Issue 36 July 2011
Public Preview: 8 September, 6-9pm Exhibition Continues: 9 - 25 September 2011
No.1: Paint
| 43 Hulme Street | Manchester | M15 6AW | +44(0)161 2226164 Bartosz Beda Dominic Bradnum Jack Brindley Cara Campbell Neill Clements Jody Cliffe Lisa Denyer Jane Evans
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Susan Laughton Scott McCracken Luci Metcalfe Emily Musgrave Georgina Parkins Maggie Royle Georgina Vinsun Rebecca Wild
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Background Image: Red Corner © Neill Clements | BLANKSPACE logo: © Henry Roberts & Michael Thorp Blank Media Collective logo © Ben Rose | Blank Media Collective © 2006-2011
Contents GET IN TOUCH welcomE... COVER ARTist - Phill Hopkins blankverse - Rebecca Smith fiction this month’s mp3 - Brown Brogues FEATURE - Clothing with a Conscience BLANKPICKS - Look Up Blank Media recommends THIS MONTH IN BLANK MEDIA COLLECTIVE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES CREDITS
YOU ARE LISTENING TO... Treet U Beta by Brown Brogues
COVER ART Untitled (Mirror) By Phill Hopkins
4 5 6 12 16 20 22 26 28 30 32 34
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Welcome... Hello and welcome from your new Assistant Editor… Loyal readers will notice that it is I, your one-time Poetry Editor of months gone by! It is with sadness that I leave the role of Poetry Editor, but I’m still here, loving and reading your submissions. Alas, this month seems full of fond farewells. Kevin Bradshaw, our much-loved super-blogger, will be stepping down as Fiction Editor; whilst Editor in Chief John Leyland will be setting off into the sunsets of Indonesia and Malaysia for a well deserved month away (tune in for September’s edition to see if we managed without him). It’s been a dreary old summer, so we’ve made sure to pack this month’s edition of blankpages with as many little rays of sunshine as possible... Take some time out from dodging downpours this August for a dazzling display of music, art and literature.* Enjoy! Abigail Ledger - Lomas *sunglasses optional
Cover Artist
Phill Hopkins
“In recent work I have once again been drawn to a motif from the urban environment – that of a simple domestic house shape. This has appeared in my work before, but now imbued with a renewed response to the unsteadiness of where I find myself and the environment (personal and political) in which I spend my daily life. The motif is repeated over and over and over again, balanced with the pursuit of time and isolation, to concerns of family relationships and memories. The motif is brought in to a topography where it can stand alone or alongside others, uniting ideas, but also suggesting a struggle of hierarchy - Perhaps the paradox of knowing verses unknowing or balance verses toppling over. In some instances there is an exploration of issues or even the conflict of access or escape, a refusal of entry or exit.
Some of my work is concerned with the recent political climate and the stirring-up of memories from the Thatcher era (Untitled (Big Society), Untitled (National Anxiety)). More and more I am using materials that I find. The surface of many of these finds reveal a history of use – layers of paint, drilled holes, scratches, traces of writing. There is an immediate resonance in these materials and others found in ‘Pound’ shops and in the DIY section at Wilkinson’s. I have recently made a new piece, an installation; ‘Place’. Perhaps it explores themes around hiding or revealing, above or below, inside or outside, muffled or protected. It’s made with packing blankets, which forms a ‘plane’ on the gallery floor, interrupted with the insertion of small blank houses under the blankets. Above this a single blank house hangs.”
Phill Hopkins was born in Hartcliffe in Bristol He was educated to at Filton College in Bristol and Goldsmiths College, London. He now lives and works in London and Leeds. Recent exhibitions include a solo show, ‘Place’, at the HoMA gallery, Leeds. www.phill-hopkins.co.uk
Fool’s Folly Pollened horned flight, Butterfly light. Red flagged home and green high gone. Looking at ink stains that resolve Bulls with wings Slowly dragging their muscles into Cloud thick bulges. On the ground they are heavy Bred to be butchered and bloodied. Fiesta fly, The air is sweat soft, Hoof thick, Tail lashed, Charged.
