Fenton House in Hampstead is a National Trust property in London. Walking up there doesn’t feel like being in a large city, especially on the foggy morning I visited.
The occasion was to experience Lives, Loves and Loss, an immersive project by arts organisation Traces London involving artists, curators and designers exploring the lives of the Gee family, inhabitants of the house in the 18th century.
Entering through the kitchen we were greeted with specially made sweets then escorted through the rooms where objects, letters, sounds and odours told the family’s story.
Pots by Jo Davies in the kitchen
with chopping boards by Haidée Drew on the dresser
The dining room contained tableware by Imagery Code with ceramic food by Anna Barlow.
A dinner set for six with a scented napkin at each place setting; open the acrylic drawer to smell each of the courses – I managed to identify the lobster and pork and roast chestnuts but wasn’t great at the others and was utterly stumped by tea and biscuits.
On the other side of the room was a house of cards and
a bust by Zachary Eastwood-Bloom, who I’ve previously featured in an earlier post.
More to follow…