Spike Island Winter 2017
Exhibitions CafĂŠ Events
Lubaina Himid
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Exhibitions Lubaina Himid Navigation Charts 20 January to 26 March 2017 Preview: Thursday 19 January, 6–9pm
Lubaina Himid Zanzibar (1994) Courtesy Hollybush Gardens Photograph by Andy Keate
Lubaina Himid (b. 1954, Zanzibar, lives and works in Preston) works in painting, drawing, installation and printmaking. A member of the Black Arts Movement of the 1980s, her work is politically critical, tackling questions of race, gender and class. This exhibition draws together paintings and installations from the late 1990s to the present day to consider issues of labour, migration and creativity. It takes place alongside two other major UK presentations of Himid’s work: Invisible Strategies, a simultaneous solo exhibition at Modern Art Oxford and The Place is Here, a group show at Nottingham Contemporary which traces conversations between black artists, writers and thinkers in 1980s Britain.
Himid is primarily known as a painter. Naming the Money (2004) is the largest installation to make use of her signature ‘cut-outs’ — paintings made on freestanding, shaped board allowing viewers to walk amongst them. Here, 100 cut-outs represent African slaves in the royal courts of eighteenth century Europe, put to work as ceramicists, herbalists, toy makers, dog trainers, viola da gamba players, drummers, dancers, shoemakers, map makers and painters. A soundtrack gives voice to the figures, speaking of their fluid identities, shifting between their original African names and trades and the new names and professions imposed upon them in Europe. Moving among them suggests
Lubaina Himid Naming the Money (2004) Courtesy Hollybush Gardens Photograph by Andy Keate
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the possibility of a conversation across time. The experience projected by Naming the Money is as much that of the migrant or émigré as the slave — people whose personal identities are undone and remade according to pressures exerted by global political and economic forces. The contribution of diaspora to Western culture and economy is insisted upon throughout Himid’s work. Cotton.com (2002) derives from the defence of African slaves made by the workers of Lancashire’s cotton mills in the nineteenth century — a historic moment of solidarity between the British working class and their peers across the Atlantic. It was rarely acknowledged that the
enforced labour of cotton pickers on the American plantations underpinned the economic successes of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, a fact that became evident as the American Civil War led to cotton shortages here. A series of 85 small-scale paintings and an accompanying text reenacts this conversation between workers on two continents. Himid has said, ‘The point I am often exploring vis-à-vis the black experience is that of being so very visible and different in the White Western everyday yet so invisible and disregarded in the cultural, historical, political or economic record or history.’ Join us for a preview at Spike Island on Thursday 19 January, 6–9pm.
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Events
Exhibition Tours Free, no need to book Informal introductions to the exhibitions led by invited guests and members of the Spike Island community. Valda Jackson, artist Saturday 28 January, 2pm Spike Island studio artist and writer Valda Jackson considers questions of dislocation and identity in the work of Lubaina Himid Art History student-led tour Saturday 11 February, 2pm Gain insight into Himid’s exhibition during this tour led by BA/MA Art History students from the University of Bristol. This tour is particularly suited to under 18s. Libita Clayton, artist Saturday 25 February, 2pm Libita Clayton leads a tour of the exhibition responding to the influence of theatre and performance on Lubaina Himid’s work. Dr Elizabeth Robles Saturday 25 March, 2pm Dr Elizabeth Robles leads a tour looking at the way diverse histories — personal, social, economic and art histories — converge and diverge in the work of Lubaina Himid.
Saturday School: Modernism and The Black Atlantic Led by Dr Elizabeth Robles University of Bristol Saturday 4 February, 11am–6pm £30/£25, booking essential Suitable for participants aged 16+ This study day traces the impact of Black Atlantic creative culture (a space of exchange across the continents of Africa, the Americas and Europe) on Modernism — from Picasso’s bronzes to the American Jazz influences of Dada — and the impact of black artists on the story of twentieth century art. It introduces a wide variety of artists and artworks that tend to be marginalised in discussion around these histories, and examines developing debates around the use of ‘b/Black’ as a political identity in the visual arts and the formation of the Black Atlantic as a site for cultural production, while introducing theoretical frameworks of modernism, gender, and post-colonialism.
Discussion: International Artist Residencies
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Thursday 9 February, 6.30pm £5/£3 (free for Associates) Alessio Antoniolli, Director of Gasworks and Triangle Network (an international network of arts organisations and projects that support the work of emerging artists) is joined by artist and Spike Island studio holder Huma Mulji to discuss their experiences of organising and hosting artist residencies internationally.
Sounding In, Sounding Out Led by artist Evan Ifekoya in collaboration with Network11 Saturday 18 February, 4–10pm £10/£7, booking advised (free for Associates) This artist-led gathering takes Lubaina Himid’s practice as a starting point, drawing on Édouard Glissant’s metaphor of opacity: ‘Opacities can coexist and converge, weaving fabrics. To understand these truly one must focus on the texture of the weave …’. The event incorporates a series of sound interventions.