Illustration by Laura Richardson www.rolaricho.com rolaricho@hotmail.com
Thanks to the Millet Hunger struck, famished. Money-poor porridge, Unsweetened sludge From bowl to bowl, Spoon-less hands begging For a fork a knife a plate. It rained coco pops, cheerios and cornflakes, None of which are good to eat Without a spoon, But thanks to the packaging, They had cardboard in their shoes. The shiny face of the honey nut monster Plastering their soles.
There was Nothing to be Done and he Died Corpse-hard, corpse-soft. Crowded round and mourned, Lifting gravestones is heavy work In the morning Afternoon Late evening. But he tried, rose from his shallow grave Of threadbare clothes, Matched his bone’s strength to stones. The audience clapped, Crying Clapping Crying Clapping.
Rebecca Audra Smith has been living and writing in Manchester for the past year, after graduating from Keele University in English: Psychology. Her poetry is interested in the thought behind language. She is inspired by the work of visual artists that have an emotional pull, such as Anish Kapoor. Poets that she draws inspiration from include Carol Ann Duffy, Marilyn Hacker, and Allen Ginsberg. She is due to start an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University this September.
Portraits
By J Sebastian If I close my eyes I can picture myself sitting in your oversized bedraggled armchair. Perching cross legged I lean forwards, lean into myself to contain the desire coiling inside; the desire to leap, to throw myself from the precipice of your construct and into your arms, into more, into everything. I reach down with my fingertips to find the crystal tumbler, now spattered with the rainbow droplets of your excesses and recall perfectly the smiling leathered face of the old man. Strolling hand in hand through the old town's narrow streets, stopping momentarily here and there to glance up at a prurient angle or seductive carving, we stumbled across a small hidden plaza and the heavens opened. The cooling sensation of the plump raindrops was a welcome relief from the midday sun and you pirouetted with your lips turned skywards in exaltation of the moment; allowing the droplets to run down your neck, beneath your dress and across your body. And then you stopped. The old man in the doorway of his little curiosity shop had drawn your attention.
Illustration by Simon Meredith
The shop itself was a single room and no larger than the double garage of the average suburban semi, but was filled with antiques and curiosities of every description. Dusty old books lamps carvings jewelry statues vases clocks, even old clothing that had been carefully cleaned pressed and displayed, and the old man watched us with the leathery smile of pride never leaving his face as we spent most of the afternoon searching through the stacks and shelves of his tiny trove. We chose a few objects, a table-lamp with a Tiffany-esque shade, several old books filled with technical drawings and sketches and two small abstract bronzes. As we waited for the old man to carefully wrap each item your eyes alighted on a small crystal tumbler to one side of the counter – my fingers slowly caressing the patterns that your eyes then touched. The old man, catching your glance, immediately collected the glass and wrapped it as carefully as every other item before placing it in the bag and saying, in his thick accent and with his huge smile, “a beautiful glass for a beautiful woman�. As I lift the tumbler to my lips and taste the thick Merlot I can smell the wonderfully damp aroma of that day and feel your fingers run softly across my nape as we squint into the rising haze of the evening sun. I look up to see you working amongst the clutter that defines you, pick up my journal and settle down to write your portrait.
Naked
By Naomi Cartwright Have you ever had that dream, the one where you’re naked in a room full of strangers? I’m sure you have. It’s like the flying dream and the falling one, a standard issue nocturnal experience that we must have all been issued with at birth or something. Well do you ever dream when you’re wideawake? I do. Slumbering on my feet. Sometimes they’re the most vivid that way, more potent when you’re nowhere near sleep. I dream in ideas and feelings then. Call it meditation if you will, I call it time to ponder what might have been, imagining myself on distant shores and wondering what’s for dinner. It’s funny how when you’re dreaming you can just tell, even with your eyes shut, that a room full of people are staring at every inch of your bare naked flesh. Scrutinising your proportions, the angle of your face, your one crooked tooth, bikini line and the darkness of your nipples. They stare at the dimples of your thighs and study the curves of your stomach. Parts of you previously only reserved for lovers and soft lighting now exposed bare. A noise snaps your reverie. Sharp. The paintbrush clatters to the floor and you fight the urge to twitch. To itch and wriggle and shake life back into your limbs.
