flamm noun; plural noun: flammow
1. flame
2. also used in flamm nowedh adj. meaning brand new

Flamm is a visual art-led event that brings internationally and nationally important work to Cornwall, enables ambitious new work by locally-based artists and engages communities and visitors in its multi-layered programme.

For its pilot year, Flamm was based in Redruth and took place over the weekend of 21-22 October 2023. The event used a variety of spaces throughout the town for screenings, exhibitions, activities, talks and performances. For 2023, we worked with the theme of Change, you can see some highlights of the festival here.

Our vision is for Flamm to continue as an annual or biennial event, moving across Cornwall, with a new location and theme for each iteration.

Flamm 2026 was in Bodmin on 28 Feb and 1 Mar, with a festival theme of [Dis]Location.

Flamm is led by Creative Kernow, and the 2026 edition was supported by Experience Bodmin, and delivered in partnership with intoBodmin and Counterpoints Arts.

Counterpoints and Flamm have been working together since the first edition of the Festival in 2023, when the organisations co-commissioned projects as part of Flamm and Counterpoints’ Platforma Festival in South West in 2023.

Flamm and Counterpoints co-commissioned and supported artists working in displacement and climate justice and have continued to work together to champion socially engaged arts practice, support artists through the Festivals’ infrastructures, and sharing learning.

For Flamm 2026, we have co-commissioned SHARP’s project Once We Were Held and are working together on an artist exchange to explore the Flamm 2026 theme of [Dis]Location.

Bodmin (Cornish: Bosvena) is one of Cornwall’s oldest towns, its name meaning dwelling of monks. It grew around a 6th-century monastery founded by St Petroc, whose influence spread across Cornwall and beyond.

In the Middle Ages, Bodmin became an important religious and administrative centre. It was one of only a few Cornish towns to be granted a charter by the Crown, and its large parish church – dedicated to St Petroc – was once the largest in Cornwall after the cathedral at Truro.

Bodmin later became the county town, home to Cornwall’s regiment, the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, historic courthouse and jail, which held the crown jewels and the Domesday book for safekeeping during the Second World War. The establishment of the garrison in 1857, expanding the site of the already established Bodmin Keep, and the Bodmin & Wenford railway in 1888 helped it prosper as a market town serving the surrounding farmland and moor.

Est. Population: 17,000

Festival Director
Tonia Lu

Producer, Tech & Artist Liaison
Liam Jolly

Producer, Operation
Anna Harris

PR & Communication
Nicola Jeffs

FEAST Programme Manager
Ellie Allen

Creative Kernow Team
Rachael Woodhead & Sam Taft

IntoBodmin Team
Fin Irwin, Mimi Attenburrow, Rob Mennear & Lisa Townsend

The Flamm team has been working with IntoBodmin on Flamm 2026 – from our symposium in 2024 to explore the possibility of the festival in Bodmin, to shaping up community engagement.

The invaluable support from the IntoBodmin team has been crucial in making Flamm in Bodmin possible.

Flamm 2026 main commissions are funded by Cornwall Council’s Experience Bodmin project. Experience promotes Cornwall as a year-round destination. Working across Newquay and Bodmin, Experience aims to attract more visitors to these areas by developing unique cultural and low-carbon experiences.

Experience is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (2025–26) and from Cornwall Council’s Town Centre Revitalisation Fund (2026–27).