Issue #2 - April 2018 News, Reviews & What’s On. Your monthly update on visual art in the Liverpool City Region
Cover image: Beijing Silvermine, 2009-ongoing © Thomas Sauvin, part of Snapshot to WeChat at Open Eye Gallery
SNAPSHOT WECHAT: A MIGRATION OF IDENTITY
微信快照 ：身份轉移
Self/ Portrait, Teresa Eng, 2016
TO
What do the photos that we take and share every day say about us? Open Eye Gallery. 6 April - 17 June. Free entry, always. 4月6日 - 6月17日 。 欢迎所有人。 + a new outdoor exhibition: ‘China Conversation’, curated by Sian Bonnell Open Eye Gallery 19 Mann Island Liverpool Waterfront www.openeye.org.uk/ @openeyegallery
Art in Liverpool magazine is a monthly newspaper promoting visual art across the Liverpool City Region.
Art in Liverpool, issue #2, April 2018
Published by Art in Liverpool C.I.C. and written by contributions from our partners, supporters and most importantly, volunteer writers, who add a unique voice to arts writing in the UK, thinking differently about what actually matters to people visiting galleries. With issue #1 published in March 2018 we’ve got a lot of growing to do, and if you want to be part of that, get in touch: info@artinliverpool.com Equally, we’re here to support galleries and creative spaces, so make sure to keep us up to date about your events at least two weeks in advance of each issue. If you’d like even more of a presence in the magazine we have advertising available every month, and take bookings well in advance. For details on pricing and deadlines contact Patrick: patrick@artinliverpool.com
Ken Simons, Art Handling Manager at Tate Liverpool. Image c. Tate Liverpool
The response to the first issue of Art in Liverpool magazine was overwhelmingly positive, and we’re so grateful to our readers who headed out to find their copies around the region. With everywhere form Tate Liverpool to Williamson Art Gallery & Museum running out of magazines in the first half of March, we’ve decided to run the magazine online as well as in print, and we’ll be working with exciting partners to help get this issue out and about. But less about us, we’re just feeling smug, more about the unbelievable month ahead of us in April 2018.
issue #2, April 2018 Contributers Writers: Moira Leonard, Carol Emmas Guest publication: ROOTed Zine Editor & Layout: Patrick Kirk-Smith
Advertising, sponsorship, distribution, stocking & event enquiries should be sent to info@artinliverpool.com Art in Liverpool C.I.C. Comapny No. 10871320
Open Eye Gallery, Bluecoat & RIBA North open major new exhibitions, FACT turn 15, Tate turn 30, Biennial artists get to work on their projects for July, and we’ll be releasing a string of commissions for the Independents Biennial 2018 (keep an eye on the website). But one thing we’re particularly thrilled about this month is our guest publication, ROOT-ed Zine, who are introducing their work later in this paper having launched their first issue of a new bi-monthly zine focussed on BME artists living in the North of England. Their work extends well beyond their own publication though, putting their agenda in front of leading galleries in the region alongside telling their own stories. As well as that we’re having a play at what impact our own work might have on readers, and exploring their reactions to some key ideas behind one of this month’s most topical
exhibitions. We worked with curators and artists at Open Eye to understand their next exhibition, Snapshot to WeChat, investigating creative responses to why we share photographs over increasingly dysmorphic photosharing platforms. So, simply put, we put that question to readers. Take a look at the results over the next two pages. Next door to Open Eye Gallery, RIBA North launched their first new exhibition of 2018 on 31st March. We’ve yet to visit but it’s at the top of our to-do list, with an exhibition celebrating 25 years of Urban Splash, probably the most influential architectural developers in the North of England since they launched. And not much further down the road, on the 13th March, FACT starts a weekend long party with some of the world’s most challenging artists working with technology today. From film makers to DJs, everything the weekend celebrates backs up their new major exhibition delving into themes of gaming and its influence on our perception of reality. It’s all in aid of reminding us that FACT has been in their building for 15 years, at the forefront of contemporary visual art in Liverpool, as well as pushing boundaries internationally. We take a look back at their history and learned more from their director since 2008, Mike Stubbs. Ken Simons makes up our set of anniversary interviews, ahead of his retrospective exhibition looking back at 30 years as Tate
Liverpool’s longest serving Art Handler. Ken’s Show: Exploring the Unseen is one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year, and marks not just 30 years of Ken’s work with Tate Liverpool, but 30 years since the gallery opened its doors and made the Albert Dock the international icon it is today. Our featured artist for the month is Emma Smith, a ground breaking sound artist who is stretching the human impact that understanding conversation can have on health and wellbeing. Her exhibition opening this month at Bluecoat promises to be an immersive, entertaining and inclusive presentation of new work developed between artists, scientists and academic researchers. Don’t just read about it though, hop on a train and see what else you can find. The World of Glass in St Helens have just announced a new exhibition for April, the Williamson Open launched in Birkenhead at the end of March, along with Vikings at The Atkinson, and there’s still time to see drawings by Sir Henry Moores and others from the Hepworth Wakefield at Kirkby Gallery until April 28th. That doesn’t even touch the surface of things to see and do, so head to the back pages for our FULL what’s on list for April 2018. As always, thanks for picking us up, we’d be pointless without you reading. Thanks.
Why do you share photographs? Ahead of Open Eye Gallery’s next major exhibition, exploring identity and networks and the influence social media has on the role of photographs in every-day life, we asked our readers for their thoughts on the subject. Forget social media, forget digital imaging. This question was about sharing. Why, given any choice would you want to share images of yourself with other people? It’s something that’s always personally baffled me. I lean more towards sharing images of my cats, or the work of other people and completely shy away from putting images of myself out there - rarely actually taking any. The themes of this exhibition at Open Eye, and the responses of our readers severely made me question why that is, and to me that has always been the role of art; something that helps you realise something about yourself that you didn’t know existed.
Their reactions make up these pages, and stand alone to explore how important the issue is in contemporary life. Snapshot to WeChat: A Migration of Identity, opening 6th April at Open Eye Gallery, is an exhibition built on the work of Anthropologist Dr Xinyuan Wang, and photographers Thomas Sauvin and Teresa Eng. Their work focuses on people’s representations of themselves in everyday life in modern day China. Part of China Dream, a season celebrating Chinese contemporary art in Liverpool, this exhibition might seem miles away from our lives, but the way these apps are used in China is not so far detached from how they are used in the UK, and the real life, human, excuses for sharing images is a global question that we can all relate to.
I’m an introvert, and I’ve never shied from that, but I didn’t know quite what the effect of that was. With space to reflect and to ask the question of other people, it’s clear that the role of my own introversion is probably a desire for privacy and keeping myself to myself.
“As a seller, I share all things. I share pictures and videos, particularly when I’m travelling so my family can know where I am. I share them as messages, not public. I have over 200 friends on facebook, but 10 are like family. If a hospital needs blood, I will share that as public, or post to help the community, but my own photos are share with my family.” Ali Kahn
Tanya Marowa
It’s one of the images photographers put watermarks over images online, where Facebook and Instagram take ownership of your work, and it gets recontextulaised when you share work over those platforms. It’s like someone’s opened up a diary that isn’t theirs and said “this is my life.” Tony Knox
“As a mother, I’ve got family around the world, it’s just to stay connected, showing pictures of my children to family and friends” “I’m interested in this unique moment in history where digital technology has changed how we relate to ourselves and to others. It’s easy to look at online profiles and think that everyone’s lives are perfect – so we constantly compare ourselves to others. Meanwhile, we forget that everyone’s social media lives are heavily edited. I’m wary of the effects of persuasive design and how much of our information we give in exchange for free online services.”
Aimee McLarney
This isn’t an article about me though. I’m just one mark on a vivid spectrum of reactions to this exhibition. From grandmothers to professional photographers sharing an image means completely different things.
“I use photos to connect with people and raise awareness by sharing Black Art, Music and Photography that inspire me with my own personal creations challenging Black stereotypes and promoting a carefree me as well. This is to educate people on African Art and supporting young Black creatives on their political and cultural views, things that maybe some cannot talk about but can express by photo.”
As a photgrapher, a lot of photography has been undermined by mobile phones. You can’t get an exclusive any more. By the you get back, edit the photo and uploads it, there are already hundred of grainy camera phone images online.
“As a visual artist who solely works with Chinese abandoned images, I constantly try to offer and alternative vision of life in China at the end of the 20th century. In 2009 I embarked on an unusual adventure: salvaging discarded negatives from a recycling plant on the edge of Beijing that were destined for destruction. Today it encompasses over half a million of anonymous photographs spanning the period from 1985 to 2005. It constitutes a visual platform for cross-cultural interactions, while impacting on our collective memory of the recent past.”