‘One more minute’ a calm, soft voice intones. He sounds like my yoga teacher you think. All blissed out and condescending. The charcoal is being furiously strewn across pages now. Earnest faces are trying to commit your shape and shadows to memory for a few final seconds. It reminds you of an exam hall just before the end. That feeling, the pressure, the promise of relief just around the corner. Or maybe that’s just me you think. Starting to feel aches in places you’re sure you’ve never ached before. And then it’s over. The pose held for so long destroyed easily, gladly even. You smile, marvelling at the different ways people see you. Thinking what a good way to make a quick buck. Wondering if they’d all recognise you with your clothes on and realising you’re desperate for a fag.
Reflections
By Guy Stephenson I find myself here at least two or three times a day, often more. Time sifts away from me as I catch a glimpse of my face in the shiny, light-reflecting surface. In my own image, I lose myself. A perfect human face is a wonder of good fortune. Starting at the base, the skull, the cranial bones and sutures must be perfectly aligned, for one’s facial bones determine the nature of the soft tissues of the face and head. Equally crucial are the mandible (jawbone), the maxilla (upper jaw), the zygomatic bones (cheekbones) and the nasal bone. A perfect face must have all these features in synch to get anywhere. I read an article about the discovery of the Kennewick Man fossil. Forensic pathologists were able to reconstruct his facial appearance purely from study of his skull. This gives you an indication of how important a good skull is. I once considered asking an acquaintance, a doctor, to arrange some X-rays of my skull, for my own perusal, but I decided not to, concerned about the effect of all that radiation on my skin and muscles. The thickness, size, location and shape of other skeletal features have a large impact on the structure of a face, such as processes, where bones have extra tissue for holding muscles and ligaments, foramina holes for the passage of nerves and blood vessels and sinus
Illustration by Michael Thorp
cavities to make the skull lighter. No one wants a heavy skull. As I gaze upon the face looking back at me, I marvel at how fortunate this face is, given all this potential for chaos going on right under the skin, to have such delicately perfect features. The angle of perception is of course crucial. Here I am in three quarter view, a fine angle. I never allow people to view me exactly from the side; it distorts the proportions of my features. For example, when dining in a restaurant, I am notoriously adamant in choice of table, always one that encourages face-to-face interaction. I insist upon a seat with my back to the wall as well, to better allow myself control of the angles of perception. Well then, I’ve covered my skull. Now we move up a layer, to the muscles. Another wily framework that must be laid out exactly right. Some facial muscles are not your friends and must be carefully controlled. The orbicularis oculi is responsible for squinting eyes, counterproductive to the perfect face. Also beware of any muscles that wrinkle your features, such as the levator labii superioris alaque nasi, which wrinkles the nose, and the transversus menti, which wrinkles the chin. And pay careful attention to the sternocleidomastoid, which is responsible for the wicked deed of tilting the head left or right. As I have said before, angles are crucial; never tilt your head - always look your peers dead-on. Looking back at me, my face is a precise clockwork machine of bones and muscles, held together by a perfect outer layer of skin, carefully controlled levels of melanin creating just the perfect tan.
My unavoidable gaze grabs you and possesses you; my eyes are green here. Some others have seen them as blue or grey, but I know better. My eyes are green. A rich, carefully perfected aqua-marine green. My jaw line is perfectly accentuated by an ever so slight layer of stubble. My hair is parted to the right. To me it would be the left but from the perspective of someone looking at you it would be the right, and that perspective is the one that counts, of course. The strands are a shade of auburn I happen to be very proud of. It is a brilliant captured glimpse of a perfect face. If you were to walk into this room, chances are you would find me here, staring at it, lost in it. I reach forward and stroke the tip of my finger gently along it, cautious not to leave a fingerprint smudge. Holding it by the corner, I take the photograph from its position tucked in the corner of the mirror frame, and flip it over to read the writing on the back. September 12th, 1976. Without being consciously aware of it, I find my hand held against my cheek, feeling its grooves and contours, carved out by the elements. I look into the mirror. I still have beautiful veins, a lovely royal blue. The butterfly plasters on the backs of my hands, where the doctors inserted the IV lines, are delicate and beautiful. After carefully replacing the photograph, I turn the lights out and leave the room.
