Testimonials
“Elspeth Penfold is the ‘Artist in Residence’ at East Kent Mencap’s Herne Bay Hub, which supports people with a learning disability. She is an exceptional advocate for the charity, promoting creativity, confidence and independence.
Elspeth organised ‘Walking with Ghosts’ workshops for people who use East Kent Mencap’s services. The group enjoyed learning and reflecting about the impact of war as they walked down the pier at Folkestone, amidst projections of soldiers; a moving experience for everyone involved.
Elspeth’s workshop was very interactive and inclusive. The group created beautiful ropes with beads, as a way to express their feelings about war, which were put on display.
Elspeth’s ‘Working with Ghosts’ project provided a unique opportunity for people with a learning disability to deepen their understanding about conflict in an accessible and creative way.
We are very grateful to Elspeth for her unwavering commitment to sharing her talent, passion and enthusiasm with East Kent Mencap.”
Kelly Forest, Herne Bay Hub Coordinator
“Walking with Ghosts was a new multimedia artwork and programme of walkshops which took place in Folkestone between 11 and 14 November 2022. Bringing together multi-media art, with experiential walking and poetry, we interwove past and present, history, poetry, music and art, to explore the impact of war on Folkestone over the last 100 years. The whole programme took place over 84 hours: from 11am on Friday 11 November to 11pm on Monday 14 November 2022. This is the length of time it would have taken the dead from the First World War to march past the Cenotaph.
Walking with Ghosts was produced by The Gateways Partnership, at the University of Kent in partnership with Imperial War Museums 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund. From the very first stages of the project, we knew we needed to partner with a creative walking artist to co-curate the walkshops. We were delighted to connect with Thread and Word and work with Elspeth Penfold throughout the process. Through the walkshops, the expression and exploration of war became foregrounded in poetry, discussion, and the lived experience of participants such as East Kent Mencap. The walkshops also took us beyond the immediate vicinity of Folkestone and the last hundred years. Through engaging with poetry and art from global cultures, we reflected on the impact and experience of war across time, space and culture. This global perspective connected what was a site-specific artwork to a global story.”
Dr. Helen Brookes – Dean of Research and Knowledge Exchange and Professor of Creative and Cultural History Central Saint Martins
Walking Publics/Walking Arts . A COVID-19 Rapid Response project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council exploring the potential of the arts to sustain, encourage and more equitably support walking during and recovering from a pandemic.
https://walkcreate.gla.ac.uk/walkcreate-gathering
Feedback from participants of the Gathering Event who attended the walkshop led by Elspeth Penfold and Lawrence Northall included:
Wonderfully connecting through history and place
Background really resonated with me
Walking is about language and stories
Loved weaving different thoughts and practices
Loved learning about languages
Beautiful work and poems
A different way to think about the walk
Lovely word rich walk touching on different cultures and histories