Teresa Eng
“As a writer, I tend not to share many photos of myself, unless other people are in the photos too. I don't especially see the need. I do love Instagram but I mostly use it to share pictures of things I've seen, especially if I've written about them.” Julia Johnson
Thomas Sauvin “As a visual ethnographer, I share my field work experience and evidence using photos as what I study, people's use of social media, is highly visual. Also I share people's feelings, which cannot be fully articulated and captured by language, using photos.” Xinyuan Wang
“As a jeweller, I don’t share as many photos on Facebook as i did when I was younger, which might be a privacy thing. But I share a lot on instagram as a sort of diary type sketchbook as it’s nice to look back on, and acts as advertising in a way to build a loyal customer base and keep people connected to new designs” Kathy W.
“As a writer & producer, I share photos to illustrate my stories. I am a very visual person and I use them like a shorthand to explain something immediately. It's quick, it's powerful and it's often beautiful. Sometimes its for sharing interesting places or objects, other times it might just be a visual comment about something that has moved me.” Moira Leonard
“My husband, Stephen Hickling, is a metal detectorist. He came across a box, and found a card from the First World War, out of a book. His name is Ike Schwarty, died in 1915, buried at Ypres, 4th fusiliers. We’re sharing this image, hoping we might find some family.”
“As a mother, I don’t share many photos with a public audience but I do share photos with my family and close friends. This is probably because I know they will be interested in them. Y’know, my pets, my new this, that or the other, or maybe something funny I’ve seen somewhere. I do like to share alerts that warn everyone about the latest scam, just so that people are made aware.”
Sharon Hickling, The Fourth Dimension Trust, Charity Shop, Huyton If you know Ike’s history, or can help find his family, contact The Fourth Dimension Trust on 0151 482 0044
Lyn Wainwright
“As a mother, normally it’s family photographs, if we go on holiday we show people when we get back. I think every photograph’s important though, otherwise you wouldn’t take it. As an industrial photographer, my son wanted to be an MP but they said, with your qualifications we want you doing surveillance. He goes up in helicopters taking photos of the ground. I said “Oh, you’re a spy!” and he kind of is.” Anon
“As an artist, I take a lot of photos, but don’t share many! A lot are as reminders to me of exhibitions/information/places I’ve been, as inspiration for my creative process, research, or just because I find them interesting! I share a few on social media/to people on my mailing list for promotion of my artwork, but I don’t find it instinctive to do so! I occasionally share some personal ones with friends/family.” A. B.
“Shared photos for online social media revolve around finding beauty in a situation or a moment in time, whether it is with friends, family or through a still life, or an outdoor scene. It's about sharing the beauty and essence of a particular moment with others. Sharing my actual photographic work is different and doesn’t sit comfortably. It feels too deliberately attention seeking. But, if you're an artist of sorts it's now viewed as a must. I wonder, at some point if there will be an artistic backlash.” Carol Emmas
“As a Visual Sociologist, I use photos to share both my research and my everyday observations of society. I love the ability of photos to democratise memories, to give my readers a chance to make their own meanings from what I show them.” Terence Heng
Snapshot to WeChat: Migration of Identity is open at Open Eye Gallery from 6th April - 17th June 2018 Launch night: 5th April, 6-8pm
© Teresa Eng, Liverpool, 2018
Article compiled by Patrick Kirk-Smith for Art in Liverpool
EMMA SMITH
26 APRIL - 24 JUNE 2018
EUPHONIA BLUECOAT SCHOOL LANE LIVERPOOL L1 3BX
Featured Artist: Emma Smith Bluecoat has long been a gallery which has paved the way for more diverse strands of thinking, beyond art. Emma Smith, opening a solo exhibition of immersive sound art next month at Bluecoat, treads new territory, exploring the potential benefits of collective singing, and what that term really means.
I was delighted to find out more about her projections on the future of sound art, as well as the serious and concrete health benefits her work could have on isolated groups further down the line. With art swiftly becoming less visible from the national curriculum, it is the work of galleries like Bluecoat to explore the cross overs between subjects. STEAM is becoming a buzz word in Liverpool too, adding Art* into the mix of Science, Technology, English * and Maths. It’s also the first dedicated sound art exhibition that Bluecoat have hosted in their 91 year history as an art centre, so we set out for an interview but probably ended up with more of a seminar from the brilliant Emma Smith ahead of her ground-breaking exhibition opening later this month. Art in Liverpool: Sound art is an understood medium, but a couple of other more specific terms come up around this exhibition; how does ‘collective singing’ and community effect the work? Emma Smith: When we sing together we feel more empathetic, and we like each other more. We feel more connected to each other, we feel more connected to the place that we’re in. I’m working with a team of academics on the project, whose work researches the benefits of singing together. My immediate question was, “Well you don’t know the language, or you don’t know how to read music, or you don’t know the tune, or you don’t know the words, so how do you join in?” If you can’t join in you actually end up feeling quite secluded, so the idea was to see if there was a way of making music that you wouldn’t need to know to be able to sing along and join in with it if you wanted to. So the composition has been created in a way where the public can just come in and join in if they want to.
“If you can’t join in you end up quite secluded” The score is actually based on public voices as well, so I’m working with members of the public to compose the score. I’m really interested in the way that we all use our voices naturally in a musical way without thinking about it. Everybody’s a musician,
we just don’t necessarily think we are.
When people are chatting sociably, we tend to produce really quite precise music, but it only happens when we’re getting on with each other. When we disagree with each other we don’t harmonise at all, we produce really nasty rhythms. If you record a conversation with mates down the pub, if you transcribe musically, they interlock with each other, and end up bang on rhythmically. And we’re all doing it, but there’s this subconscious level of communication where we’re saying to each other “we like each other, we’re getting on, this is a nice situation”. I’ve been working with lots of different groups to just record people chitchatting together, and we’ve been doing that in lots of different languages, so I’ve transposed the notes and rhythms from that. Not directly taking people’s voices, but taking the musical notes, taking what they do with their voices to compose the score from. So there’ll be lots of different people’s voices that are fed in to what that score becomes. The idea of the installation then will be, you can come in vocalising and singing along with the work within the space. There’ll be different live performances where different groups have been invited to activate other space, and the other sound work will be a film installation within the gallery, and part of that will be that you can actually get the sound work to tune in to you. One of the big things you do in human conversation is that you start talking, somebody else comes in with something else that harmonises, and we create these
nice patterns together, and I’d like the sound work to be able to do the same thing, AiL: You mentioned there you were working with members of the community and local groups and choirs. Are they taking quite an active role? How are they engaging in the work? ES: There’s been a number of different experiments we’re running with different academics, looking at the benefits of singing.
“When we sing together we feel more empathetic. We feel more connected“ Before that, the members of the project have looked at signing together, but it had previously been with quite traditional choral song. I wanted to say, well let’s try some other types of singing, which are maybe more based on improvisation, and are easier for people to join in without knowing the song beforehand. We’ve been working with the choirs to look at different ways of singing, and to see how it makes them feel. Do they feel differently, do they feel good as a group, do they feel connected? They’ve been really helpful in sharing what it means to sing together. AiL: Are the academics from artistic fields, or from other fields? ES: I’m working with Professor Ian Cross who heads up a research group at Cambridge University; he works across the fields of
neurology and music. And Professor Robin Dunbar who is head of the psychology department at Oxford University; he’s a psychologist but he works a lot with the social impact of singing together. And then Lauren Stuart who is based at Goldsmiths, in London, and she’s head of a similar research group that crosses over between music and the brain and the impact. Her research is very focussed on early years, and the way that we use our voice talking to early-years children. So with her I’ve been working with parent and baby groups to look at ways we can adapt their music in how they talk to their babies. We all sound a bit daft when we talk to babies. But basically what we’re doing is we know that the baby fully responds to the music, because they don’t know what we’re saying yet. We automatically and intuitively make our voices sound as friendly as possible, which exaggerates those musical elements of it. And there’s another academic, Victoria Williamson, based at Sheffield, and she’s director of the music and wellbeing centre. She’ll come in at the end of the project and see whether there’s a legacy for the project and, after it’s existed as an artwork in the galleries, whether it might have a potential to work in different ways in healthcare settings where the people are socially isolated through their illness. -Featured Artist: Emma Smith: Euphonia at Bluecoat, 27th April – 24th June 2018 Interview, Patrick Kirk-Smith
NEWS Liverpool Biennial Touring Programme Funding Confirmed for 2018-20
RIBA North celebrates 25 years of Urban Splash Award winning Manchester-based regeneration company Urban Splash, which was founded in Liverpool in 1993, is coming home next month with the launch of a new exhibition ‘It Will Never Work’. The exhibition will celebrate Urban Splash successes, working with some of the UK’s most talented architects, notably the significant haul of awards they have picked up over the years, including fourteen separate RIBA Awards as clients.
