News & Upcoming Events....

Welcome to the first Fish Factory Newsletter from our new space in Penryn! We have been working hard on the ongoing refurbishments and setup of our cafe, shop and gallery. You can now visit our gallery and cafe between Thursday and Monday 10-5. The space is moving and changing all the time as improvements are made, new artists are visiting and exhibiting and our seating area and shop are taking shape. Come and be a part of this very exciting time!  Mel of Bookhouse Bakery has been making some very tempting cakes and treats. Our coffee is from Crankhouse and we've got a wide range of teas on offer along with a filter coffee from Origin.  Our gallery programme is in full swing already! So far we've hosted an exhibition featuring the highlights from the Thrown Gauntlet Festival and our current show is by resident Lily Waugh who makes amazing weavings inspired by the landscape. The gallery is available to hire for exhibitions, workshops, photoshoots, meetings etc - if you've got an idea get in touch on fishfactoryarts@live.co.uk What's ON!

Current Exhibition: Root to Rise - an exhibition by artist in residence Lily Waugh until 12th March Textiles hand woven in collaboration with Cornish land and weather An exhibition of hand woven textiles, tapestries and hand made looms made in meditation on the Cornish landscape and weather fronts. Lily Waugh is a hand weaver and multidisciplinary artist working and living in Penryn, Cornwall. Her work responds to and works with the colours and textures of Cornwall. She is also influenced by the ancient folklore, traditions and sacred sites across Cornwall, holding the ancestry in mind as she weaves her her way through her work.   Weaving, Witches & Women of Penryn - Saturday 10th March 2-3pm A Kemeneth 2017 production, Weaving Witches and Women of Penryn makes connections between two lesser known characters of Penryn recent history and present-day local women who engage in creative practices within their local Penryn community. Violetta Thurstan was a weaver who spent the rest of her days in Penryn after setting up the 'Cornwall Guild of Weavers Spinners & Dyers' following her time as a nurse during WWI. Kate (the gull) Turner was a sea witch who sold wind to sailors from Penryn's pier. Local Penryn inhabitants weave their stories into their art, celebrating the past as well as present-day practices. Rachael Jones will be showing her new film featuring weaving by artist in residence Lily Waugh and performance by Katie Etheridge. Following the film there will be time for a Q&A before 'catching the wind' and settling down to 'high tea'.   The Flea Boot Returns! - 17th & 18th March 10-5 Join us for the glorious return of the Flea Boot! Our gallery and cafe space will be home to sellers of vintage treasures and makers of unique products, come along and browse the stalls, drink a cup of tea and eat some delicious food.   DYSTOPIAOKE - manifest a manifesto March 30th 8pm – late Dystopiaoake; noun. a form of survival typically offered by bars and clubs in which people take in turns to stage unique representations of pre-recorded songs from popular culture. Dystopiaoke marks a halfway point in the on-going research by Dr. Lee McIntyre into the rationale for Karaoke Inclusion Theory, a theory that seeks to prove the art forms validation for the inclusion in the remit of Beaux Arts (fine art). The event will provide a platform to talk to explore the theory, a participatory performance and presentation of research materials. Dress appropriately for the occasion (or don’t). To register to perform or find out more email lee@howlprojects.com or contact fishfactoryarts@live.co.uk   Radical Music Evening  - Friday 9th March from 8pm A variety of lovely new music and reading to be shared at the Fish Factory including Annie E.E.L, The Worm and other secret guests. Come along with open ears and minds and have them blown! There will be refreshments from our friends at Verdant Brewery. WANK presents: An Introduction to feminist art histories  - Saturday 10th March 4-5pm Join us for an informal seminar about feminist art histories, lead by artist Delpha Hudson in celebration of International Women's Day. Delpha will unravel some feminist art bollocks in what we hope will be the first of a regular series of seminars on the subject at The Fish Factory. Join us from 3pm for afternoon tea and informal networking in our on- site cafe. Vinyl Night - The Shapes Edition Monday 12th March from 7pm Bring your own records to play at Penryn's famous vinyl night - now at the Fish Factory! This month's theme is 'Shapes' - whether it's songs about shapes or shaped discs, come down early, get your name on the rectangular-board-boss, enjoy a beer or two and throw some shapes. This is HIP the kids are all SQUARE Cornwall Zine Library Fundraiser & Social Evening - Thursday 15th March from 6.30pm. CZL is a zine library based in Falmouth, Cornwall established in 2017 and housed in The Fish Factory Art Space. We love zines because we support the dissemination of ideas as a way of sharing, learning and building a culture of resistance. We support the belief that zines forge connections between people, nurture solidarity, community and mutual aid. Zines are the people who made the paper, ink and staples. Zines are the people who filled it, folded and stapled it.   Come and peruse the collection, eat a meal with us and maybe even make a zine! The Lone Kinsmen: a history of the OTT - Thursday 5th - Monday 9th April The Lone Kinsmen: a history of the OTT is an archival exploration of a (possibly) fictitious cult that existed sometime in the past. The exact origins and timespan of the OTT are not known however in the short (or long) time that it was active awide variety of costumes, ephemera, ritual objects and other paraphernalia were amassed by Hector Nit (founder of the OTT) and Champy Bennet. Thanks to Hector Nit, and in conjunction with artist and curator Lally MacBeth, this collection will be on show for one last time before being packaged away into archival boxes and acid free tissue. Do not miss this final opportunity to witness the inner workings of one of the oddest cults in history. The Lone Kinsmen: a history of the OTT was initially shown as part of Ancient Scent: Ireland, an exhibition that resulted from Ancient Scent collective’s residency in Ireland in April 2017. The residency followed in the footsteps of the artist, Ithell Colquhoun, and her book The Crying of the Wind: Ireland. The Ancient Scent spent just over a week exploring ancient sites, holy wells and bogs retiring in the evenings back to the infamous Ballycumber House.

We still need your help!! We are so proud and thankful that we've made it this far - and it's all thanks to you - our generous, creative, energetic community! We now have a secure lease in a building which is much cleaner and safer and we have the chance to grow something very exciting! Our original crowdfunder target was £20,000 - which would have paid for all the refurbishments needed along with the move. We made it to our reduced total of £10,000 just in the nick of time - it really was a rollercoaster and thanks again to everyone involved! This means that we have done all the refurbishments so far on a shoestring, and tested all our DIY skills to the limits!! We now need your help to spread the word and use the space to it's potential - come and visit! Drink tea! Bring your creative projects, workshops, classes, ideas! We will be opening a small shop soon - let us know your favourite art materials so we can stock them! If you would still like to donate towards our renovations you can still do so via paypal. Perhaps you missed the deadline on the crowdfunder or have only just heard of us and would like to help - click here!