the process

I have always been interested in engaging with the rural community I live and work in - rather than just being an observer I wanted to get to know the people who work on the land by collaborating in a creative project with them.

Through a story in The Cornishman newspaper I asked for farmers in the Penwith area to come forward to participate in a unique new project to document their farming year using digital technology which would culminate in an exhibition at Newlyn Art Gallery and on-line.

As a documentary filmmaker I wanted to explore three different farms to weave their unique story to the narrative of the seasons and the land around us. The families that were chosen each have an important voice which reflects the current changes in agriculture. The three farms ranging from 30 – 125 acres are now considered small in farming terms yet what they show transcend size and the boundaries of Penwith.

Digital technology has played an important part in this project – I wanted to use these tools in a different way – and more importantly for different people to use them creatively. It was important to me that the families told their story themselves using this new technology. Documentation blends with creativity as we see ordinary things in a different light.

More ‘traditional’ forms have also been used from writing (Monica’s book at Mulfra Farm) to black & white photography and Super 8 film. What we have collated are just moments in time…there are many more farming stories to tell!

The Farming Families website holds the extensive work generated from the years collaboration. We hope it will be used as a social history archive.

I’ve seen the seasons and the fields around me change through different eyes this year thanks to Boleigh, Mulfra and Trewoof Wartha farm. Through their thoughts, images and feelings they have opened the doors to a world that is known as ‘a way of life’. Through their observations and their social comments they have portrayed their farming year in a way that no-one else could ever fully interpret. The families have come from the heart, through their honesty and simplicity of being.

Barbara Santi