UNDER COVER ART I S T heartland exhiBition

A dip into the world of this month’s cover artist Sarah Manton…

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m a designer/maker based in Sneinton Market Avenues, where I have a studio with my husband, Terry. I specialise in papercut artworks, but also teach all sorts of paper and textile crafts and get involved in a myriad of event dressing activities. We also have our Curious shop next door, filled with carefully curated, unusual ephemera and artworks, which we run with our excellent friends, Nick and Mimi.

What was the inspiration behind the cover?

Greening the grey! I am a proud urban greener - we have introduced lots of greenery into the Sneinton Market Avenues, including some edible bits and bobs and loads of flowers to help out the bees. Being part of the Green Hustle Festival in June connected me with even more fabulous folks who are doing wonderful work to add plants, flowers, trees, fruit and vegetables to Nottingham’s streets! It fills me with hope and joy to live in a beautiful garden city with aspirations to become even more green.

The green papercut on the purple background is a subtle nod to the Suffragette origins of the Women’s Institute and my sisters in Nottingham City WI! Together, we volunteer to look after Barker Gate Rest Garden, one of the smallest parks in the city, and take part in volunteer tree planting whenever I can - it soothes my soul.

What have you got planned for the future?

I’m a Trustee of Nottingham Open Spaces Forum, which draws together all of the volunteer gardening groups in the city, and in partnership with Stencil Creative Agency we’ve designed an electronic Green Map of Nottingham to plot all of our beloved parks and open spaces (and all of the green spaces in between) and encourage folks to get involved - watch this space!

Robin Hood (Ezekial Bone) and I also have a 100 year plan called Sherwood People’s Forest to reconnect Nottingham city centre with Sherwood Forest by planting a spiral of trees from the Castle, around the city and out into the county!

@thesarahmanton

Ahead of Cal McNab and Tamara Clarke’s joint Heartland photography exhibition at No.12 Restaurant this month, which will celebrate the completion of their time on the Make It Easy Residency Program, they caught up with us to reflect on their experiences over the past six months and how the residency has shaped their photography work into what it is today…

Heartland will feature the work of Cal McNab and Tamara Clarke, two photographers who were recently awarded a sixmonth residency and support programme at film development lab and photographic darkroom Make It Easy Lab, supported by Off Centre Nottingham and Cultivate. Both photographers use traditional equipment and practices, medium format film, and the black and white and colour darkroom to print their work.

British-Maltese photographer Tamara produces her images while walking in the landscapes of the Peak District and the Maltese countryside, joining these seemingly very different landscapes together through her mixed cultural heritage and memory. “I find myself continuously pointing my camera towards recurring motifs, the way the sunlight falls on the land, the cycle of the trees as they naturally grow and the ways in which they fall. The fragility of nature compared to its beauty and strength,” she says.

Tamara decided to apply to the residency following the completion of her MA Photography course at Nottingham Trent University, since it would allow her to continue the dialogue that she had created through her education. She says: “The theme of sustainability was what initially drew me into applying, because my practice has always been dominated by landscapes, so I knew it would be a fitting theme for me to explore.”

She feels that the advice and critiques that she received from the team at Make It Easy were vital in allowing her to progress to the position she is in now. “My time and experience of doing the Make It Easy Residency will be something that I will value throughout my continuing photographic journey,” she says. “At the start of the residency I was unsure of my direction, but through the one-to-one sessions, group workshops, and the ongoing support that I got from everyone, it really helped me grow my confidence and develop my practice into something that I can continue to develop.”

Not only were the educational sessions valued so much by Tamara, but the resources played a big part in it all, too.

“Without the ability to use the darkroom I probably wouldn’t have wanted to create photos after my Masters degree. So, I am forever grateful for having the space and facilities to continue creating work,” she says.

Meanwhile, Cal McNab’s series Megawatt Valley focuses on the growth, history, and demise of coal-fired power stations along the length of the River Trent. The title is taken from the industry term for the Trent valley, once the largest concentration of power generation in Western Europe. To satisfy a childhood intrigue, McNab started an exploration of the spaces surrounding Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, and the realisation that it was one of the last of its kind led him in a quest to explore the other sites of power stations along the River. His journey through Megawatt Valley eventually led him inside West Burton Power station, shortly before decommissioning commenced.

Cal started using Make It Easy to get his film developed, before becoming interested in learning some of the darkroom and other practices. “A friend I’d made at the lab encouraged me to apply for the residency and I’m so glad I did,” he says. Despite having never studied a creative discipline, he feels that the residency helped him to hone in on what he wanted to do with his photography. “Having funding to use on film and to access the colour darkroom has also brought my skillset a long way,” he adds.

His biggest takeaway from the residency has been the support he has received from the community at Make It Easy, particularly within the monthly photo socials, where people can turn up and share their work, and receive encouragement and guidance from others. If you would like to attend one of these, check out Make It Easy’s Instagram page, where you can find all of the details.

The Heartland Photography Exhibition will take place at No.12 Restaurant, 11 August - 18 August @makeiteasylab s hort stories

To Do Street Art Festival 2023

A hugely popular exhibition from 12 August – 2 September, supporting and promoting Nottingham’s vibrant alternative art scene by showcasing some of today’s best local talent.

@SurfaceGallery

To Follow Gasleak Mountain

Lots happening over at Sneinton’s newest independent gallery - throughout August there is an exhibition, a zine and print launch, and a performance open call night coming up.

@gasleakmountain

To Create Queer Craft Club

On Sunday 27 August come along to a beautiful, chilled and inclusive space in Sneinton Market. Bring your most recent projects, meet some friendly people, and get crafty.

@WeMakeOurWay