© Scott Bairstow Photography: Betty Woodman exhibition at Cooper Gallery, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK
Liverpool Biennial and its partners – Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre, Gallery Oldham, In-Situ, Super Slow Way, The Tetley, Touchstone Rochdale and The Turnpike – are delighted to be the recipients of Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring fund for 2018-20. The success follows Liverpool Biennial’s inaugural touring programme in 2017-18 which brought works by leading international artists to five venues in the North of England, attracting more than 30,000 visitors. The programme will tour to Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre (Bury), Gallery Oldham (Oldham), In-Situ (Brierfield), Super Slow Way (Burnley), The Tetley (Leeds), Touchstones Rochdale (Rochdale) and The Turnpike (Leigh).
Liverpool City Region Introduces 1% for Culture Programme
Liverpool Biennial 2018 programme announced
As part of its new Culture and Creativity Strategy, Liverpool City Region is the first in the country to commit to spending the equivalent of 1% of its annual £30 million devolution funding to support culture
Sally Tallant and Kitty Scott set out to ask one question, and working as a curatorial duo, created a new challenge in a world where self-identification is more important than ever. Asking for answers rather than giving them, Liverpool Biennial 2018 promises a new way of presenting art.
Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, explains: “In the 1990s, % for Art was a programme where a levy charged to developers – usually 1% of the total budget – was used to support public art and arts in public spaces. “As we adopt our first Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Strategy, we are announcing a new 1% for Culture programme to support a number of key new developments that will kick start delivery of the strategy, and build upon the fantastic work that’s taking place in the city region, such as the programme of events for the 10th anniversary of Liverpool’s tenure as European Capital of Culture.
The question running through the four month festival is one posed by Friedrich von Schiller, “Beautiful World, Where Are You?” in a poem focussed on hope and facing forwards in a world that has drastically changed. What that gives the artists, most of which are entirely new to Liverpool, is an affront to understand what Liverpool means in a world it often struggles to understand. What we’re getting is a festival that is likely to teach us new ways of asking questions we didn’t quite know how to ask. It’s a really open way of creating a conversation around contemporary art, and an honest
The exhibition, which has been curated collaboratively by RIBA North and Urban Splash, is being shown at RIBA North, RIBA’s National Architecture Centre, to mark the developer’s 25th anniversary. It will chronicle the accolades awarded to Urban Splash developments, from small projects to the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist as well as the company’s maverick presence on the development landscape. Urban Splash profess to have started without a plan, purposefully ignoring advice and routinely rejecting accepted development processes. At every step ‘it will never work‘ has been a call to action rather than a discouragement. This exhibition considers how significant Urban Splash projects were shaped by their contemporary cultural backdrop; from loft living in Northern cities – like Liverpool in the early nineties – through boom and bust,
to the reinvented modular House and future neighbourhood projects in progress today.
Suzy Jones, Director of RIBA North – National Architecture Centre concluded:
“It Will Never Work is an unplanned trip from Madchester to Brexit via Easyjet and driverless cars, with a quick history of unorthodox thinking and a few buildings along the way. We are delighted to unveil this exhibition which will give visitors a chance to explore some key Urban Splash projects and ‘peek under the bonnet’ of the company.” The exhibition will run for three months before going on tour in the UK with dates and locations to be confirmed.
Ei Arakawa, Harsh Citation, Harsh Pastoral, Harsh Münster_, 2017
presentation of one of the world’s most significant international festivals. I don’t expect answers, because I don’t believe the question they’re asking needs any, but I do expect to end 2018 with a clearer idea of what I want to see in my world.
For full details of the programme, venues and the 40 artists from 22 different countries, as it unfolds, head to www.biennial.com
Liverpool Book Art announce ‘Frankenstein 2018’ exhibition this May This May, Liverpool Book Art will be curating a third major exhibition of Book Art in the city’s Central Library. Following the great success of 2016’s ‘Shakespeare Now’ exhibition, organisers have decided to celebrate the fact that 2018 marks
200 years since the first edition of Mary Shelley’s‘Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus’.
World first: Liverpool to host exhibition of John and Yoko’s story in their own words
The exhibition will move to Knowsley’s Kirkby Gallery from 17th September until 26th January 2019. New works will be created for the Kirkby Gallery show.
Helen Legg appointed as new Director of Tate Liverpool
John Lennon & Yoko Ono Brochure Cover for “Planting Acorns at Coventry 1968” First public art collaboration. Photo by Keith McMilan ©Yoko Ono Helen Legg
Tate announced today that Helen Legg (44), currently Director of Spike Island, Bristol, has been appointed the new Director of Tate Liverpool. She will take up the position in the summer. Helen Legg has been Director of Spike Island since September 2010. There she focused on giving opportunities to emerging artists and developed an ambitious exhibitions programme which firmly embedded the organisation in the city and gave it a leading role in the visual arts in the South West, attracting new audiences and funders alike. Previously she was Curator at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2005 -2010), where she was heavily involved in the development of Ikon, Eastside, based in a former factory building in Digbeth, an industrial area of the city.
St Helens named as the first Borough of Culture The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has announced that St Helens will be its first Borough of Culture, as part of its new 1% for Culture programme.
The honour coincides with St Helens celebrating its 150 anniversary this year. Under the new 1% for Culture Programme, Liverpool City Region has become the first in the country to commit to spending the equivalent of 1% of its annual £30 million devolution funding from government to support cultural activities. Heart of Glass, St Helen’s agency for collaborative and social arts practice, are a huge part of the force behind this decision and will continue pushing forwards with an arts programme that engages people on all levels.
Announced on 20 March – the 49th wedding anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon – from May 2018, the Museum of Liverpool will show a ground-breaking exhibition, exploring the personal and creative chemistry of this iconic couple and their ongoing Imagine Peace campaign. Double Fantasy – John & Yoko, at Museum of Liverpool from 18 May 2018 to 22 April 2019, is a free exhibition, celebrating the meeting of two of the world’s most creative artists who expressed their deep and powerful love for one another through their art, music and film. They used their fame and influence to campaign for peace and human rights across the world, transforming not only their own lives, but art, music and activism forever. “After all is really said and done, The two of us are really one” John Lennon “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream we dream together is reality.” Yoko Ono
Guest Publication: ROOT-ed Zine When the majority of people think about anyone who works within the arts, they usually envision the stereotypical middle class Caucasian male living in Central London. This has been stemmed from art museums and galleries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries being reserved for only middle and upper class people. Thankfully times are changing, as the arts have never felt more inclusive to everyone - there is a lot of investment into educating the public. However, there is still a lack of representation for people of colour. We are still largely underrepresented within galleries, publications, and in regards to opportunities that are available to us. This is what we are planning to change - hence why ROOT-ed stands for Revolution of our Time.
“here to represent the underrepresented” ROOT-ed Zine is here to represent the underrepresented by giving creative people
of colour within the North West a platform to showcase their talent. Each bi-monthly issue will include the work of local creatives and will have an inspirational person of the issue, who is pushing boundaries for creatives and is achieving success from their art. The type of creative medium people choose to submit is not limited to set types of art, however some examples we have included in our zine are photography, jewellery making, spoken word, singing, and much more. We have decided to really focus our attention to the North-West, as it is an underrepresented area within the U.K.
“Lubaina Himid has undoubtedly challenged the public’s thinking on the past and present issues that Black people are subjected to“ For our first issue, the creative we selected is the most influential artist, lecturer, and 2017’s Turner Prize winner, Lubaina Himid. Her work has undoubtedly challenged the public’s thinking on the past and present issues that Black people are subjected to.
