Exhibition: Canon by Penelope Payne
Wednesday 5th August 2026 to Sunday 9th August 2026
Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, BB5
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Following its premiere at the National Festival of Making, Canon by Penelope Payne will be exhibited at Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington from 5th - 9th August.
This new installation is a National Festival of Making 'Art in Manufacturing' co-commission with Haworth Art Gallery. Produced by Penelope Payne, it combines sculpture and sound to explore the space where historical narratives and contemporary experience overlap.
Reflective materials, architectural references and an immersive soundscape encourage visitors to consider not only what is remembered, but whose stories endure, and how the spaces we inherit continue to shape our understanding of community, belonging and social change.
About the Exhibition
If you missed seeing Canon during the weekend of the National Festival of Making, you can now experience the work in the very place that inspired it.
Exhibition Opening Times: 12 - 4.30pm, 5th - 9th August 2026
Private View: 6 - 8pm Thursday 6th August.
To attend the private view, RSVP to rsvp@festivalofmaking.co.uk.
Address:
Haworth Art Gallery
Hollins Lane, off Manchester Road, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 2JS
About Penelope Payne
Penelope Payne’s artistic practice is rooted in the exploration of social history. She explores female narratives, particularly the often overlooked and unrecorded histories of the working class and ‘women’s work’. From her studio in Cullercoats, North Tyneside, she creates sculptural pieces, site-specific installations, and performative moments. Works are often situated within non-gallery settings using the history of place to layer the work with significance. She has been the curator of the North East Open Call since 2023.
Payne’s Horizons Performance (2022) explored the female condition through the lens of place with a historical representation of the fish wife community. Filmed on Cullercoats Beach, the work features over 60 volunteers who, at sunrise, obscure the horizon with hand-sewn banners. The performance became a significant moment in the history of Cullercoats. It was covered by the BBC and went on to be featured on Bloomberg Connects and as part of the National Gallery lecture programme. The banners were integrated into Sonia’s Boyce’s work In The Castle of My Skin, MIMA and at The Factory, Iceland.
This project is a co-commission with Haworth Art Gallery and the National Festival of Making, commissioned as part of Art in Manufacturing.
Photography credits: Daniel Allison and Jules Lister