In Conversation: Lubaina Himid and Lisa Milroy RA Thursday 9 March 6.30pm £5/ £3 (free for Associates) Lubaina Himid discusses her work as a painter with Canadian artist Lisa Milroy, Head of Graduate Painting at the Slade School of Fine Art.
Discussion: Art and Its Materials Led by Prof. Clive Cazeaux (Cardiff Metropolitan University) Thursday 2 March, 6–7.30pm £5/£3 (free for Associates) This is the first of four events exploring the relationship between art, aesthetics and contemporary materialism. Organised in partnership with the Philosophy Programme and Social Sciences in the City, University of the West of England (UWE). Reading material will be provided.
UWE Africa Week Launch Event Thursday 23 March, 6–9pm Free, booking advised Join us for a celebration of African culture as we mark the launch of UWE Africa Week with a late opening of Lubaina Himid’s exhibition, Africaninspired cuisine, live poetry and music. UWE Africa Week takes place from 27 to 31 March 2017. For more information visit info.uwe.ac.uk
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Literature
Novel Writers £5/£3 concessions Booking advised Each month we invite a debut novelist to read from and talk about their work in an informal setting. Prior knowledge of the text is not essential. Topics of discussion include theme, structure, inspiration and the craft of writing. These sessions are a great way to discover new writing talent and great books. In partnership with Bristol Festival of Ideas.
Yaa Gyasi Homegoing Wednesday 25 January, 7–8pm £6 /£4 Waterstones, 11A Union Galleries, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3XD Homegoing begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. Written with tremendous sweep and power, it traces the generations of family who follow, as their destinies lead them through two continents and three hundred years of history. Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation. ‘the great, aching gift of the novel is that it offers, in its own way, the very thing that enslavement denied its descendants: the possibility of imagining the connection between the broken threads of their origins.’ The New York Times Book Review
Yaa Gyasi, photograph by Michael Lionstar
Wyl Menmuir The Many In conversation with Sarah Crown Thursday 26 January, 6.30pm Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016, The Many, by Cornish writer Wyl Menmuir is an unsettling ecological parable that explores the impact of loss and the devastation that hits when the foundations on which we rely are swept away.
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Emma Flint Little Deaths
David Keenan This is Memorial Device
Thursday 23 February, 6.30pm It’s the summer of 1965, and the streets of Queens, New York shimmer in a heatwave. One July morning, Ruth Malone wakes to find a bedroom window wide open and her two young children missing. After a desperate search, the police make a horrifying discovery.
Thursday 30 March, 6.30pm The place is Airdrie. The year is 1983. Memorial Device, the best band that never existed, are about to change everyone’s lives forever.
The sexism at the heart of the real-world conviction of cocktail waitress Alice Crimmins for the 1965 murders of her two young children forms the basis of British author Flint’s gripping debut.
This Is Memorial Device is a love letter to the small towns of Lanarkshire in the west of Scotland in the late 1970s and early 80s as they were temporarily transformed by the endless possibilities that came out of the freefall from punk rock.
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Residencies
Sian Norris, photograph by Dave Sturdy
Sian Norris
Literary Salons
2 January to 30 April 2017 Novelist, short story writer, journalist and poet Sian Norris is writer-in-residence at Spike Island, developing a new novel and running a series of workshops and literary events. See www.spikeisland.org.uk for more details.
£3, booking advised Join Sian Norris in recreating the salon scene of 1920s Paris through a series of showcase events. Norris shares the work she has created during her residency before inviting guest writers and performers to take to the stage. Attendees also have the opportunity to share their own work during an open mic session at each event.
In association with the Bristol Women’s Literature Festival.
Thursday 16 February, 6.30pm–8.30pm With guest poets and performers Miles Chambers, Shagufta Iqbal and Vera Chok. Thursday 16 March, 6.30pm–8.30pm This showcase is dedicated to women’s writing, with guest poets and performers Bidisha, Holly Corfield Carr and Tania Hershmann to celebrate Women’s History Month.
Mary Paterson
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January to March 2017 Working between critical writing, poetry and live art, Mary Paterson is art writer in residence for early 2017. Paterson will conduct independent research, interview artists and hold workshops with local writers that take the form of regular walks. She envisages her research developing into a performance/exhibition exploring the ontology of language in an era of post-truth politics.
Mary Paterson
Mary Paterson’s residency is hosted by Spike Island in partnership with Arnolfini and the Art Writers Programme.