We felt it was also a reclamation of identityespecially the purposeful placement of her work in front of painting which ooze Classicism, at Walker Art Gallery. We also interviewed Himid exclusively for our zine which is available to purchase now from our website; www.rootedzine.co.uk. We recently held a fundraiser at the Unity Theatre. We were absolutely floored by the incredible talents of creatives who performed for us, and we thank them immensely. We would like to thank a few organisations and people that have believed in us too. The support from the Unity Theatre and Slate has been amazing, as well as The Women’s Organisation who have given us so much advice in navigating this zine. Along with our tutors at Hope University, and individuals such as Cherise Weaver, Louise Flooks, and Cheryl Martin. Finally, Art in Liverpool for supporting and including us in this issue. We have admired the work Art in Liverpool has done for Liverpool and for the arts. The reliability, consistency and accuracy of the weekly ‘What’s On’ really provides inclusion for everyone. -You can purchase a copy of the first edition of ROOT-ed at wwww.rootedzine.co.uk Their first issue launched on March 21st 2018, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
A tour of Kaleidoscope: Colour and Sequence In 1960s British Art
Arriving at the Gallery I am greeted by Arts Council Collection Project Curator Beth Lewis, for a tour of Keaidoscope, an exhibition drawing on the Arts Council England national collection. Kaleidoscope: Colour and Sequence in 1960s British Art uses work from the ACE collection augmented by National Museums Liverpool collection to ‘survey’ a seismic change in art at the time. Clearly illustrating the shift from easily recognisable painterly images to strong simplified statements, reducing topics to their very essence using bold colours, geometric shapes, repetition and manmade fabrics. The artists displayed in this exhibition went to great lengths to distance themselves from the brushstroke of the painter, using industrial techniques and materials to create glossy, unfettered finishes like David Annesley ‘Blue Ring’ 1966, reminiscent of Leonardo Davinci’s The Vitruvian Man, 1490 without any of the detail. It is like a suggestion, a murmur, an echo, but at the same time, very solid and grounded and rooted firmly to the floor.
above: Dominic John
below: Jubeda Khatun
Sculptor, Tim Scott, frustrated by the limitation of paint, uses fibreglass to create ‘Quinquereme 1966’ and introduces Perspex, fibreglass and acrylic sheeting to bring in the colour aspect. Sculpture on a grand scale, reminiscent of Roman Galley ships, giving the illusion of continuing through the floor of the gallery to the next level. -Review Kaleidoscope: Colour and Sequence In 1960s British Art at Walker Art Gallery, until 3rd June 2018 Words and images by Moira Leonard
Threshold puts art & music centre stage Across the Threshold, Baltic Triangle’s annual spring festival of music and art is back for another year, with regular faces and heavily anticipated new ones, but there’s one thing I’m more excited about than anything else, and it’s my first chance to see inside Hobo Kiosk as a pub. If you missed their crowd funder earlier in the year, the loved curiosity shop on --street is reimagining itself as a place for relaxing and settling in after a long day. Their goal is to be the new local pub for the Baltic Triangle’s residents and workers, and if the shop is anything to go on, it’s worth heading to Threshold just to see the pub at its busiest. Hobo Kiosk will be one of a few venues
hosting art over the festival weekend, with live art filling the streets on opening night too. Over the 13th and 14th of April artists from around the North West will be exhibiting photography, painting, illustration, collage and projection, transforming the Baltic Creative Shed (also hosting a programme of SHED Talks) and the new Hobo Pub. Re-visiting previous festivals, we will also be spilling out onto the streets with live art created on the walls of venues around the Baltic Triangle. -Threshold Festival takes over Baltic Triangle on the 13th & 14th April
Danny O’Connor
Interview: Rory Taylor on The Art of Reggae
Eimear Kavanagh
WRONG Festival includes it’s first arts programme Another music festival turning its head to the arts is WRONG Festival, The one day festival of ‘oddball rock’ is back on the 28th April with an accompanying print exhibition focussed on the Indian caste system. Examining holy scripture as vehicles of abuse of upper caste Indians, one work reflects the one for all nature of the festival which at its heart is the goal of creating a festival which is billed accross genres. The print below, focusses on the “myth of meritocracy” used to mask the inherent privilege of upper caste Indians. There are references to a number of upper caste Indian associations based in the west, including the Brahmin American Association, and their presentation of the system abroad. It’s safe to say the exhibition isn’t a politically neutral one, but it was never going to be set inside an alternative rock festival in the North Docks.
The Art of Reggae comes back to Constellations again this year, running alongside Positive Vibrations festival. It’s one of many growing music festivals that have art at their heart. There’s something clearly inseparable about art and music, and the festival’s director, Rory Taylor understands that better than most, aligning the work of the International Reggae Poster Competition with the music festival each year. His passion for his work is unmistakable, so we thought we’d get his take on the art of reggae: What is it about reggae that produces these annual vibrant exhibitions? Rory Taylor: Reggae is more than music, it’s a culture. By its very nature, reggae is vibrant. This vibrancy is reflected in the 100 pieces of art in the Art of Reggae Exhibition. You’ll see references to sound system
culture, Rastafari, the doctrine of one love, war, and almost certainly, Bob Marley.
“Reggae is more than music, it’s a culture.” What amazes me is that these 100 pieces of art have been created by artists & designers from all over the world. This clearly illustrates the huge impact that reggae has had internationally. How did the exhibition become a regular part of the festival? RT: Whilst searching for reggae imagery online, I kept came across the International Reggae Poster Contest (IRPC) website. We hosted our first Art of Reggae Exhibition at the 2016 Positive Vibration festival. The response was absolutely incredible. People of all ages and backgrounds fell in love with
the artwork. With the success of the first exhibition, it was inevitable that the Art of Reggae Exhibition became a key part of the festival. Tell us about the International Reggae Poster competition. RT: The IRPC was founded by Maria Papaefstathiou and the late, Michael Thompson in 2011. The IRPC aims, through art, to highlight the globalisation of reggae and the resounding impact of its positive message. The proceeds from the auction are donated to the Alpha Boys School in Kingston, Jamaica. Last year, we received over 1,200 submissions from artists & designers in 75 countries. -The Art of Reggae opens at Constellations on 6th June
-WRONG Festival tickets are available here: wrongfestival.com
A celebration of the last 15 years of FACT. Friday 13 April
Filter Bubble in The Cosmos 11am - 6pm / FREE, drop-in
People like us: The Mirror 5pm - 6.30pm / £2.74 (inc booking fee)
Liverpool-based innovators of sound, Kinicho, bring you an immersive, experiemental pop-up. Step inside their giant Theremin-like sculpture and become part of this unique work.
In this stunning work, artist Vicki Bennett splices together movie snippets with original music and uses parallel narratives to reflect on the way we present ourselves to the world.
Richard Ramchurn: The MOMENT 11am - 5pm / FREE
Smriti Keshari: the bomb 3pm - 5pm / £2.74 (inc booking fee)
Screening in a caravan on Ropewalks Square, Ramchurn previews his new work, The MOMENT; a brain controlled film that responds to your attention, with each viewing creating a unique story.
Combining archival footage, animation, music and text, the bomb explores one of the most terrifying technological developments in human history; nuclear weapons. Followed by an artist Q&A.
Graham Dunning: Mechanical Techno 6.30pm / FREE
Aurora Halal + Robin Fox + Local DJs 9pm - 3am / £7.50 (early bird), £10 (ADV)
Known for his vinyl hacks, coding, and turning analogue sounds into electronic music, artist and muscian Graham Dunning will be perfomring a new work.
Get ready for a FACT takeover of underground venue 24 Kitchen Street; with an extended DJ set of psychedelic techno from Aurora Hala and a stunning laser show from audio visual artist Robin Fox.
View the full programme at fact.co.uk/15
FACT at 15 Graham Dunning. photo by Julien Kerduff Down and Out in Los Santos, 2015-ongoing, States of Play: Roleplay Reality at FACT 2018.
Future Aleppo at FACT, Photographer credit: Gary Coughlan
FACT opened its doors in 2003, and in the fifteen years since has solidly cemented its reputation as a trailblazer in fields well beyond its name. For its birthday though it’s the spirit of FACT that is being celebrated, not its history. Experimental interdisciplinary film, performance and installations are set to take over, alongside the most challenging exhibition the gallery has ever shown. States of Play: Role Play Reality should be seen regardless of what else is going on, but with Smriti Keshari’s The Bomb, screening at FACT on the 13th, and Graham Dunning performing Mechanical Techno at the gallery and around the city nobody could leave without a clear view of what the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology is today. Since the building was completed in 2003, as the first purpose built arts building in Liverpool for over 60 years, it has shoved and pushed its agenda to the front of conversations on an international scale, but it’s what FACT does in Liverpool that makes it fit so well today. In 2008, FACT became something of a poster child for Liverpool, as the newly built, outward looking, forward thinker. It put it on my radar, as an 18 year old exploring art beyond the classroom, and must have done the same for others, but it was in 2009 for me, that the gallery found its voice. In 2009 one of the first exhibitions I truly remember every moment of, was Space Invaders. As its name suggests it was an examination of the history of gaming, and the potential it could have when lines are
unfold by Ryoichi Kurokawa, at FACT, 2016. Photo by Brian Slater
crossed between the worlds we encounter in our games, and the world we actually inhabit.
weekend of film in Liverpool organised by Merseyside Moviola, this time led by two Liverpool university students.
In 2009 Virtual Reality was a sort of decent idea, not something you could buy for a tenner on Amazon. Nine years on from Space Invaders the determination of FACT to continue asking the same questions of a world it promised to interrogate is evident, with their latest exhibition starting to understand the answers Space Invaders couldn’t give.