Plain-toes, Cap-toes, Monk-straps, Oxfords, ...
(THIS MONTH’S MP3)
Brown Brogues by Baz Wilkinson Little over three years ago Brown Brogues were formed in their current form at a rather impromptu gig in Wigan. I say hastily but how’s this for haste: the original drummer was also a member of bar staff for the said pub and played the first half of the set whilst on a fifteen minute break. Due to the ‘work ethic’ of the pub he wasn’t allowed to finish the set off thus allowing Ben, the current drummer, the chance of stepping in to fill in. Call it fate, call it unlucky (from the point of view of the previous drummer) or simply call it lucky that something good came from The Man saying “Ye shall not play music...ye shall work like the rest of us!” Firstly, you’ve never seen such a combo! The drummer is a chunk of adrenaline and seems to be powered by Duracell batteries and bashes his way through the set only stopping to drag the various parts of his drum kit back to him And Mark, in contrast, seems like any ol’ indie kid but is different for his creativity and passion for playing music that is stripped back to its fleshy, nerve-shredded innards revealing the purity of guitar-drums combos beneath. So, they’re just another blues driven guitar and bass combo following on from The White Stripes Detroit scene then, I hear you say. Not at all, I mean yeah they are, but they are so much more raw than any of those bands I’ve seen and those types of bands
always seemed to be a little bit contrived but not Brown Brogues. I have a feeling Jack White would cite them as an influence had they been around earlier than these days. I’m not the only one who seems to believe in them. They’ve quietly been gigging away (now that’s irony for you) for the past two-to-three years and I dare say haven’t changed from that ‘first’ gig in Wigan with regards their sound. A few things that have changed is the number of people saying how good they are and the types of gigs they’ve been getting. Speaking to them recently on the back of a national tour with The Kills it becomes apparent that they seem to have taken a somewhat wonky flight out from the pub circuit grounding that can become endless and crippling for many bands. They’ve stuck to a simple formula: get good really quick, play your first gig and keep getting good thereafter! I suppose you could add ‘don’t compromise’ to that too and you begin to have standards...! They’ve got quite a few bits of interesting gigs coming up; some close, others not so close. Shhhh... they’re playing on a floating gig in Scandinavia...don’t tell anyone! They’re also playing Beacons Festival on August 12 after some other festival dates this year. If you haven’t seen them live yet, then, Jesus...where’ve you been! In fact, roll over to their Myspace now and see what dates they’re playing near to you, grab a few friends and make sure you check them out... myspace.com/brownbrogues
“The drummer is a chunk of adrenaline and seems to be powered by Duracell batteries”
By Sarah Handyside and Rebecca Owens Cast your mind back to April, when that nice Home Counties girl with the glossy hair whipped the world’s media into a frenzy of dress-pectation. Kate Middleton (or do we stick to the Duchess of Cambridge now?) enchanted an embarrassingly high proportion of us with her princess gown, as did her sister, albeit for slightly different reasons. The woman responsible for both dresses was catapulted to fashion world acclaim, the opinion almost unanimous that this was a creative career hitting stratospheric heights. Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen had, unanimously, made it. The point of bringing all this up is less to test the mileage of royal wedding commentary and more because Burton is a north-west girl, born and raised in Macclesfield, who started her training with an arts foundation course in Manchester. She keeps a relatively low profile, and this is a characteristic that runs through the fashion design element of a regional artistic and cultural legacy frequently dominated by music.
