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Peruvian art celebrating 'richness' of the Fens

Tom Jackson
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
Reporting fromMarch, Cambridgeshire
Harriet Heywood
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
Tom Jackson/ BBC A Peruvian Retablo that has been created at the March workshop. Its is beautifully painted and looks almost like a small cabinet with the doors open. On either side of the door is painted yellow, blue and pink flowers. Inside is models of three people making masks. They are surrounded by other model masks making a very bright and vivid scene. Tom Jackson/ BBC
The beautifully crafted wooden boxes showed important things for the people of Peru - life festivals, the natural world and historic events

A new project inspired by Peruvian-style folk art aims to celebrate life living in the Fens.

Karen Avilez, who was born in Lima, Peru, moved to March in Cambridgeshire about two and a half years ago.

She was inspired by the use of Peruvian Retablos to celebrate nature, culture and heritage and wanted to do the same in her town through a temporary community project, Fen Boxes.

More than 60 people have taken part in the project which will be showcased at an exhibition on 29 and 30 March.

Tom Jackson/ BBC Ms Avilez is wearing a yellow knitted cardigan and long blue, white and green earrings. She has long brown hair, in a ponytail over her shoulder, brown eyes and is smiling at the camera. Behind her is a map on the wall with string and notes pointing to, and sharing comments, about the town of March. Tom Jackson/ BBC
Ms Avilez said the boxes would celebrate the natural richness of the area

Retablos were initially used in Spain during the early Middle Ages, Ms Avilez told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

They were used by priests and colonists to help convert indigenous populations to Catholicism.

The tradition reached Peru but continued even the country gained its independence from Spain as artists used the visual objects to preserve history and culture.

Tom Jackson/ BBC A wooden box has been painted to depict a nature scene with a river, trees and grass. Two small sculptures are inside the box. One made to look like a person fishing in the painted river and another resembling a duck. A model bucket has also been made as well as a small fish on the end of the fishing rod.Tom Jackson/ BBC
The 71 recycled wooden boxes were created by Shedders and Fixers to help Fen Boxes celebrate life in Fenland with Retablos

The project received funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England and has been set up on Broad Street in March.

"I thought it was a powerful visual element to celebrate nature, culture and heritage," Ms Avilez said.

"I'm bringing these boxes to Fenland so people can make their own depicting the things important to them."

She added: "They are all different to each other because they are unique. Artists make each of these boxes so they mean something different to each [person]."

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