Clearly by this point, Sean Cubitt’s coach lecture had fully established itself as a driver, and in 1988, Eddie Berg found himself in control of Moviola. Well he did pretty much the only sensible thing you can do when left with an arts organisation in Liverpool in 1988, and talked his way in to the almost open Tate Liverpool. The result was Video Positive ’89, one of the most influential festivals of video art, ever.
That dedication to interrogating the technology is undoubtedly the result of Mike Stubbs, the gallery’s director since 2008, and part of the scene that paved the way for FACT, with a group called Moviola. Testament to how important the group was to FACT’s progression is the weight Mike Stubbs still puts on it. I set off for an interview and came back wanting to write a history, so forgive this article in its slightly jumpy style. Sitting down with Mike, in an office filled with parts of former exhibitions, and books complied from ideas that inspired them, we spent the first twenty minutes talking about FACT before FACT existed. The gallery started as Moviola working out of Bluecoat in 1989 with Eddie Berg working at its only full time staff member. Just five years prior, Berg was a student travelling to Blackpool with the Open University Popular Culture course. He got talking to his then lecturer, Sean Cubitt, who had more interest in filling Berg’s mind with notions of video art. In 1985, Eddie Berg came across a
And right there, on the listings for Video Positive ’89, is Mike Stubbs, the man who would lead FACT through 2008, and into the present day. The work commissioned at the time was Desert Island Dread, described by AND Journal of Art as:
man who was there at the very beginning.
“the desire to show us things we wouldn’t otherwise see” Appropriately, this isn’t their first big birthday. In 2009, FACT celebrated their 20th birthday, celebrating 20 years since that edition of Video Positive and the projects that truly laid the foundations of FACT, before any concrete was poured, or the building was even an idea. That’s what embodies FACT though, the lack of body, the knowledge that even if the building fell down tomorrow the idea would continue, because it is needed, and because it is loved.
“a tacky sordid heap of debris and sand, rotating turntables with records playing stuck in their grooves, three monitors with pictures of factory emissions intercut with icecream being disgorged into a cornet (remember Thatcher’s early career?) and a small child eating this revolting stuff […] The message struck home! It was an intriguing pile of detritus.” (AND no. 20, 1989)
I doubt I could even start to guess what the future holds for FACT, probably another exhibition about the state of gameplay and reality in 2028, and likely more space for arts and science to continue crossing paths. But, the closer future looks set to continue on a clear path of making real change happen in the Liverpool City Region, using the knowledge within the gallery to shift the region forward.
But that desire to show us things we wouldn’t otherwise see is what drives FACT now, and drove Video Positive then, and what will continue being the foundation of an intriguing exhibition programme for years to come under the leadership of a
FACT celebrate their 15th birthday, 9 years on from their 20th, from 11-15 April 2018
--
Details of all events can be found in the What’s On section, or at www.fact.co.uk words, Patrick Kirk-Smith
States of Play: Roleplay Reality at FACT States of Play: Roleplay Reality is, hands down, the most emotionally effecting exhibition I’ve seen. From start to finish it is immersive, uncomfortable, upsetting, relatable, relaxing and terrifying. It’s a brilliant exhibition, exploring a scenario where virtual reality is forced to understand the positions of power within itself. There is one piece of VR, Real Violence, by Jordan Wolfson, where you are subjected to watching what is, by appearance, an animated execution. It’s probably the most vividly upsetting thing I’ve ever watched, and I don’t want to see it again, but it presents an inescapable question about where the line is in video game production. The cityscape is a fairly clumsy animation compared to others, and all the work has been put into animating the horrifying scene in front of the viewer. It contrasts so extremely with the animations in the adjoining booth. Next to Real Violence is Open Heart Warrior by Jon Rafman, a work that spends three minutes presenting some of the most spectacularly conceived landscapes, and then ruins them with violence. It’s the thing you often wonder about with gaming; why
do the makers go to such lengths to create exquisite alternate worlds, just for them to play a small part in a constantly repeated story that stems from desires that would be of psychiatric concern in the real world?
“immersive, uncomfortable, upsetting, relatable, relaxing and terrifying” Physical, mental and sexual violence are a core part of the exhibition’s central story, but weirdly they’re not what made me feel the most uncomfortable. The most important piece of the puzzle is a large projection by Rindon Johnson, focussed on understanding the representation of black men and women in video games. From misrepresentations of faces, hair, colour and voices, to the stereotyping of roles made accessible to black characters in the gaming world. It resonates so closely with issues
elsewhere in the creative industries. Look at the Hollywood, look at the arts, both spaces where diversity is constantly tackled but rarely achieved, yet somehow the gaming industry gets away without really even tackling it. The exhibition by FACT is a brave one, and a steep learning curve for anyone not familiar with modern gaming or the possibilities virtual reality gaming presents.
little of that to choice, but as long as you leave the education space full of bean bags and animated cats until last, you’ll have a space to recover.
One word of caution though is that it does have a sincere emotional impact, and the immersive nature of the work does leave
Words, Patrick Kirk-Smith
-States of Play: Roleplay Reality is open at FACT until 17th June 2018.
Mad Pride reclaims Review: John Moores prizewinners at Walker Art Gallery ‘Mad’ Sixty years of the John Moores Painting
On Saturday 21st April something truly special is happening in Liverpool, Mad Pride is taking over the streets for an evening parade allowing users of mental health services to reclaim the words too often used against them. With performances from, Teatro Pomodoro, Cabaret From The Shadows, Freefall Aerial Circus, Bring the Fire, Beat It! and Chanel and The Circus, the night promises to be one of the most spectacularly surreal events Liverpool has ever seen. Every year Liverpool Mental Health Consortium gives Liverpool Mental Health Festival to the world, with reliably brilliant programming, but one thing always stands out: the exhibition. Mad Pride is a response to feedback and support given to the exhibition and the creative elements of the festival. So this year, as well as the October festival, we’re get-ting a dedicated day of celebration, I solidarity with those who experience distress. Mad Pride takes over District, Jordan Street on 21st April, 3-9pm, with parade from 9pm
prize can certainly be heralded as an achievement. Having launched, established and cemented the reputation of many of the UK’s top contemporary painters, it has done so by always adhering closely to its founding principles. However, only when we view the paintings retrospectively and together can we see how this sentiment has given the show a remarkable consistency, fluidity and thread. Works are selected by the jury anonymously from an open submission. This makes the judges’ choice more of a challenge and offers a non-subjective level playing field. It means the virtually unknown artist can have the kudos attached from being accepted into the show. It also means there is a chance for any artist to hit the big time and take home £25,000. Although, it is rare the winner is an unknown.
“any artist can hit the big time and take home £25,000” Rose Wylie’s work is unmistakable, so it wouldn’t take much to recognise her very distinctive signature style. But it had taken until she was in her 70s for her work to begin to be seriously snapped up by the canny collector. It could only help when in 2014 she won the prize at 80-years-old with PV Windows and Floorboards.
Every so often, I specifically visit the Walker solely to visit Blotter, Peter Doig. The John Moores painting prize gave Doig’s career a substantial leg up just when he financially needed it most. Fast-forward a decade or so later, and his painting White Canoe, sold at Sotheby’s for $11.3 million and topped the art auction sales record for a living European artist. In 2012, judge and TV Presenter, Alan Yentob championed the John Moores Painting Prize for remaining in Liverpool at the Walker. He said: “There has been a really
interesting story over the last 10-15 years in that London is not the only place that art
can be seen and enjoyed and Londoners are not the only people who should see it. The Walker is one of the great innovators and the John Moores Painting Prize was there before the Turner Prize. It is a very important and significant prize.” While in total agreement, it would be even nicer if the John Moore’s Painting Prize had as big a bite of the national publicity apple as the Turner Prize religiously does. -John Moores prizewinners is open now at Walker Art Gallery Words, Carol Emmas
Ken’s show, in Ken’s words
Tate Liverpool are celebrating turning 30 with an exhibition by their longest serving member of staff, Ken Simon’s. The exhibition is open now and sums up 30 years of one of the most significant galleries in the country. We went to interview Ken about the launch of his exhibition, but came back with this:
It was absolutely necessary to have the subtitle, Exploring the Unseen. When I first was asked to do this exhibition, my remit was really just to choose works from the collection that were my favourites. You can imagine, there’s a vast range of works in the collection, and it was quite difficult pinning down the way I wanted to go, but I’ve always loved sculpture and landscape artwork, so I started out with Philip King’s Within, which is one of my favourite pieces to view and understand, but also to put together. As art handler that is my role, hands on work with sculpture.