But dig a little deeper and many of the most inspiring artists igniting catwalks in London and beyond originated up here. Plenty more are directing their talents at the fashion arena from eclectic websites and cosy shops sprinkled across Manchester – and there is an exciting and hugely relevant characteristic that emerges time and time again across them – sustainability. Sustainably produced clothing isn’t a new idea, but its marriage with beautiful design and sparkling creativity is bubbling richly here. And that’s at least partly because of a focus not necessarily on importing fair-trade cotton and using vegetable dyes, but on re-using and recycling what already exists. History and fashion overlap strikingly in Manchester. The Platt Fields Gallery of Costume is an appropriate place to start appreciating it, with a collection of over 21,000 items (not all on display simultaneously!) dating from 1600 to 2005. It’s a favourite city spot of the folks behind Rags to Bitches, once a Tib Street institution, now spreading its magic primarily through www.rags-to-bitches.com. The focus is less on ‘buy this’ and more on ‘make this – like this’; guides to fashion through the ages sit alongside enticements to a range of themed dressmaking courses, from the full ‘Design and Make Your Own Dress’ to the recycling encouragements of ‘Don’t Throw It Away! The artists here are structural; fascinators and fifties silhouettes abound. Silvia Hoya Mena has designed spectacular silk creations for Rags to Bitches and also showcases her personal work at www.mysewingbox.com, where the sustainable element finds roots in her
exploration of deconstructed clothing. The site allows visitors a peephole into her stripping down and stitching up processes. Retro Rehab on Oldham Street takes similar inspiration and runs in a different decoration, focusing on the floral, the flouncy, and always the prettypretty. Decorated somewhere between cake shop and boudoir, the dresses are colour-coded into a rainbow of prints that underlines the diverse and even audacious potential in recycled and reclaimed clothing. Perhaps the best opportunities to explore the extraordinary spectrum of creativity in this arena are the weekly Manchester Fashion Markets. Every Saturday between 10 and 5, Tib Street plays host to a number of standalone stores, while Piccadilly Gardens is the setting for a specialist vintage market on the third Friday and Saturday of every month between 11 and 5. The ‘something for everything’ line is an old cliché, yet it rings true here. In terms of the emerging art of the city fashion scene, these markets are perhaps the best place to catch the newest and brightest sparks of inspiration. Junk Shop, with branches in –where else – the Northern Quarter and West Didsbury – is one of the pack leaders. Simply examining the quirky window dressing is enough to underscore the focus on reclaimed and recycled artistry. The sustainable element is also advertised proudly at www. junkshopuk.com, and here, too, are courses in sustainable fashion, styling and window dressing. The three clothing lines conceived by the designers have impressed enough to recently gain a Topshop
concession with their playfully trendy feel. Old articles are crafted into noughties-friendly sundresses and playsuits; lace and floral fabrics abound in the cropped top vein. These are designers’ boutiques, not just vintage shops. And the people behind Junk have provided us with the clearest and perhaps most valuable nod to the importance of sustainable fashion with their innovative Green Pound scheme. Like gift vouchers, Green Pounds can be purchased in various denominations and spent at a variety of like-minded fashion, entertainment and food outlets across Manchester – the Royal Exchange, Mod Pop Cafe and Primal Fitness to name just three. A proportion of each Green Pound spent supports carbon reduction projects; purchase your reclaimed, restyled outfit with one of these and sustainable fashion really comes into its own. www.greenpoundvoucher.com Similarly, the browser’s paradise and Manchester institution that is Affleck’s Palace plays host to Clothing With A Conscience, which stocks an impressive range of eco-friendly clothing from certified fairtrade suppliers alongside some one-off, locally designed pieces in the reworked vintage vein. blankpages caught up with Marilyn Davies at Clothing With A Conscience to learn about this marriage of sustainability and creativity. “What we’re doing here is different to anything else in Manchester’s retail industry” she says, describing the stall as being about much more than simply selling products. As a member of Labour Behind The Label, a body at the forefront of improving condi-
tions for garment-makers, Marilyn sees Clothing With A Conscience as an activist movement as well as a clothes outlet – a method of opening peoples’ eyes to “the eco-friendly and ethical alternatives out there.” The select local designers she works with for the handmade range are chosen to compliment the fairtrade products and the ethos Clothing With A Conscience stands for. She works hard to ensure that each piece is a new and unique design, rather than simply a second-hand garment. Marilyn’s view is not that sustainable fashion is set to become entirely mainstream – and indeed, that it shouldn’t – because its quirkiness, individuality and even sometime rarity is part of the appeal. “Handmade clothing is special as the pieces are one-offs, so the individual shopper knows that their purchases will be unique to them”. What she and many other designers are exploring is a re-examination of the ‘oh, but it’s vintage’ trend and a new path to responsibly sourced and produced clothing. This isn’t about wearing a fifties prom dress just because it’s old, or Oxfam Levis because they’re second-hand. It’s about cast-off fabrics and cuts simultaneously providing artistic inspiration and freedom from the ethical and environmental minefields of the high street. And even Kate’s dress didn’t do that.
