Revenants & Remains

In this exciting project, we brought students, artists and historians together at two of our northern sites to create photographic responses to ruined buildings using themes of the gothic and the supernatural.

In November 2022 and January 2023, we worked with Photoworks to run photography workshops at Lanercost Priory and Furness Abbey, led by artist and curator Sarah Sparkes.

Sarah’s work explores magical or mythical narratives, exploring the borderlands where science and magic intersect, which was the perfect fit for this project.

We aimed to inspire and engage young people in the appreciation of ruined architectural heritage through the supernatural lore and legend that has become associated with each ruin, using creative acts of interpretation – in this case, photography.

Sarah runs the visual arts and creative research project GHost, hosting seminars and exhibitions to manifest and interrogate the idea of the ghost. You can find out more about her work here.

Around 30 students studying photography at Furness College and Newcastle College attended five workshops led by Sarah. The students visited the sites and had a tour from English Heritage Senior Properties historian Michael Carter and Dale Townshend, Professor of Gothic Literature at Manchester Metropolitan Museum.

Sarah guided participants in the production of a portfolio of photographic work. The students were given a series of prompts and props to work with on site, inspired by the notion of the gothic, both historically and in popular culture. This was paired with presentations of contextual materials drawn from Sarah’s own practice and her research into ghost-making in photography.

Back at college, Sarah worked with students on creative ways to present their photographs and explore the gothic ghost narrative further though making their own photobooks. The student’s creative work is shared in the online galleries below.

SIte Photography Galleries

To see all the photos from the students, and their descriptions, check out the galleries’ for each site below…

Furness Abbey

Founded almost 900 years ago, Furness Abbey was once the largest and wealthiest monastery in north-west England. Today, Furness has some of the finest monastic ruins in England. Click on the link below to see the students’ photography at the site and read their reflections on their work.

Lanercost Priory

Lanercost Priory is a well-preserved medieval monastic site in northern England, founded in 1169. It housed a community of Augustinian canons and later became home to a branch of the Dacre family. Link coming soon see the ghostly images the students took and read their reflections.

See gallery

Quick Look Gallery

‘As an artist fascinated by ghosts, it’s been incredibly rewarding to lead workshops for Revenants and Remains. Learning about the haunted medieval and Gothic history of each site from Dale and Michael while among the atmospheric ruins was an inspiring experience for both the students and myself and this is clear in the photographs they have produced. Thanks to Photoworks and English Heritage for superb co-ordination and support throughout. This had been an amazing opportunity for both the students and myself – the legacy of Revenants and Remains means that the the past will continue to engage audiences long into the future’

Sarah Sparkes, artist

These workshops were part of a wider programme entitled ‘Experiencing Britain’s Ruins: Revenants and Remains at Five Northern English Religious Houses’ an exciting series of public events, tours, workshops and other activities generously funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Experiencing Britain’s Ruins sought to apply the fruits of historical research to the modern-day heritage sector, and involved a year-long collaboration between Professor Dale Townshend of the Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr Michael Carter, Senior Properties Historian at English Heritage; Dr Dominique Bouchard, English Heritage’s Head of Learning and Interpretation; award-winning novelist, poet and performer Rosie Garland; and Robert Lloyd Parry of Nunkie Productions, teller of ghost stories extraordinaire.

Find out more about the full project

Check out the project ebook

Our Revenants and Remains project was part of a much larger programme. Some of the creative writing generated in the course of the project has been turned into an e-book and is wonderfully illustrated by the photography completed by the students. You can check it out here, and find out more about the other Revenants and Remains projects.

Read the ebook

Photoworks champions photography for everyone. Global in reach, we have been providing opportunities for artists and audiences since 1995. We don’t have a physical venue, but our online channels are always open. Our programme, which includes the Photoworks Festival – one of the UK’s longest-running photography festivals, brings new experiences to audiences and opens up new ways to encounter photography.

Photoworks has an outstanding record of inspiring young photographers. Our opportunities for young people are free and include workshops, exhibitions and events. We have extensive experience of connecting extraordinary artists with young people from diverse backgrounds, focusing on building creative knowledge and skills and empowering young people to find and amplify their voices through creativity. All our activity is artist-led, with emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and arts for all.

Photoworks is an Arts Award centre, with highly experienced Arts Award Advisers on our team offering awards at all levels to under-25s in photography, film and visual arts.