A new exhibition opens at Abbot Hall on 11 April, inviting audiences to experience a powerful exploration of human fragility, resilience, and survival in South Cumbria.
Bellwethers is an immersive multimedia exhibition bringing together film, sound, poetry, and visual art created with and by people from Barrow and Kendal whose lives have been impacted by homelessness, substance recovery, and other profound challenges. It offers an honest and human insight into experiences that are often hidden but are part of everyday life for many in our communities.
Rooted in the landscapes and communities of Cumbria, the exhibition draws compelling connections between personal experience and wider ecological and social injustices. Nature is not just a backdrop here, but an active presence, woven through soundscapes, imagery, and language, inviting reflection on how human and environmental vulnerability are deeply intertwined. The work displayed highlights the wounded natural environment, as well as the millions of people in Britain who are struggling to survive in this current economic climate.
The exhibition takes its title from the bellwether sheep of our surrounding fells, those that move ahead of the flock, sensing change, testing boundaries, and signalling what lies ahead. In this context, the exhibition asks an important question: who are we listening to, and what can we learn from those who are already facing the sharpest challenges in society?
Developed by local arts and social justice organisation Zwiebelfish CIC, the project brings together the creative work of more than 150 people from across South Cumbria. Through shared making, including poems, maps, images, and sound, participants-makers have exchanged experiences and perspectives, shaping a collective artistic response with poet Philip Davenport, photographer/producer, Julia Grime, musician & composer, Jack McNeill and filmmaker, Alistair Debling.
Will Cooper, Senior Curator at Lakeland Arts states, “Bringing Bellwethers to Abbot Hall is about placing the lived experiences of our local communities at the very core of our programming. This exhibition offers a vital, unfiltered look at resilience and fragility in South Cumbria. Zwiebelfish has chosen to display these newly created, powerful community voices alongside works from our collection by Kurt Schwitters. As an artist who himself found refuge in the Lake District and created art from what was cast aside, his presence here beautifully echoes the exhibition’s themes of survival, recovery, and finding hope in unexpected places.”
Julia Grime, Director of Zwiebelfish says, “This work is a kind of story collage of many people’s experiences and creativity. It’s also the story of our wider environment. It’s been brilliant to work with the participant-makers, seeing and hearing all the pieces come together. But some days have also been heartbreaking, because we see at firsthand, how much more and more people are struggling to survive. This is just one project happening in Cumbria but these stories are occurring again and again all over Britain – we hope that this exhibition will bring people to listen to these bellwether voices.”
The result is a thought-provoking exhibition that reframes the world through different lenses. Together, these elements form a compelling, many-voiced portrait of our times, one that is both challenging and profoundly moving.
Bellwethers invites visitors to listen closely, look differently, and consider what it means to navigate uncertainty, both individually and collectively.
This project has been made possible with the generous support of the Frieda Scott Charitable Trust and Arts Council England.
Exhibition details
Bellwethers: Fragility & Survival
11 April – 3 October 2026
Abbot Hall
Standard entry to Bellwethers is included with gallery admission. Admission is free for those who use the facilities at Manna House (Kendal), Space 2 Create and/or are part of The Well Communities. Manna House supports people who are homeless, vulnerably housed, lonely, or needing help in the South Lakeland area, Space 2 Create are a mental health support charity working with creativity and art and The Well Communities are a recovery community built on support, inclusion, and lived experience.
With admission to the gallery, you can also view Familial Traces, an exhibition showcasing the work of Lela Harris and Joshua Donkor, as well asThe Paper Quilt Project, a living exhibition created by the community while on display in the gallery. As well as this, you can view pieces from the Lakeland Arts collection displayed in the Portrait Galleries and Art Herbarium on the first floor.
