IT is now more than 10 years since you could guarantee that the boldest, brashest, most colourful and loudest contribution to carnivals and many other public events would come from the Ulverston-based Welfare State International.
An unusual reminder of the arts group’s contribution in South Cumbria – and much futher afield – was among the commercial vehicles on display at Cumbria Steam Gathering.
It was a Leyland Cheftain truck still complete with the group’s hand-crafted “engineers of the imagination” artwork on the doors and the message “Pageant masters. Pathological optimists” on the side.
WSI specialised in outdoor spectacle on a large scale and collective involved poets and musicians, street performers and pyrotechnics specialists
In January 2005 the group changed its name to Lanternhouse as founder John Fox, then 66, looked to scale back his workload without completely retiring from the arts world.The new name reflected that of the Lanternhouse base in the Ellers which in 1998 had been transformed with the addition of a 29ft blue, steel lattice spire designed by Jamie McCulloch.
Mr Fox stepped down as artistic director on April 1 in 2006 and the group’s last major performance was Longline, a Carnival Opera which was held in a big top in Ulverston
Mr Fox, his creative partner Sue Gill and Roger Coleman helped form WSI in 1968s, following involvement in Bradford street theatre.
It was decided to make Cumbria the group’s arts base in 1980.Initially the base was in Cobblestones Yard, Ulverston and then Trinity Hall.
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