Funded by
Alco Environmental Trust www.entrust.org.uk
Arts Council England
Copeland Borough Council www.copelandbc.gov.uk/personalbaggage
Cumbria County Council
www.cumbria-artefacts.org.uk

Host Distington community

The Personal Baggage Project provided the community of Distington in West Cumbria an opportunity to express their feelings and opinions about living in a village surrounded by other people’s waste, through working and engaging with lead artist Jac Scott and photographer Vince Bevan.  www.vincebevan.co.uk  
Jac Scott was artist-in-residence in Distington for 12 months.  
The process led to the production of a touring exhibition that focused on advocacy by the Distington community of the waste minimisation message.  The exhibition contained an interesting dynamic with giant sculptures made from waste materials juxtaposed with a photographic story documenting the coexistence of the community with the landfill sites.

The Project included direct confrontation with the material and the concept by the Distington community, including the school, youth group and special interest groups, who responded through a series of creative workshops, in dialogue, sculpture and photography.  An important aspect to the project was the engagement with businesses and organisations concerned with waste issues in the area.