Anne-Marie Culhane
wook5@hotmail.com
www.amculhane.co.uk
“Exmoor Explorations”.

This was the biggest of the Landmarks projects and the most ambitious, with the highest number of partners.  This is partly explained by the fact that it was originally conceived as two projects – one for NT and one for ENPA – which were amalgamated when common threads were recognised and funds came under pressure. 

Anne Marie Culhane, an environmental artist living in Scotland, was employed because of her experience as a workshop leader in environmental art projects and the obvious quality of her previous work, particularly in digital media. Anne Marie was initially employed for 40 days with a brief to:

• Run a series of workshops in different sites on Exmoor with young people and families from urban areas in Somerset.
• Produce a piece of work in response to the residency.

Anne Marie began work in November 2002 and over the first few months familiarised herself with the Exmoor landscape, lifestyle and culture.
Her research took the form of:

• Journeys all over Exmoor by car, foot and horse;
• Site visits and orientation meetings with National Trust and Exmoor National Park officers (about 10 people);
• A stay on an Exmoor farm  
• Meetings with local people such as farmers, artists and a member of the Exmoor Society.
• Making contact with local groups who might be potential workshop participants.

As a result of this research, and on Anne Marie’s recommendation, the project brief was expanded in March 2003 to include:

• The development of short reports or “Guides” created by the workshop participants which would help in
• The development of a real Treasure Trail at one of the workshop sites and
• A website in the style of a virtual “Treasure Hunt” which would offer
• A Treasure Hunt prize.  This would be a piece of craft, commissioned from an Exmoor maker.

Outcomes:

There is no doubt that this was a very successful residency in that it delivered all its short-term goals, and more, to an extremely high standard of quality, as follows: 

• The development of good working relationships with new partners on Exmoor (i.e.: NT and ENPA). 
• The development of new audiences through the three 2-day environmental workshops with local urban communities

The development of promotional and educational initiatives on Exmoor as follows:

• The three documents associated with the workshops.
• The development of a “real” treasure hunt in Horner Wood.
• The development of a “virtual” treasure hunt as a website and as a CDRom for schools.
• The development of a unique piece of new work of high quality, in response to the residency.
• The creation of a new piece of craft by an Exmoor maker alongside the website.

The promotion of the residency and the Landmarks project through:

• The launch of the website and
• The exhibition at the Brewhouse in Taunton.
• The development of a touring Landmarks exhibition.

It is also anticipated that the project will have a successful long-term impact in the area, as follows:

• The further development of the website and associated CDRom as a promotional and educational tool for the project partners distributed to schools across Somerset.

I have completed a residency on Exmoor National Park as part of the Landmarks series of residencies and partnerships across Somerset. The residency included work with young people on residential workshops in Exmoor woodlands which led to the Treasure Hunt (which you can access via www.somersetartweek.org.uk/exmoortreasurehunt.)
and development of my own work which included gathering the thoughts
and feelings of a number of Exmoor farmers, staying on and documenting
an Exmoor farm and documenting my experiences of Exmoor over 9 months
through text and images My work responds to environment and landscape.
I work through different media including photography, film, text and
performance. I am particularly interested in how human beings relate to
different landscape and environments and how different aspects of the
environment interconnect – i.e. ecosystems, biodiversity. The work is
entirely specific to place and time i.e. I aim to be co-author of the
work alongside the environment itself’.

Anne-Marie Culhane