We’re a small Cumbrian arts organisation, working with people affected by homelessness, substance recovery, isolation and inequality.
Together we’ve made poems, drawings and films, songs, music and soundscapes, filling galleries and other spaces to bring hidden and ignored voices to national attention.
We’ve exhibited at the Houses of Parliament and Wordsworth Grasmere, Barrow Dock Museum and Abbot Hall.
…Imagining new futures
Cumbria and Lancashire are full of creative energy – but for people living through homelessness, recovery or hardship, access to the arts is often out of reach. We’re here to change that, offering an arts service that fills a big gap.
Creating projects inside trusted support venues, in collaboration with ambitious artists and iconic cultural spaces, we make art that begins at the margins and speaks to everyone.
The wide variety of artforms we offer helps people to access their own creativity, coming together to explore and release difficult memories, to restore self-esteem and confidence and simply find enjoyment in making. All contributing to imagining new futures and, through exhibition, publication and online legacies, bringing their voices to a wide public, offering pause for reflection for all.
What we do
Creativity can help unlock imaginations and imagine new ways forward. We currently work on a project basis to:
- co-create projects that give voice to experiences often hidden or ignored,
- bring art into recovery and support venues,
- collaborate with ambitious artists and cultural institutions,
- share work widely, from local exhibitions to national platforms.
Our overall ambition is to build a resilient arts programme to fill the gap in provision for homeless and recovering communities across Cumbria and North Lancashire.
Our projects have been supported by Arts Council England, the Heritage Fund, the John Fisher Foundation and Frieda Scott Trust. We work in long-term partnerships with trusted support venues and galleries/venues both locally and nationally.
Why “Zwiebelfish”?
Our name comes from a German word — a “ZWIEBELFISCH” is a printer’s error, a single font mistake, that makes the whole word more interesting than it might’ve been. It’s a metaphor for what we do: accepting words, voices, people that were previously unheeded and setting those Zwiebelfishes swimming free.
Who we are
Poet, artist and curator with over 20 years’ experience leading collaborative community projects. Phil has worked extensively with the homeless community in Manchester and Cumbria, creating exhibitions shown at the Houses of Parliament, The Southbank, National Maritime Museum and Manchester Cathedral. He co-founded Zwiebelfish CIC in 2021, co-directing Refuge from the Ravens, and continues to explore the poetics of social injustice through projects like The Last Wolf in England. Phil is lead editor of Synapse International, an international visual poetry magazine.
Producer, photographer and curator with a background in senior roles at Theatr Clwyd and Northern Ballet, Julia has managed major arts organisations and led community-focused projects for over 20 years. She co-founded Zwiebelfish CIC and co-directed Refuge from the Ravens. Her work combines arts management with creative practice, research and photography, with a special focus on social justice. Julia recently obtained an MA in Environment, Culture & Society.
Singer-songwriter who uses folk traditions to address contemporary British social issues. Matt co-writes with people living on the edges of society — including those who are homeless, in prison, or living with dementia. He has performed across the UK and Europe, including Glastonbury with Billy Bragg. He co-founded the anti-austerity musical movement We Shall Overcome.
Poet, academic and creative writing specialist with a deep interest in the intersection of poetry, movement and therapy. Scott has collaborated with dancers in Berlin, New York and the UK, and co-founded Arts for the Blues, a creative group psychotherapy model combining movement, writing and group practice.
