The third and final instalment to Seamas Carey’s trilogy of work on Cornwall, nationalism & identity. Following the success of the The Reason Why podcast and the award winning live show Help! I Think I’m A Nationalist, comes the resulting visual companion piece, One & All.
Boldly referencing and subverting the iconic image of the Cornish crest (a miner and a fisherman flanking a shield), the collection of portraits (captured by photographer Steve Tanner) explores what the people of 21st century Cornwall look like now.
Disparate figures from different communities (many of whom Carey met during the making of his podcast) standing side by side, representing a plurality of opinions, a contrast in genders, backgrounds and beliefs. The images provoke questions around belonging, inclusivity and act as a closing moment for this significant body of work.
“I remember sitting cross-legged in the school hall, gazing up at a large, hand-painted mural of the Cornish crest: a miner and a fisherman, stood either side of a shield, with a strident chough atop. I thought to myself – they look proud. They know who they are. This is what Cornish people look like. This is what I’ll look like when I grow up.
Of course, this has not turned out to be the case. I’m not a fisherman or a miner, nor do I possess a look of certainty about my identity. In fact, I feel quite the opposite; confused & conflicted about my Cornishness on a daily basis. So, it turns out, do loads of other people. I think this is why this body of work (since 2021) has got so many people talking and thinking and agreeing and disagreeing. It seems we’re all trying to figure this stuff out, separately.
I love being part of a community. I love making work for and with the community. But how inclusive is my – or your – community, really? Whilst recording interviews for my podcast, it became acutely clear how many different communities live side by side in this small spit of land, barely interacting or acknowledging each other.
I wondered what the Cornish crest might look like now, showcasing the plurality of people from 21st century Cornwall? So, Rebecca McDonald made a lifesize shield and, over two long hot summer days, Steve Tanner and I welcomed a continuous stream of people from different communities into our pop-up studio at Kresen Kernow.
I know these portraits only show the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to diversity and representation in Cornwall. But, as you look at these simple images, I hope they provoke questions around what it means to be Cornish, what the rules are, and whether any of it really matters?”
Concept & direction: Seamas Carey
Photography: Steve Tanner Set Design: Rebecca McDonald
Graphic design: Phyllida Bluemel
Thanks to Kresen Kernow, Dot Peryer and Chloe Phillips. Supported by Impossible Producing. Funded by Arts Council England, FEAST, Royal Cornwall Museum and Deborah Hinton.
