Tag Archives: art

You are very welcome!

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We’re celebrating the opening of our new space with a spectacular series of events and performances chosen by the people of Greater Manchester – and everyone is welcome!

Since getting involved in the Manchester International Festival by hosting a festival in my house Future Feast back in 2019 and then being a co-creator of Looking Forward To Tomorrow (Environment Day and Equality Day) in 2021, I have been very lucky to join an amazing group of Greater Manchester Residents to form the Factory Assembly responsible for designing, planning and delivering The Welcome . The Welcome is a nine-day series of events  (11th-19th November) to welcome all the people of Manchester into Aviva Studios, the brand new arts and culture venue for Manchester located behind the Museum of Science and Industry on the old site of Granada Studios (my one time former employer!). Huge events, family friendly workshops and talks are all available for everyone to access and come and make Aviva studios theirs. It would be wonderful if you were able to attend some of the events as there really is something for everyone and it looks set to be an amazing and immersive cultural experience. The Factory assembly is a fantastic group of people who it has been and incredible privilege to work with and go on the massive journey with but nothing would be possible without the hard working team who work full time at MIF and Aviva Studio- their support, care, patience and dedication to realising this project in the way is was conceived and developed has been phenomenal and illustrated just what can be achieved when an organisation really invites in and supports people. I could not be prouder.

This Way/These Words

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Although I may have been quiet…I’ve actually been very busy. I was chosen as a successful applicant for a Bury Town Of Culture micro commission which is slowly coming to completion and is currently part of an exhibition at Bury Art Museum.

 

For the commission, I wrote five poems responding to Bury as place and its unique and often hidden history. Using a combination of local knowledge (from being a lifelong resident), half heard tales and archive material, I wrote about Kay Gardens, Bury Art Museum and Library, Bury Market, The Rock, and the Robert Peel statue. When the poems were written they have then been shared and as part of an ongoing process are being recorded by current and former residents to then be accessible as an audio tour around the town. It has been really fantastic to hear these poem brough to life in different voices with unique intonations and phrasing. I also performed the poems on a busy and blustery Bury Market (next to the chippy!) and then last week in Bury Art Museum to launch the exhibition. Seeing your poems up in print and being able to share them with a wide audience is a really great feeling and I am really proud of the work. (Huge thanks to Anna, Steve and all the BAM team who have put the exhibition together and helped support the live events.)

The recording and editing process is still ongoing If you wish to record your own version of one of these poems to be included, please contact me via townofculture@bury.gov.uk with the heading poetry and the emails and recording instructions will be sent out to you.

You should also take the time to check out the other commissions- some really fantastic work by local artists, illustrators and photographers that really reflects the vibrancy and diversity of our local community. The exhibition runs until 22nd February 2022 and sits alongside the excellent exhibition programme at our amazing gallery an sculpture centre.

Out of sorrow…something new.

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a4250049049_16Where are we now?

Where are we going?

It was in this thoughtful frame of mind that I recorded and released a new EP called “Kummerspeck/Sowrrow Fat” which brouhgt togetther songs I had been working on for a while and new pieces written in lockdown. A lot fo the songs featire samples or found sounds which I have recorded and which take on a different life when embedded in these tracks. Yoko Ono imploring the crowd to breathe captured as part of Bells for Peace at Manchester International Festival   become a medativie mantra sitting behind the story of Breathe while sounds recorded as part of Not Quite Light Festival dawn walk in 2018 bubble up between the sound of guitar and vocals in Not quite light.  Using garageband, I created and produced all the trakcs and (for once) had the time to complete them in a way I was really happy with. I still need to skill up on some aspects of this but I think this captures well songs written and produced in a unique moment.

Album available here

Kummerspeck EP

with a great bio written by Lee Ashworth

Lee Ashworth Site

 

If you build it…

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It’s has been a long time in the making and Pomona seems an awfully long time ago but fellow artist and writer Lee Ashworth and myself have finally got around to putting together our new exhibition “Living and Dying in Our Grandfathers’ Houses” which will open on 24th May 2018 at Insitu in Manchester. Preview is 6-8pm

We have been working on this for a long time and unlike the Pomona exhibitions the source material is much more emotionally and physically close to us as it relates to shared experiences, family memory and place. It is also the first exhibition under our joint working title The Manchester Art Authority

I don’t want to give to much away as we would like the work to speak for itself. The exhibition runs from the preview on the Thursday night, all day Friday and all day Saturday.

Pomona Year Zero

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Pomona Year Zero is the second exhibition I have created with fellow artists and writer Lee Ashworth https://leeashworth.co.uk/ at Nexus Art Cafe http://nexusartcafe.com/ in the Northern Quarter.

This exhibition continues exploring the themes of city, place and progress we explored in Pomona Is Rising but with a new site specific installation in the front window and stair well (a magnificent space!)

We also created a limited edition, hand numbered a text/art/map which we have distributed as part of the exhibition.

Step into the city…the water is complex.

Tweets and instagram pictures tagged with #pomonayearzero

 

pomona-year-zero-posterpomona-map-complete-correct

After the burning…comes the work

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This is a short video about my involvement in this years Manchester Artists Bonfire. More information about the bonfire can be found at
http://manchesterartistsbonfire.blogspot.com/

and also at
Manchesterartistsbonfire@groups.facebook.com

Video

I would like to say a big thank you to all the organisers and participants in this event, it was a very special experience and I was glad to be part of it.