Design Cafe - Tales of an URBAN WANDERER

An evening of conversation and good company with free home cooked food at Art Gene, The Nan Tait Centre, Abbey Road, Barrow-in-Furness this Wednesday 17th November, 7pm - 9.30pm

No booking necessary just come along on the night.

During September, artist Sophie Mellor spent eight days as an urban wanderer relying on the kindness of strangers and the bounty of the land to house and feed her.

People followed her journey via daily updates on BBC Radio Cumbria, as her travels took her around Barrow, out to Aldingham and back again. Spending five nights out of seven housed by local people and never once going hungry, her wanderings illustrated the wealth of generosity in the town. Clothed in an especially designed survival jacket by Clare Thornton, she placed herself directly in Barrow's marginalised landscapes, investing in its use and beauty through her interactions with people and place.

For this free evenings talk, Sophie will tell tales from her journey - chatting about essentials for urban survival, different ways to navigate the town, Barrow's wild food treasures, the luxury of choosing to wander the streets and how to keep warm and dry in a hedge.

Urban Wanderer 'Urban Retreat'. Urban Retreat was a series of artists commissions and events which explored the economic and ecological landscape of Barrow-in-Furness in Sept/Oct 2010.

Other events in the Urban Retreat programme included:

- Street Training with Lottie Child

- Wasteland Drawing Walk with Laura Oldfield Ford

- Urban Nature Walk with Martin Norris (warden at South Walney Nature Reserve)

- Survival Bag Workshop with Clare Thornton.

During the project, Barrow Library hosted the 'Urban Retreat Lending Library' with books donated by Urban Retreat artists and patrons. Each book featured an especially designed book plate by Karen Di Franco.

In Spring 2011, Close and Remote will publish a book exploring the themes around the project, including new writing by Emma Cocker.