Phillip King, born 1934, Within 1978-9, Elm, slate and metal 2210 x 3200 x 2590 mm, Tate. Purchased 1979 © Phillip King
I then began to realise that actually, the majority of the works I was interested in were really about artists exploring the unseen part of our world, like the spaces within sculptures. Barbara Hepworth is another sculptor who explored making holes in sculpture and understanding the exploration of those spaces, and what you
could see through those spaces, and it’s also about not just physical space but also the spaces in our heads, our emotions. It’s something we’re beginning to become interested in through particle science as well. What’s actually there that we can’t actually see?
“Philip King’s Within, one of my favourite pieces to view and understand, but also to put together.” I’ve been at Tate Liverpool since ’88 when Tate opened here, and I was at the Tate in London for about twelve years before that. I got given a massive opportunity of being involved right from the scratch in a new gallery, which was really exciting, and was the first time a new gallery on this scale had been done for a long time. The exciting thing about working here, is that we’ve always evolved and changed. Here, we opened with just two floors. The top floor, which is now our major exhibition space, didn’t open until ’92. One of the exciting things we did from the word go was deciding that we were going to put on major international art, and that has been really important for the Tate and for Liverpool.
Ken Simons, Art Handling Manager at Tate Liverpool. Image c. Tate Liverpool
Why I like being in the job, and what’s kept me in the job for thirty years isn’t just being
involved in setting up exhibitions, working with artists, working with something new every three months, but also the whole organisation evolving over those years. In the week following the opening, myself and the other art handlers are going to be talking to the public in the Tate Exchange space, with photographs about the shows and the artworks we’ve set up over the years; with catalogues; and plans; and models. We’ll be talking about the art handling that we do and how we set up shows, and I’ll be leading behind the scenes tours alongside the exhibition. It all links into showing the public the unseen. When I was working at Tate in London, I took that job as a filling job, I didn’t really plan on staying there. I’d always been interested in art, but at that point I was just thinking of maybe going back to college and maybe doing art, and so I was a bit unsure of where I was going. When I joined, the Tate was beginning to change. They developed the London gallery, built the Turner Gallery, and then Liverpool came along. And since, we’ve evolved, and my interest in contemporary art grew over that period. Retiring now is a major change in my life, and in some ways I’m going to miss all that, working with contemporary art and artists, but at the same time I’m developing my own thoughts, and I’ve learned a lot through doing this show myself. -Ken’s show, and accompanying events, including tours and talks, run at Tate Liverpool from 30th March -17th June Details are in the What’s On section, and can be found at www.tate.org.uk/whatson
LightNight 2018, Artist Previews
interviews with two of LightNight’s key commissioned artists, with the first announcements of two incredible venues
John Elcock How would you describe your usual work?
Stanza, 2018. John Elock
There is an affectionate description of Bellini not liking his work being constrained, as his manner is to ‘wander at his will to satisfy himself and the beholder’. As a contemporary artist I am fortunate enough to be able to work similarly unconstrained, to predominantly paint but also create work in words, sculpture or other media. What is it about LightNight that got you thinking differently? LightNight works on an epic scale. You have to respond in a way that addresses the unique character of Liverpool and an informed audience who come in their thousands.. LightNight becomes a kind of mass dérive that rewards exploration and where, unlike a conventional gallery setting. I felt words, light, and space would respond better to the urban character of LightNight and Stanza creates an opportunity to harness some of the remarkable energy of the festival. Why are you combining poetry and installation for LightNight this year? Poetry does not tend to enjoy the same exposure as the visual arts or music, and perhaps because of this its very nature is arresting when flung into the public sphere. Stanza reaches out to LightNight visitors, but there is also the chance that passers-by will experience something different and in doing so I hope it will not only surprise people, but also gently disrupt our information-led culture.
What led to this installation and where should we expect it? There is a certain ritualistic aspect to LightNight which is arguably unique in the UK, not just in the nature of people’s participation but in their affiliation with large scale events in the city centre. Stanza will be situated in Lime Street on the piazza adjacent to the station; its location at this historic gateway to the city is intended to create a moment of welcome, reflection and challenge.
“LightNight works on an epic scale” What’s important about these poetic fragments and their link to the city space? The festival theme for LightNight 2018 is Transformation. My latest collection of poetry is specifically interested in describing the boundaries between the sacred and profane, the spaces occupied by us and birds, transitions between states or places. It has been interesting to select passages of text from my work that visually embody the transformation of the device into something symbolic. There is also the possibility that your perception of the city or yourself will be transformed - which is a prerogative of art and a rare privilege of the artist.
In Atoms, Light Night 2015
In Atoms What’s your work when it’s not part of LightNight?
In Atoms has always been an attempt to see what can be done within the confines of conventional musical performance. I’ve presented pieces that can last for 2 hours or 8 hours; pieces that allow the audience to watch the work being made as it is performed; works that are aware of how they are influenced and altered by the presence of an audience. I’m far more interested in finding where the lines are between different disciplines and trying to place a musical performance at the centre of a Venn diagram that takes in video art, spoken word, installation art and that taps into the history of tape music. This isn’t your first LightNight is it?
I performed in the concert room at St. George’s in 2015, as part of a Deep Hedonia showcase with Kepla, Dialect and Thom Isom. The opportunity to play in a space like that and to such a large and new audience was fantastic. I think that’s what LightNight does best. To be one of this year’s commissioned artists is an amazing privilege, and I never take that for granted. In the past, my creativity has been crippled by that sense of privilege – as yet another British white male artist, how can my work have any significance? - but this commission is giving me the chance to work with, and offer paid work to people under-represented in the arts. How creative are you getting with your space at Liverpool Cathedral this year? I’m taking over the area in front of the chancel (which is in front of the main altar), with two large screens and smoke machines and lighting. We’re working with
Adlib, who do an amazing job with the tech for LightNight, and we will be creating an illuminated path to draw people towards the work. Other elements will emphasise the otherworldliness of the area between the two screens; with every element in that space giving a sense of calm, of reflection, and being just a little bit unnerving.
“a chance to work with people under-represented in the arts“
being said, will fall apart. Additional to the films, I will be manipulating the audio output through tape machines to create performances at intervals during the evening. What do you hope LightNight visitors will take from your installation? Maybe some of these old tape recorders so I don’t have to carry them all home. Ha!
You’ve described this year’s work as a two-screen dialogue, how’s that going to work?
I don’t want to tell audiences what they should get from a piece of work, all experience is subjective. The idea of definitive answers or categories can never be 100% true for everyone.
Two characters are talking to each other,. Their conversation is about personal change, as people and within their relationship. Questions will go unanswered, meaning and understanding will become cloudy, the distinctions between what is
I will be producing a flyer to give out to visitors that will also detail the other artists and technicians I have worked with to make this happen; I’d really like people to take that away, look out for those names and support their work too.
Pre-order your festival guide at lightnightliverpool.co.uk
Principal sponsor
FUNDERS
sponsor
WHAT’S ON > CURRENT
dot-art: Arboretum - 16 March - 26 April Featuring art by six local artists, Arboretum showcases the enduring relationship we have with our botanical cohabitants; a source of creative inspiration for hundreds of years, figures of poetic symbolism and worship, emblems of calm and tranquillity
Sankey Canal: Stephen King: Where Things Are Different - 25 January - 22 April Heart of Glass, supported by Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool has commissioned Where Things Are Different, a new major artwork by photographer Stephen King exploring the connections between the many varied industries – glass, chemicals and mining – that have defined St Helens and their workforces.