Look Up by Jack Penford Baker Look Up started as a collaborative effort between students at the Manchester School of Architecture originally hoping to raise awareness of architecture and the built environment of the ‘original modern’ city - Manchester, but it’s focus has expanded, accumulating in a refreshing narrative of Manchester’s cultural scene. It began 2 years ago. Spawned out of a university project ran in conjunction with MADF (Manchester Architecture and Design Festival), originally it was a platform for the public, media and press to both visit and discover the goings on of the festival. Posts were frequent during the festivals procession,
but simmered down, eventually concluding at the festivals close. Months later a collection of students decided to reignite the blog, expanding on it’s original purpose, beginning to emerge as what it is today. News, reviews, comments, thoughts, photographs, events, discussion, litter the pages of the blog, never forgetting it’s architectural roots, but always aiming for a true view on the great city of Manchester. There is only one route for the blog now, Up. We are always look for events and exhibitions to cover, and lead an open door policy for writers, we feel everyone should be able to voice their opinion, without scrutiny.
I like music, I like electronic music, I also like to read, I like to read and laugh, I like to read and laugh about music, I like to read and laugh about music on Fat Roland’s Blog. The pages are full of his remarkable musings about all things electronic music in manchester. A self confessed man around town, his love for music as a DJ and attraction to writing results in a brilliant array of thoughts streaming out of his ludicrous head. His blog is always worth a read to find out about what is going on in Manchester and the world of elctronic music, or more importanntly what is going on in his head!
For next month Look Up has picked Fat Roland On Electronica
Forthcoming Events
PRIME CUTS CUC, Liverpool August 31, 8pm Come & see us at the amazing CUC Liverpool Cinema every month. Prime Cuts aims to provide a platform for the unseen short films of the Liverpool film makers community & further afield. All submissions will be considered & can be made to: ‘Prime Cuts Open Screen Night. CUC Liverpool. 4151 Greenland Street. L1 0BS. www.contemporaryurbancentre.org The Land Godfrey Pilkington Art Gallery , St Helens August 26 - September 14, Preview August 26 - 6pm This exhibition brings together a collection of artists whose work is either connected to the old boundaries of Lancashire or the artists themselves have connections to this geographical area. The artist’s work is connected to the land. They offer interpretations of our relationship with the landscape considering: the spiritual, social, environmental, philosophical, historical and aesthetic aspects. www.sthelens.gov.uk/arts
SUPER EFFECTIVE SUNDAY CUC, Liverpool August 28, 12pm Created with the intention to give the retro geekclique a place to congregate, associate and even abbr. Monthly at The Liverpool CUC, Super Effective Sunday brings you retro gaming tournaments, live art, ‘geek trivia’ quizzes and prizes galore. I didn’t grow up, I just got older. www.contemporaryurbancentre.org/ Richard Tyrone Jones Has a Big Heart Camden Finge, Camden August 2 - 7, 6.30pm How do you fight back when your own heart tries to kill you? Richard Tyrone Jones Has a Big Heart is the longawaited, understandably-delayed debut one-man show from the poet, Director of ‘Utter!’ and “Ringmaster of Spoken Word” (**** - Three Weeks). Learn the lurid details of his near-near death from dilated cardiomyopathy, a convoluted convalescence and how to live with the condition which will almost certainly kill you, through anecdosage, cardiomyopoetry and bisoproLOLs. For anyone who ever had a heart. Or failure. Clear! “fascinating, sobering, hilarious, and ultimately uplifting.” - New Scientist www.utterspokenword.com www.camdenfringe.org
