The Cornwall House

The Cornwall house was the home of Claudia Atieno from sometime in the late 60s until 1972. It was referred to as an "artists' commune" because of the frequent visitors Atieno would have there, usually from the art community.

The house was a large, battered building that stood alone on a small island, a way out to sea off the coast of Cornwall. Atieno had a small motorboat tied to a small jetty, which was safe to use during the day but "ill-advised after dark". It had been much neglected, but Atieno and her companions had successfully repaired much of it. Roimata described the house as having "idiosyncrasies", among which was the bath. The bath that came with the house was unusable as it was rusted and leaky. In its place the residents got a free-standing bath, although it never got further into the house than the sitting room corner. It was mostly covered by a screen, to maintain some level of modesty, and was a pain to fill up and drain. On her first night there in 1970, Roimata allowed Claudia to paint her bathing in the bath.

The kitchen was floored with Spanish tiles. Atieno kept the house tidy, in general. Her "Rubbish" collection, which depicted mostly rubbish from around the house, was regarded by Roimata was ironic.

There was low cliff (10 metres above sea level) on the south side of the island that looked out onto the ocean. Roimata used to dive there when the tide was high, and also used to use it as a place to draw. When the tide was out, the water became too shallow and rocky for diving, but it would make the view an interesting study. A sand bar would appear to the west, appearing shiny from the water. Claudia used the cliff for art, but never dove, fearing the fall (although not heights or water independently). She once asked Roimata what she liked about the cliff, and she replied that it was relaxing.

There was an enclosed patio near the cliffs where Atieno kept a wicker chair. This is the setting of her work "Self Portrait with Cat" and behind her on the cliffs there is a marking that could be interpreted as a figure. It was also suggested that it was a tree, although Roimata disagreed based on her memory of the cliffs. The figure, or one like it, was featured again in Roimata's self portrait in the Sree Chitra Art Gallery in 1979, and was described as "waiting to jump" from the cliffs. In a sketch of the cliffs Atieno did that Roimata found in 1981 or thereabouts, there was again a marking for a figure on the low diving cliff. She suggested that it was a tree, although did not seem convinced.

The Cornwall house had a welcoming atmosphere, and was often the venue for parties that Atieno hosted. Parties often continued through the night and into the next day, sometimes even spanning two nights. Officially they were "dinner parties" but as a result of this timescale covered a great range of activities, including dancing, singing, drinking, and storytelling. She claimed she would have happily invited any of her well-appointed detractors into her home, "as long as they told good stories and didn’t ruin the fun." She often invited people that she knew were watching her, such as a pair of private investigators.

Roimata said that in the house, the lines between friendship and otherwise were "blurred". Pavel Zubov was one of the most frequent visitors, and he and Atieno were very open about their relationship, often being incredibly passionate in front of other guests, much to their discomfort. He was asked to leave by Claudia after she discovered his secret lovers, and after the third insistence of his removal, he stayed gone or seemed to.

At the very top of the house, there was a guest room. The sheets were tucked tightly into the bed when it was guest-ready. While Roimata stayed there, she instead made the bed "haphazardly". Her easel could also be found next to the chest of drawers which was usually empty, and she kept an album of pre-Reckoning found photos under the bed. There was a small mirror on the wall, and a chair that Roimata would drape her coats on. From the window, the cliffs and a few scattered trees could be seen as well as the ocean.

Immediately before or immediately after Claudia's disappearance, Pavel arrived at the house. In 1973, Roimata said that he arrived while Claudia was at the market in October and they acknowledged each other but did not speak. In 1978, she said that he arrived for a party in late March, although did not stay until the 31st when Claudia supposedly went missing. He later reported Claudia missing on the 16th April - this may have been 1973, not '72. He also reportedly discovered the sketches from the "Unfinished Nightmares" collection in a crawl-space in "Claudia's home" (presumed by Roimata to be the Cornwall house) around 1974.

After Claudia's disappearance, the house remained uninhabited.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Season 2, Cassette #9: Metropolitan Museum of Art (1981)
2. ↑ Season 2, Cassette #1: Tate Modern (1971)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Season 2, Cassette #6: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1978)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Season 2, Cassette #2: Ulster Museum (1973)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Season 2, Cassette #4: Bardo Museum (1975)
6. ↑ Season 2, Cassette #7: Sree Chitra Art Gallery (1979)