To Moor the Sun - Reawakening the Women's Land

Aim

To Moor the Sun is a reawakening of the Women’s Land West Penwith reinstating the land as a radical site for connection and nature.

To Moor the Sun is a new Queer feminist land project near Sancreed in West Penwith ran by Decoder. Our aim is to reawaken the Women’s Land West Penwith so that we can develop a community for the land and reinstate the land as a site of creativity, connection and nature conservation. The Women’s Land is entering a new era ran by Decoder – an LGBTQ+ art organisation by artists SHARP and Ro Robertson. 

The land has been laid dormant for 20 years and is now fiercely overgrown. The women’s land is a 2-acre site with 1 acre of extremely overgrown field and 1 acre of neglected woodland which needs care and attention. Decoder are raising funds to start some initial work to enable safe access in order to start working on the land. We will purchase the tools needed to clear some pathways and the entrance ways to the site with work needed on gates and clearing of large areas of brambles. We have damage to trees that need to be felled before we can replant new trees. There is zero shelter at the land and need a basic covering to shelter from rain showers and we need to establish a compost toilet. The Women’s Land has been generously gifted to Decoder Art CIC by The Women’s Land Trust however we need to fundraise for the legal fees for both parties. 

This is a starter crowd funder to equip us with what we need to begin the Women’s Land as a project which include hand tools, a woodchipper, chainsaw, safety workwear and a solar power bank. This initial fundraising will be a vital stage in developing this important space for community and shining a light on the important legacy of the Women’s Land project and securing its future as a new and exciting Queer feminist project. 

History and full info:

The Women’s Land in West Penwith was started in 1996 by a group of women as a sacred site to provide vital connection between women and nature. Predominantly led by lesbian women in the legacy of feminist and lesbian movement and the Women’s Land movement of the US the land was sought and developed as a space of sanctuary from male violence, patriarchy and to create an alternative way to structure community led by women. The founding group of women who together established The Women’s Land trust included Ceaia March, Cheryl Staffon, Jay and Storm. Ceaia March who is a lesbian novelist led the planting over 1000 native trees to create a woodland that would also act to shield the women from view. The trees were planted with women from the Penzance Women’s Centre, some of which were dedicated to women who had died and so the woodland is stimultaneously protection, habitat and memorial. Many women who had spent time living at Greenham Common came to the Women’s Land in the 90’s and brought a spirit of peacemaking and activism. Ceremonies were led in line with celtic and pagan traditions with rituals rooted in Goddess cultures. Cheryl Staffon a key founding member is a writer and produced and edited the Cornish Earth Mysteries magazine Meyn Mamvro for 25 years. 

Artists who were part of early ceremonies include Cornwall based artist Lucy Willow who recounts the bi monthly ceremonial gatherings and also that revolutionary feminist artist Monica Sooj visited the land. 

The Women’s Land was frequently reported on in the Outback magazine which was a lesbian magazine and includes an account of the sensory garden planted by the women, tree planting and also the creation of a pond. The Outback was a lesbian magazine which ran for 25 years. The Outback has been carefully archived by Queer Kernow at Kresen Kernow and is open to all to read. 

Decoder have been following the history of the Women’s Land since 2019 when researching Cornwall’s Queer history and exploring it as a subject of interest in the context of the major Queer exhibition SEEN at Newlyn Art Gallery and the Exchange by SHARP who was then program producer. 

On a recent Queer heritage project titled Kompas by Decoder and Queer Kernow funded by Arts Council England resident artist Ellie Roser connected the group with founding member Cheryl Staffon and partner Lana told the group of the history of setting up the land. 

It was following this meeting that the process began to gift the land to Decoder CIC. Decoder is an art organisation (previously The Penthouse in Manchester) led by artists SHARP and Ro Robertson. Projects in Cornwall include producing an education resource for the SEEN exhibition at Newlyn Art gallery and The Exchange, hosting Visuals AIDS and co creating the Kompas project with Queer Kernow. Previous projects include curating The Queer Art Show and a sound art program at their artist led space in Manchester titled Noise Above Noise which was featured by The Wire magazine and curating Bill Drummond’s Curfew Tower in Northern Ireland.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made