Fat Out Fest Islington Mill, Manchester August 6 - 7, 4pm - 2am Fat Out ‘Til You Pass Out, Manchester’s foremost avant-garde metal/post-punk party, is bringing its special blend of melodious virtuoso to its regular venue, the acclaimed Islington Mill, for a full weekend of music and mayhem on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th August, 2011. www.fatout.co.uk/ Smugglers Records Festival Little Mongeham, Kent September 2 - 4, A totally independent and anti-capitalist festival held and organised by Smugglers Records label, based in Kent. Their line-up is sublime with two exManchester based artists also performing (Laura J Martin - soon to be featured in these here pages - and Benjamin Folke Thomas). Think small festival, great music, food and a superb, friendly atmosphere...and throw in a fairground, a tug-o-war, a hog roast and even an egg-and-spoon race and you won’t be too far wrong. www.smugglersrecords.com/smugglers-festival-2011
PULLING THE THREADS: EMBROIDERED GRAFFITI Tameside Central Art Gallery, Ashton-under-Lyne runs till September 3 In her debut solo show Sarah Greaves uses the traditional craft of embroidery to vandalise and graffiti everyday objects with emotive, political and thoughtful text. Fridges, doors, food and sinks become the canvases for hidden thoughts. This unique exhibition pushes the tradition of embroidery and reframes the location and voice of the graffiti artist. The embroidered text is delicate, elegant and ‘feminine’ while the process demands the use of ‘masculine’ tools such as drills and clamps. Visceral, intangible thoughts become permanently graffitied onto these familiar, domestic objects, suggesting a deeper relationship, touching on intimate and personal thoughts. www.sarahgreavesart.com Ear To the Ground? To include your event or recommend someone else’s in a future issue just email us with your event title, location, date, time and a short description. Editor@ blankmediacollective.org (max 100 words)
this month in BLANKMEDIACOLLECTIVE...
THE VIEW FROM HERE BLANKSPACE, Manchester Runs till August 7
The View From Here is the first major solo show by Manchester-based artist, Andy Broadey. Comprising three separate photographic installations across both floors of BLANKSPACE, the exhibition examines how gallery contexts can make and define what an audience accepts as art. www.blankmediacollective.org/events/details/ recommends_the_view_from_here_blankspace_ external_exhibition
Call for Submissions
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THE TITLE ART PRIZE BLANKSPACE, Manchester Deadline for submissions September 9
To celebrate 5 years of supporting emerging practitioners, Blank Media Collective is launching an important new art prize in Manchester. We are looking for exciting visual artists from the UK working within any medium, concept or scale to submit new works. All shortlisted works will be shown within The Title Art Prize exhibition forming Blank Media Collective’s fifth birthday celebrations. Four winners will be selected by a panel of established artists, curators and directors, with each artist receiving prizes to help benefit their future creative practice. A fifth winner will then be selected through the People’s Choice Award. The Title Art Prize exhibition will be shortlisted and curated by the Blank Media Collective curatorial team. www.blankmediacollective.org/news/comments/ opportunity_the_title_art_prize
In_Tuition is an open forum for creatives based in the North West. An opportunity for artists to talk about their work and inspire others through creative understanding, musing and action! In_Tuition (Fine Art) BLANKSPACE, Manchester August 2 6.30-8.30pm In_Tuition (Creative Writing) BLANKSPACE, Manchester August 9 6.30-8.30pm In_Tuition (Moving Image) BLANKSPACE, Manchester August 16 6.30-8.30pm In_Tuition (PHOTOGRAPHY) BLANKSPACE, Manchester August 23 6.30-8.30pm In_Tuition (free for all) BLANKSPACE, Manchester August 30 6.30-8.30pm
Submissions Callout
blankpages is renewing its callout for contributions. Every month we showcase writers, artists and musicians who deserve to share their work with the wider arts community and the public as a whole. An established literary and visual standard within both the digital and non web-based arts sphere, it is fast becoming a well respected and widely read publication with a dedicated following that grows with each edition.