The Atkinson: Viking: Rediscover the Legend 31 March - 7 July Britain’s most significant Viking hoard
Merseyside Maritime Museum: Black Salt 29 September ’17 - 2 September ‘18 Revealing the contribution Black seafarers to maritime history
Exhibition: Tate Liverpool: Ken’s Show: Exploring the Unseen 2 April - 17 June Celebrating 30 years of Tate Liverpool, through the eyes of Ken Simons
Unit 51: The Mind Map: Going Through the Emotions 8 March - 8 April Celebrate the launch of the new mental health social enterprise
Bluecoat: In the Peaceful Dome 13 October - 8 April 300 years of a continually evolving gallery
Museum of Liverpool: Tales from the city 13 October ’17 - 13 October ‘18 Stories, objects and memories from Liverpool’s LGBT+ community
Sankey Canal: Stephen King: Where Things Are Different 25 January - 22 April Exploring the industries defining St Helens
Victoria Gallery & Museum: New Perspectives 20 January - 27 October Inspired by the unseen collections
The World of Glass: Traces 17 March - 4 May Inspired by the industrial and social heritage of St Helens
Victoria Gallery & Museum: Agreement: A People’s Process 26 March - 21 April 20 years of Good Friday Agreement
Bluecoat Display Centre: Equinox 10 March - 21 April Celebrating the natural world dot-art: Arboretum 16 March - 28 April Six local artists celebrate the tree Editions Ltd: Pamela Watling - Drawings and Watercolours 15 March - 14 April Drawings and watercolours
Museum of Liverpool: The Blind School: Pioneering People and Places 26 January - 15 April The history of the UK’s first school for blind people Rathbone Studio: X Make a Mark 19 March - 19 May Reflecting Women’s right to vote
FACT: States of Play: Roleplay Reality 22 March - 17 June Explore the world of gaming and avatars
RIBA North: It Will Never Work: 25 Years of Urban Splash 1993 – 2018 31 March - 16 June 25 years of regeneration, architecture and design
HeadSpace@EggSpace: ‘Collages’ by Kate Fallon-Cousins 8 March - 18 April An expression of love for the human race
The Royal Standard: And Yet it Moves 31 March - 13 May Sculptural works by four recent UK BA graduates
International Slavery Museum: Ink and Blood 21 August ’17 - 8 April ‘18 Personal stories of previously enslaved people
St George’s Hall: Presence: A Window into Contemporary Chinese Art 9 February - 3 June Some of the best Chinese artists working today
Kirkby Gallery: Approaching Thunder: 1940s British Prints and Drawings from The Hepworth Wakefield 29 January - 7 April 1940s Britain: a decade of anxiety, austerity and idealism
Tate Liverpool: ARTIST ROOMS: Roy Lichtenstein in Focus 22 September ’17 - 10 June ‘18 One of the great American pop artists
FACT: States of Play: Roleplay Reality - 22 March - 17 June FACT’s first major exhibition of 2018 explores the world of gaming, of creating virtual worlds and the avatars living in them. Featuring work by artists, independent and industry producers and platforms, Roleplay Reality delves into gaming’s $230 billion economy
EXHIBITIONS
Walker Art Gallery: Kaleidoscope: Colour and Sequence in 1960s British Art - 24 February - 3 June Bold and colourful examples of British painting and sculpture from the 1960s will form part of a new exhibition at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery: John Moores Prizewinners ongoing 60 years of the John Moores Painting Prize
Warrington Museum & Art Gallery: Zeitgeist 10 February - 28 April On humanity’s relationship with technology
Walker Art Gallery: Slaves Of Fashion: New Works by The Singh Twins 19 January - 20 May Explores the history of Indian textiles, Empire, and enslavement
West Kirby Arts Centre: Portraits Nudes and Box Junction 10 March - 28 April An exhibition by David Brown
Walker Art Gallery: Kaleidoscope: Colour and Sequence in 1960s British Art 24 February - 3 June British painting and sculpture from the 60s
Williamson Art Gallery: The Williamson Open Art & Photography Exhibition 2018 23 March - 6 May Part of the local art scene for as long as most of us can remember
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum: The Williamson Open Art & Photography Exhibition 2018 - 23 March - 6 May An open exhibition has been part of the local art scene for as long as most of us can remember. The Williamson Open aims to reflect part of the active current visual arts scene in Wirral.
RIBA North: It Will Never Work: 25 Years of Urban Splash 1993 – 2018 - 31 March - 16 June The exhibition hronicles the accolades awarded to Urban Splash developments, from small projects to the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist as well as the company’s maverick presence on the development landscape.
The Royal Standard: And Yet it Moves - 31 March - 13 May And Yet it Moves is an exhibition showcasing sculptural works by four recent UK BA graduates. It explores non-static sculptural works through investigating sculpture’s potential to take mobile form by utilising different modes of movement.
WHAT’S ON > COMING
Bluecoat: Euphonia by Emma Smith - 26 April - 24 June An ambitious new sound installation by artist Emma Smith which transforms the gallery into a sonic chamber for collective singing.
Unitarian Church: A Walk Through the City - 7 April, 5-10pm a one-day exhibition of black and white street photography. Produced as part of a music and arts event at the Unitarian Church headlined by singer-songwriter Nick Ellis.
Euphonia is based on the premise that when we engage in friendly interactions – chitchat with friends – we unconsciously make music through interlocking rhythms, pitch and tone.
Exhibitions Exhibition: Make. North Docks: Celebrate 5 April - 7 April The first event of the #CelebrateLiverpool project Exhibition: Open Eye Gallery: Launch Night: Snapshot to WeChat 5 April, 6pm What is it that we are sharing when we take and post photographs? Exhibition: Open Eye Gallery: Snapshot to WeChat: A Migration of Identity 6 April - 17 June Examining the modern role of photography Exhibition: Tate Liverpool: Quiet Hour 7 April, 10am A calmer, more comfortable environment Exhibition: Unitarian Church: A Walk Through the City: John Johnson and Robin Clewley 7 April, 5pm A one-day exhibition of black and white street photography Exhibition: Tate Liverpool: Tate Architecture Studio 9 April - 15 April Liverpool School of Architecture’s students explore Tate Liverpool’s architecture Exhibition: Williamson Art Gallery & Museum: Emilie Taylor: Edgelands 14 April - June Ceramics representing the lives of people who exist in the gaps of society
Exhibition: Pilkington Gallery: University Centre St Helens: Second year BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting exhibition 18 April - 20 April The popular BA2 exhibition, now in its ninth year Exhibition: Williamson Art Gallery & Museum: Star Yachts 19 April - 3 June An exhibition of the history of Star Yachts of Birkenhead Exhibition: Tate Liverpool: Stephen Willats: Control 23 April - 17 May Control Magazine’s first retrospective exhibition
Open Eye Gallery: Snapshot to WeChat: A Migration of Identity - 6 April - 17 June This exhibition looks at photographs taken by ordinary people in China and considers how the casual act of taking photos shapes our identity.
Exhibition: Bluecoat: Euphonia by Emma Smith 26 April - 24 June An ambitious new sound installation Exhibition: Tate Liverpool: OPAVIVARÁ!: Utupya 27 April - 24 June An immersive environment featuring physical and audio-visual installations Exhibition: Bluecoat Display Centre: European Connections 28 April - 9 June Some of Europe’s leading jewellery designers
FACT: Graham Dunning: Mechanical Techno Peformance - 13 April, 6:30pm An original piece of mechanical techno, composed over a week of workshops, working across vinyl, analogue music production and contemporary coding practice.
