To provide residencies and activities to facilitate collaboration, exchange, networking and dialogue between individuals, across art forms and within our local community
-
To ensure that Analogue Farm continues to develop, engage and involve a diverse audience in its activities
-
To provide activities informed by the nature, folklore and history of our surrounding landscape that benefit the local community
-
To promote an environmentally aware artistic approach and highlight practices that involve direct tactile engagement with materials and the land
-
To understand plants, trees, wildlife and community as of utmost importance with a view to future generations beyond our own lifetime
-
To ensure that Analogue Farm continually maintains and develops in regards to environmental sustainability
-
To work in partnership with key individuals and organisations within the UK and internationally to ensure that Analogue Farm maintains a national profile and develops a global profile that benefits our local community