Why submit work to blankpages? We believe in support. Submitting to blankpages is more than getting your work published. We try to provide honest, creative and critical feedback when you submit, as well as any advice or information we can give you on how to market yourself as a writer how to get your work noticed outside of blankpages, as well as within our large arts community. We also work closely with several other organisations, venues and writers’ collectives, so we can help support you and your work. If you’re interested in performance poetry, we have our own space, and are always interested in working with
talented performers. blankpages is about supporting all artists, not just writers. If your work crosses genres, that’s fine with us. As we’re digital, we have the means to publish visual and sound based accompaniments to your work. Each month our dedicated visual design team will work with your submission, creating bespoke illustrative accompaniments, all housed within our trademark unique and beautiful layout. We’re looking for talented creatives with a unique style and ability to produce interesting pieces. New works are preferred, but previously published pieces will be considered. Proof reading is boring. We’d much rather spend time reading and enjoying your submissions. Please check work for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors before sending it in. Please submit a short biography with your work so we can learn more about you.
How to Submit We constantly check the online portfolios, and this is a great way to be seen. Just create a profile on the Blank Media Collective website, upload up to ten pieces of work, click on the option to
include your work in blankpages and/or email us a link and we will consider your work for future issues. Alternatively you can send your work for consideration by the relevant content editor by emailing editor@blankmediacollective.org
Visual Artists
All our featured artists are sourced through the Blank Media Collective portfolios. To be considered, upload at least 4 high resolution images (minimum 300dpi) and bear in mind that we may want to feature you as the cover artist. Please include your pieces’ names and any information you feel is relevant to each image.
Poets All lengths and forms are welcome, as are varying stylistic approaches. Word limit is down to you, but we’d ask that you discuss any works longer than 30 lines each with the editor. We’re looking for no more than 3 – 4 medium length poems; 2 maximum if larger in length.
Prose Fiction Writers Stories should be between 1000 and 2500 words (although shorter or longer works may be considered). All styles and themes are accepted, and we are looking for originality, insight and wit.
Musicians We welcome musical submissions from any genre, providing the recording is of a suitable industry standard. If your submission is selected for publication you will be asked to provide at least one high resolution image (minimum 300dpi) that you feel represents you as well as possible. The image can be of you/your band or can be abstract in nature. Please supply a .wav, .mp3 or .aiff formatted file, at a minimum bitrate of 320kb/s. blankpages is dedicated to giving a high quality platform to share your work – we love reading your submissions and will always try to respond with feedback. If you’d like to discuss your work or would like some feedback before submitting, please feel free to get in touch – email editor@ blankmediacollective.org, for the attention of the relevant content editor. Please note; if email submissions are unavailable, mail submissions will be accepted. If you wish your work to be returned, please include a SAE. Mail submissions should be sent to blankpages Editorial, BLANKSPACE, 43 Hulme Street, Manchester, M15 6AW
Blank Media Collective Team: Director: Mark Devereux Co-Director: John Leyland Financial Administrator: Martin Dale Strategic Development Consultant: Chris Maloney Development Coordinators: Dwight Clarke, Elaine Mateer & Jez Dolan Community Arts & Learning Coordinators: Chris Leyland & Jo Foxall Communications Coordinators: Shahram Agha-Kasiri, Bryony Cole, Lisa Slattery Information Manager: Sylvia Coates Website Designers: Simon Mills & Henry Roberts Exhibition Curators: Mark Devereux, Jamie Hyde, Kate Charlton, Peter Fallon, Beth Kwant, Sophie Barnes & Rose Barraclough Moving Image Curator: Christina Millare Documentary Filmmakers: Charalampos Politakis & Insa Langhorst BlankMarket Coordinator: Michael Valks Official Photographers: Gareth Hacking & Iain Goodyear
blankpages Team: Editor: John Leyland Assistant Editor: Abigail Ledger-Lomas Feature Editors: Sarah Handyside & Rebecca Owens Fiction Editor: Kevin Bradshaw Music Editor: Baz Wilkinson Visual Editor / Designer: Michael Thorp Design Intern: Simon Meredith