Creative Writing Workshops Free, booking advised Children’s Storytelling Spiderweb Saturday 11 February, 1–3pm Suitable for participants aged under 16 Do you want to learn to tell a story? An adventure story? A scary story? An animal story? Or something completely different? With the Storytelling Spiderweb, you can tell your story and see it come to life as it is attached to the ever growing web of tales. We provide pens, card and spiderweb. All you need to bring is your imagination. Creative writing workshop for adults: Short fiction Saturday 11 March, 1–3pm Are you keen to practise your flash fiction skills? Are you working on a short story, or do you want some inspiration to kick off a new project? We’ll share some excellent examples of flash fiction, explore Lubaina Himid’s exhibition, share techniques and exercises and indulge in the opportunity to work on new or existing writing.
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Studios Jo Lathwood Lunar (2016) Volcanic glass (andesite) and plaster Photograph by Paul Blakemore
Behind the Scenes Free, booking advised Chat with artists based at Spike Island, explore their studios and view work-in-progress during these informal encounters. Each artist gives a brief introduction to their practice followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion
Jo Lathwood Saturday 4 March, 2pm Jo Lathwood’s alchemical practice has included attempts to make her own bronze and develop ways to cast with tree resin. She introduces her highly experimental sculpture and installation based practice. Plenderleith Scantlebury Saturday 18 March, 2pm Fabricators and producers Plenderleith Scantlebury offer an insider’s view into how they work with artists to give form to their ideas.
Test Space Test Space is programmed by studio holders based at Spike Island and offers artists a chance to exhibit new works and test ideas. Artists from within the Spike Island community and beyond are included. Please ask at reception for access. Robert Foster, Solve et Coagula 20 January to 5 February 2017 Preview: Thursday 19 January, 6–9pm Inspired by alchemy and the esoteric, Robert Foster brings new sculptural and photographic works to Test Space. On the opening night, he presents Truth Immaterial, a new performance lecture offering further insight into the objects and materials presented here.
Coming soon: The Open Submission Photocopy show 29 April to 14 May 2017 Preview: Friday 28 April, 6–9pm For further information see www.topfloortestspace.wordpress.com
Activities
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I am Making Art
Baby Art Hour
Free, booking advised Materials provided, donations welcome These monthly activity sessions are led by artists and take place in the Spike Island Café. Visitors of all ages and abilities can try out new techniques and approaches to making art, from drawing and painting to collage, sculpture and animation and are invited to drop in any time during the session.
Friday 27 January, 10–11am Friday 24 February, 10–11am Friday 24 March, 10–11am £3 for the first child in a family group, £1 for each additional child Booking essential All materials provided Led by artist Éilis Kirby, these monthly sessions in Spike Island Café are for underfives and their carers. Come play with colour, shape and texture and learn easy ways to create, using simple methods and materials. The gallery opens early at 11am so you can view the current exhibition after the session.
Collaged Characters Saturday 4 February, 2–6pm Inspired by the work of Lubaina Himid, make your own portraits using collage techniques introduced by artist Lady Lucy. Bring images you would like to use and a range of materials will also be provided. Costume Concepts Saturday 4 March, 2–6pm Create costumes out of unusual materials with artist Alexander Stevenson, inspired by his investigations into Lubaina Himid’s current exhibition.
Alexander Stevenson Chimera Scotia (2014)
Bring Your Baby Tour Thursday 2 February, 11am–12pm £3, booking advised A special gallery tour designed for parents and carers to explore Lubaina Himid’s exhibition at Spike Island. Best suited for parents or carers of under one year olds.
Courtesy Jane Porter
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Opportunities
Ben Tupper The Colour of Two or Three Things (2016) Production still
Camera Buff Film commissioning opportunity for young people Do you have ambitions to work with film? We can offer you the support, funds and professional experience needed to develop your early ideas into a broadcast quality short film. Camera Buff is an opportunity for 16–24 year olds based in the South West of England.
Deadline for applications: Monday 20 March 2017 To apply, or for more information, visit www.spikeisland.org.uk or email admin@spikeisland.org.uk. Camera Buff is part of the Random Acts South West Network Hub led by our partners Calling the Shots.
Coming soon
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Andrea Luka Zimmerman 8 April to 18 June 2017 Preview: Friday 7 April 2017, 6–9pm Spike Island presents a solo exhibition by artist, cultural activist and filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman. Her work documents lives and stories of coexistence and resistance in precarious times; from encounters with the street dogs of Istanbul and the citizens who care for them, to the long drawn-out closure of the East London housing estate where the artist once lived and whose residents she filmed over seven years. Zimmerman is co-founder of the artists’ collective Fugitive Images and the filmmaking collective Vision Machine.