SOON Talks & Tours
Talk: Tate Liverpool: Behind the Scenes: 30 Years at Tate Liverpool 2 April - 8 April Ken Simons on his 30 years as Art Handling Manager Tour: Tate Liverpool: Guided Tour with Ken Simons, Art Handling Manager 2 April - 8 April Discover more about how the gallery operates Talk: Walker Art Gallery: Talk Tuesday Tuesday, 1pm Lunchtime talks by artists, curators and educators Talk: FACT: Robin Fox: Artist Talk 11 April, 7pm Australian A/V artist Robin Fox at FACT Talk: Walker Art Gallery: Art Club: April 2018 Meeting 15 April, 2pm Exploring art through friendly and informal discussion Talk: Walker Art Gallery: Kaleidoscope introductory tour 17 April, 1pm Join curator Bethan Lewis for an introduction to the exhibition Talk: The Athenaeum: Artist Talk - Lynda Roberts 24 April, 1pm Local printmaker Lynda Roberts will speak about her artistic career Talk: Bluecoat: Euphonia Unpacked 27 April, 3pm A panel discussion exploring the music of social communication in the sound installation
Talk: Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus: Paul Derrez - Artist Talk 30 April, 1pm Jeweller and owner of Galerie Ra in Amsterdam
Live Festival: Across the Threshold 13 April - 14 April 2 Days of Music, Arts & Discussion Performance: FACT: Dementia-Arts Live Performance: Dementia Connect and FACT present Hidden Voice 13 April, 4pm Giving a voice to people living with dementia through the melodies of their speech Performance: FACT: People Like Us: The Mirror 13 April, 5pm Movie snippets with original music to simulate multiple views of the self Music: FACT: Graham Dunning: Mechanical Techno Peformance 13 April, 6:30pm An original piece of mechanical techno to entertain visitors Music: 24 Kitchen Street: FACT at 15: Aurora Halal + Robin Fox + Local DJs 13 April, 9pm FACT take over the underground multi-arts venue
Classes & Workshops Tate Liverpool: Easter Art: Workshop 2 April - 5 April, 1-4pm Drop-in free, family activity for all ages FACT: Easter Break Prototype Camp (11 - 15 year olds) 3 April - 5 April,- 10am-3pm# Create a game where you can play as anything
Hope Street Ltd: dot-art Club (7 - 11 yrs) 15 April, 10:30am-12pm Develop drawing skills and build a lifelong love of art International Slavery Museum: Family friendly creative workshop 15 April, 11am-1pm Create imaginative responses to Kimathi Donkor’s work
Kirkby Gallery: Free 'Pick & Mix' Art Workshops 3 April - 7 April, 1-3pm Painting, crafts, sculpture, printmaking and photography
Walker Art Gallery: Crafternoon: Print Making 17 April, 2-3:30pm A relaxed, practical session for adults
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum: Make and Explore Thursdays, 10am-12pm Family-friendly art activities inspired by the collections
Walker Art Gallery: Kaleidoscope Mono Printing Workshop Dates: Wednesday 18, 10am-2pm Working with colour to create unique images
FACT: Do Something Saturdays Saturdays, 12pm-4pm Gaming-inspired creative activities for all the family
The Art Box: Freemotion Embroidery 19 April 2018. 10:30am - 12:30pm Learn to draw, write and paint with stitch
Victoria Gallery & Museum: New Perspectives Workshops 7 April, 1-4pm Create a new tile from a mould by Phoebe Cummings Port Sunlight: Introduction to Free-motion Embroidery by Suzy Huxley Art Textiles 14 April, 10-4pm Thread drawing and appliquĂŠ Sefton Park Palm House: Feltmaking Flowers Workshop 14 April - 15 April A weekend of workshops with Catherine Carmylli Bluecoat: dot-art, Photography Masterclass (Composition) 15 April, 11am-5pm Masterclass one day course
Walker Art Gallery: Etching Workshop 19 April, 10am-2pm Experiment with drypoint techniques Victoria Gallery & Museum: New Perspectives Workshops 21 April, 1-4pm Create a new tile from a mould by Phoebe Cummings Bluecoat: dot-art, Photography Masterclass (Exposure) 22 April, 11am-5pm Masterclass one day course Lady Lever Art Gallery: Flat Felting Workshop 25 April, 1-3pm Introduction to making felt Tate Liverpool: Printmaking and the Sea 27 April - 15 June Explore relief printmaking and stamping
JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES
For up more details on all opportunities, including links on how to apply, head to www.artinliverpool.com/opportunities-2/ To send us details on jobs or opportunities for artists, email info@artinliverpool.com
Call for Artists SIZE matters at The World of Glass DEADLINE: 30th April 2018 ‘An Exhibition of Small Artworks’ > Saturday 12th May – Friday 29th June 2018
‘Frankenstein 2018’ – Artist Call-Out DEADLINE: 6th May 2018 Liverpool & Knowsley Book Art Exhibition are looking for book artists to submit proposals for inclusion in this exhibition when it comes to Kirkby Gallery in Knowsley
-20 Stories High is recruiting new Trustees DEADLINE: 16th April 2018
neo: Proof Print Exhibition/Exchange – call for entries DEADLINE: 15th April 2018
Are you interested in the arts and the positive difference it can make to young people’s lives? Would you like to be part of our award winning charity based in Liverpool?
The exhibition intends to raise awareness of new trends and directions in contemporary printmaking, from the traditional to the digital, by showcasing excellence and innovation
--
-Liverpool Art Fair 2018 – Call for Artist Submissions DEADLINE: 7th May 2018
Bluecoat, Liverpool’s centre for the contemporary arts is planning an ambitious period of growth and is now seeking two new board members
Liverpool Art Fair is back for a seventh year in the summer of 2018 and looking for hundreds of local artists to get involved --
--
Wirral Libraries in partnership with Wirral Festival of Firsts is having a Troll Trail, and you are invited to make a Troll as part of this event
Well-lit and offering a variety of display opportunities it can be found at the top of a magnificent Victorian staircase, which brings visitors up to the performance spaces of the theatre idle women, seeks women and girls to work with artist-car mechanic Dina Roncevic DEADLINE: June 2018 The workshops are happening every Thursday from 5 to 8pm at the idle women institute in St Helens town centre. --
Finance and Commercial Board Members, Bluecoat DEADLINE: 16th April 2018
Wirral Festival of Firsts, 29th June–14th July, Call for Artists DEADLINE: asap
The Atkinson, The Landing Space: Exhibition opportunities DEADLINE: ongoing
Call for exhibition proposals – ROAD Studios DEADLINE: asap ROAD Studios would like to invite artists and artist groups/collectives living and working in Liverpool and beyond to submit proposals to exhibit in our gallery as a part our 2018 biennial programme -Exhibition Design Opportunity-Dippy on Tour, Link4life-Touchstones Rochdale DEADLINE: 30th April 2018 An exhibition and interpretation design company is required to develop and deliver Dippy on Tour at Touchstones
Culture Liverpool Rapid Response project seeks arts, cultural organisations and community groups DEADLINE: 12th May 2018 Rapid Response is an innovative, yearlong collaborative digital arts project, enabling arts and culture organisations to respond to news and global events -Exhibition Opportunity- Art Activists Wanted, PHM DEADLINE: 14th April 2018 We all have a vote – but do we have a voice? How far have we really come in 100 years? PHM wants to hear your story
14 May - 1 September 2018
Knowsley Culture Development and Events Service is delighted to present
Five
An exhibition showcasing five of the best painters that are currently living or working in Knowsley
Gary McGillivray
Leslie Briggs
Gill Cowley
Mike Kirby
Nick Daly
Kirkby Gallery, Knowsley
Where to find us
Kirkby Gallery is delighted to present ‘Five’, which is an exhibition showcasing five of the best painters that are currently living or working in the borough. These artists are Gary McGillivray, Leslie Briggs, Gill Cowley, Mike Kirby and Nick Daly.
iv e Dr od
Short stay parking Permit only parking Disabled parking Pedestrian area Bus station Train station
Kirkby CofE Primary School
If travelling by car, the nearest car parks to Kirkby Gallery can only be accessed via this junction
McDonalds
Hall Lane Long Stay 160 spaces
Public art Short Stay
rive
aph Way
Civic Square Thrones
Irla m St C
Kirkby Bus station
Kirkby Gallery
Sou th
had ’s
Para de
Par ad
Par ade Tree
Market Square
e
Police Station
Short Stay 35 spaces
Ambulance Station
Ga rde ns
M57
Junction 6
Nor th
Kirkby Centre
fie ld D
St Chad’s Centre NHS
Fire Station
tow n
Mike Kirby
ry
ive Dr
Irlam Drive Short Stay 14 spaces
New
Va lley Ro ad
Ch er
Barclaycard
Irlam Drive Short Stay 200 spaces
Wa y
Sh 20 ort Stay sp Perm aces 47 it on spac ly es
Mul Kirk Long ti-stor by Shor Stay ey Mix ed t St 195 spac ay 74 spac es es
Tele gr
e an
ad Ro nty
ll L Ha
Kirkby Train station
No rwic h
w
St Chad’s Church
u Co
Ro
In this exhibition, we explore the practice of each artist and show a rare insight into how they develop their ideas from sketches through to fully accomplished paintings. Complimenting this and taking a central position within the gallery, will be ‘The Artist’s Studio’ and as its name suggests, on certain days in the week, the exhibiting artists will take residency within the studio, enabling the public to observe and engage with them about their work.
o hw ug Ro
Melling
Long stay parking
y kb Kir
The exhibition also comes as the fifth anniversary of Kirkby Gallery in its new, contemporary home within the Kirkby Centre building. Since 2013, we have presented 15 major exhibitions and have celebrated the work of over 388 artists.
KEY
Webster Drive Permit only 40 spaces
Elephant
ter bs We
ve Dri
Kirkby Leisure Centre (coach parking)
Kirkby Gallery
The Kirkby Centre, Norwich Way, Kirkby, Knowsley, L32 8XY Opening Times are: Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm) Sat 10am to 1pm (last entry 12.30pm) Please note the opening times are subject to change, please check the website before visiting.
Gill Cowley
Exhibiting alongside the main exhibition in the corridor and stairwell are five Knowsley school children who are budding artists, showing some of their artwork for the very first time.
‘Teacher First’ event: Thursday 10 May, 3.45-4.30pm
If you are a group or school wishing to bring a class to the gallery, please book in advance via the contact details as below. Don’t forget, your visit to our exhibition can be used towards an Arts Award accreditation!
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Tina Ball on 0151 443 5617 or tina.ball@knowsley.gov.uk
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knowsleygalleriesandmuseum
Please note that this is a RSVP event only. Light refreshments available.
Follow us on Twitter @galleriesmuseum
To find out more about our exhibitions and where to find us, visit www.prescotmuseum.org.uk If you require further information about the exhibition please contact Tina Ball on 0151 443 5617 or email tina.ball@knowsley.gov.uk
Private View: Thursday 10 May, 4.30-6.30pm