Local Collaboration

Audio transcript:

WSI’s whole approach was built on a simple but powerful idea: art should be made with people, not just for them. Processions and community celebrations had been part of WSI’s work from the very beginning. Over the years, they worked alongside local residents, schoolchildren, folk musicians, visual artists, and community groups of all kinds, as well as performers and companies from across the world. Lanternhouse in Ulverston became a hub for creative exchange; a place where workshops, making sessions, and rehearsals brought together people of all ages and backgrounds. Lantern making workshops were central to many WSI productions, not just in Ulverston but in other places too, including Glasgow, which features in this exhibition. The first Ulverston lantern procession took place in 1983, directly inspired by a traditional lantern ceremony WSI had encountered during their visit to Japan the previous year. The workshops in Ulverston became particularly rooted in the community there, drawing hundreds of participants into making handmade light art that would eventually pour out into the streets of the town. That tradition caught on so strongly that the Ulverston procession is now run independently by the Lantern Supporters’ Group.

The collaboration wasn’t only local. WSI also worked with international artists and performers, including Tanzanian performers who joined them for pieces like Nutcracker, bringing different traditions and methods of making together in ways that created collective effervescence. Glasgow All Lit Up, one of the centrepiece events of Glasgow’s year as European City of Culture in 1990, was developed over three years. Originally proposed to involve four separate simultaneous lantern processions, all converging on Glasgow Green.  On the night over eight thousand handmade lanterns lit up the city. Whether they were working with a school group in Cumbria or artists from the other side of the world, the approach was always the same: create the conditions for people to make something remarkable together, and trust that they will.

 

Lanternhouse

Lanternhouse was WSI’s headquarters in Ulverston, Cumbria, where WSI were based from 1979 to 2006, when they ceased operating. In 1996, they were awarded £1.6 million from The National Lottery to transform the Ellers, a Victorian school building, which WSI had used as its base since the late 1980s, into an arts centre. In this process, WSI worked collaboratively with the architect Francis Roberts. The new building contained accommodation for artists, a library, studios, and workshops. It was nominated for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Building of the Year in 2000. Ulverston is now known as Festival Town, a cultural hotspot in the north, and this is largely due to WSI’s efforts in building a creative community, with Lanternhouse at the heart of their network. 

Artist’s diary documenting the building of Lanternhouse

Lanternhouse Diary by Tanya Peixoto, 1996-1997, WSI/2/8/5

In 1996 Welfare State International renovated their headquarters. This new space called Lanternhouse was designed through a collaborative partnership between the client, WSI, and the architect, Francis Roberts. They formed “The Design Forum” which met fortnightly. Tanya Peixoto was a member of the forum, and her work documents their process. Ulverston’s lasting reputation as “Festival Town”, a cultural hotspot in the north, is largely due to WSI’s efforts in building a creative community, with Lanternhouse at the heart of their network. 

 

Nutcracker (1985)

Uniting cultural ritual and public celebration, Nutcracker explores themes of overconsumption, spiritual regression and the constructed nature of racial and cultural stereotypes. Performed as an international collaboration between WSI and the National Performing Arts Groups of Tanzania in 1985, this dance and theatre production epitomises the cooperative and welcoming nature of WSI. Through poetry, dance, and vibrant costume, the two groups collaborated to showcase how living art is intrinsic to any dynamic society, regardless of geographical or cultural disparity. By foregrounding collective storytelling and communal celebration, Nutcracker highlights performance as a universal language that strengthens identity, preserves cultural memory, and fosters social cohesion.

Edited clips from Ulverston Performance of Nutcracker

Ulverston Performance of Nutcracker, Silver Screen Productions, 1985, WSI/5/3/81a/6/3/1

Within this video, Sue Gill takes on the role of “dance caller” and introduces the WSI and the Tanzanian Performance Group together. Each performer steps forward and plays a beat of their instruments, then Sue encourages the audience members to join a circle dance in a gesture of cultural solidarity. Audience members hold hands, clap, and skip round in circles to the unique clang of the music. This video expresses the joyous community celebration that WSI ignited.

 

Lantern Processions

Lantern processions were central to Welfare State International’s practice. The first Ulverston lantern procession in 1983 was inspired by a traditional lantern ceremony encountered during WSI’s visit to Japan. WSI organised the annual Ulverston processions until 1990, when they gave primary control of the event to Ulverston town and its volunteers. They continued to participate until 2004 by hosting lantern making workshops, performing in the processions and collaborating with local people and travelling artists. Public participation was a vital part to the collective cultural meaning WSI aimed to build through the annual event.

Edited clips from Multinational Course: music workshopping with artists at Lanternhouse

Multinational Course, Welfare State International, September 1991, WSI/5/4/21/6/1/1 

This video shows short clips from various percussion workshop sessions held in preparation for the 9th Ulverston lantern procession. Starting from basic clapping and chanting activities possibly intended to teach rhythm or as a warmup, the artists develop a percussive melody outdoors at Lanternhouse before later practising indoors in a session lead by Daniel Fox.  These artists travelled from around the UK and Europe to attend. 

Edited clips from Lantern Workshops 2003

Lantern Workshops 2003, Ady Griffiths, 2003, WSI/5/5/34/6/1/1 

This video is from the 21st Ulverston lantern procession, which was themed ‘A Walk in Toyland’. Adults and children construct lantern frames from withies, with WSI members occasionally giving instructions. The workshop participants then stick paper sheets to each frame, and various structures, from boats to planes, come to life. As the film ends, participants pose with their lanterns to the camera.