Giles Round We live in the office (2016) Installation view, The Architecture Gallery, RIBA Photograph by Sophie Mutevelian
Giles Round 8 April to 18 June 2017 Preview: Friday 7 April 2017, 6–9pm Giles Round is an artist whose work engages with design and functionality. Incorporating architecture, ceramics, furniture design, print and typography, his approach is best described as a way of working. For his exhibition at Spike Island, Round will draw on his experience as an exhibition designer to theatricalise museum systems of display and mediation often rendered as functionally invisible.
Open Studios 29 April to 1 May 2017 Opening night: Friday 28 April, 6pm till late Spike Island Open Studios sees artists and tenants throw open their doors for you to explore their working environment and learn about what they do. Discover how the building, a former tea packing factory, is now home to hundreds of artists, designers and creative businesses. Throughout the weekend enjoy family friendly activities, tours, artist talks and performances, while delicacies are cooked up by some of Bristol’s best street food traders and our own Spike Island Café.
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January
Calendar
Thursday 19 6–9pm Wednesday 25 6.30pm Thursday 26 6.30pm Friday 27 10–11am Saturday 28 2pm
Exhibition Previews: Lubaina Himid Test Space: Robert Foster Novel Writers: Yaa Gyasi This event takes place at Waterstones Bristol Novel Writers: Wyl Menmuir Baby Art Hour Exhibition Tour
p. 2 p. 10 p. 6 p. 6 p. 11 p. 4
February Thursday 2 11am–12pm Bring Your Baby Tour Saturday 4 11am–6pm Saturday School: Modernism and the Black Atlantic 2–6pm I am Making Art Thursday 9 6.30pm Discussion: International Artist Residencies Saturday 11 1–3pm Creative Writing Workshop 2pm Art History Student-led Tour Thursday 16 6.30–8.30pm Sian Norris: Literary Salon Saturday 18 4–10pm Sounding In, Sounding Out Thursday 23 6.30pm Novel Writers: Emma Flint Friday 24 10–11am Baby Art Hour Saturday 25 2pm Exhibition Tour
p. 11 p. 4 p. 11 p. 5 p. 9 p. 4 p. 8 p. 5 p. 7 p. 11 p. 4
March Thursday 2 6–7.30pm Discusssion: Art and Its Materials Saturday 4 2pm Behind the Scenes Studio Visits 2–6pm I am Making Art Thursday 9 6.30pm In Conversation: Lubaina Himid and Lisa Milroy RA Saturday 11 1–3pm Creative Writing Workshop Thursday 16 6.30–8.30pm Sian Norris: Literary Salon Saturday 18 2pm Behind the Scenes Studio Visits Thursday 23 6–9pm UWE Africa Week Launch Event Friday 24 10–11am Baby Art Hour Saturday 25 2pm Exhibition Tour Thursday 30 6.30pm Novel Writers: David Keenan
p. 5 p. 10 p. 11 p. 5 p. 9 p. 8 p. 10 p. 5 p. 11 p. 4 p. 7
Book for events online at www.spikeisland.org.uk, call 0117 929 2266 or visit reception.
Support us
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Donate
Volunteer
Spike Island is a registered charity (no.1003505) working to nurture artistic talent and bring artists and audiences together. Your gift, via our website or at one of our donations boxes, supports free entry to exhibitions, educational activities, subsidised studios and artists’ development.
Join our dynamic team of volunteers and make a significant contribution to the work we do, while gaining valuable work experience within the arts. Apply online at www.spikeisland.org.uk/opportunities
Thank you Spike Island is a registered charity (no. 1003505). Spike Island gratefully acknowledges support from Arts Council England and Bristol City Council. Lubaina Himid’s exhibition and public programme is supported by Arts Council England Strategic Touring fund. Alongside the exhibition at Spike Island, Himid’s work is also presented at Modern Art Oxford and Nottingham Contemporary: At Modern Art Oxford, Invisible Strategies (21 January to 30 April 2017) brings together a wide range of Himid’s paintings from the 1980s to the present day, as well as sculptures, ceramics and works on paper. www.modernartoxford.org.uk The Place is Here at Nottingham Contemporary (4 February to 30 April 2017) evokes some of the urgent and wide-ranging conversations takingw place between black artists, writers, thinkers and institutions in the UK in the 1980s. www.nottinghamcontemporary.org The Art Writing Programme is supported by Arts Council England.
Cover image: Lubaina Himid Naming the Money (2004) Courtesy Hollybush Gardens Photograph by Andy Keate
This programme is available in large print. Ask at reception, email admin@spikeisland.org.uk or call 0117 929 2266.
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Spike Island is an international centre for the development of contemporary art and design. A vibrant hub for production, presentation and debate, it invites audiences to engage directly with creative practices through participation and discussion.
Gallery open Tuesday to Sunday, 12–5pm (during exhibitions only). Admission to the gallery is free. Prices for events vary, please see individual listings for details. Café open Monday to Friday, 8.30am–5pm, Saturday and Sunday, 10am–5pm. @spike_cafe
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