After the longest Winter, I was finally able to make the return journey to Barrow this month, concluding my residency with Art Gene by hosting two afternoons of Barrow Tarot readings at the Field, or Allotment Soup, Art Gene’s community growing space over on Walney Island. We were hit with two days of incredible weather, and also joined by artist Owen Griffiths for the concluding event of his own residency that has ran alongside my own.

The Barrow Tarot now comes complete with it’s own table top and sign collection to support tarot readings in a variety of environments, whilst keeping contact and handling minimal for our current times. Special thanks to artist Peter Smith for creating the beautiful table legs for the piece. We have printed a limited edition of 100 decks of Barrow Tarot, which Art Gene will be making available later in the year.

Allotment growers and visitors to the site were invited to join me for a short reading, a personal conversation exploring the deck and the possible futures for Barrow and the surrounding Furness area. It was really lovely to finally explore the work with others, and to be reminded of the importance, and the joy of conversation with strangers as we navigate uncertainty.

Current plans are to return to Barrow at the end of the year, with some further Barrow Tarot readings and sharings of the work. Full details will be made available from Art Gene in the coming months.

Special thanks to Maddi, Stuart, Anna and Daryl at Art Gene, and to everyone who has stopped to join in conversations as part of the work, and welcomed me into Barrow. I now talk about Barrow at every given opportunity and hope to continue to share some of the magic of this place with folk from further afield.