Exciting news - Baltic Artists Development Programme

 I'm ultra happy to announce that my application for the BALTIC Artists Development programme was successful. I will have two studio visits from Katherine Welsh, curator at the BALTIC.

Pierre Huyghe - Untitled (Human Mask)

As I walked from home to my studio it was clear that this was no ordinary day. My journey had begun in Fenham, a multicultural neighbourhood popular with families and creatives. One of the reasons why I like living there is the amount of parkland and green space that is at my doorstep. It is around this time of year when these spaces become the hub of the community. Families and friends gather together with picnics or BBQ's to share food and enjoy the brighter weather. Groups of male youths turn the tennis courts into a cricket pitch, where they can be found day and night.  

Today there were people out and about, but rather than large gatherings or groups, families stuck together in 3's or 4's, and parents seemed more conscious than ever to ensure that their children remained easily within their eyesight, if not at their side. 

As I transitioned through this friendly neighbourhood and into the centre of Newcastle, the changes became more blatantly obvious. Crossing Barack Road could take a while if you caught the traffic lights at a bad time as the road was always busy, but today there were very few cars about, reducing my journey time by a couple of minutes. 

The Alan Shearer statue outside St Jame's Park usually attracted at least a couple of tourists who would be posing for a photo taken by a fellow football fanatic. Today Alan Shearer, arm up in the air, was celebrating his goal alone. 

The greasy fried chicken smell that normally polluted the area around Chicken Cottage, the source of the stench, was absent and the takeaway shop was closed, along with the many other eateries in the vicinity. The occasional cafe that did have lights on and doors open were advertising that they were operating on a take-away basis only. Queues for buses were vastly reduced, perhaps only a couple of people were waiting at the most popular stands by Monument Metro station. 

I couldn't take my short-cut through the shopping centre as the automatic doors were turned off, and most, if not all, of the clothes shops, book shops, and other non-food shops displayed CLOSED signs in their doors. I seem to have passed an equal amount of patrolling police officers as I did members of public, and they gave me a suspicious gaze as I walked past them with purpose, suggesting that I should not be on the street. It all felt extremely eerie and I was reminded of Untitled (Human Mask), a video by Pierre Huyghe that I recently saw at the BALTIC as part of their Animalesque exhibition. 

The press release reads

"Pierre Huyghe’s video Untitled (Human Mask) (2014) opens with footage from the nuclear disaster area of Fukushima following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The city is utterly ruined, its houses pushed away from their foundations and its streets empty of life.



An unmanned drone camera takes us into a restaurant that initially seems abandoned, but in a dimly lit room we come across a monkey that has been trained to act as a waiter. We look on in wonder as we follow the animal’s restless movements inside the empty restaurant, moving back and forth between the filthy kitchen and the dark dining space. Apart from some cockroaches scuttling across the floor and a single cat, the monkey appears to be the sole survivor of the disaster.



Like an automaton, the monkey continues to carry out the routines that its training has instilled in it. Without any patrons to serve, those actions form a pointless pattern of repetition and variation. The animal is trapped inside a re-enactment of human activity – sometimes inoperative, endlessly waiting, subject to boredom, left between instruction and instinct.



With the dystopian setting of Untitled (Human Mask) Pierre Huyghe points to the impact that
human activity has on nature. Perhaps the work reflects our present-day Anthropocene era; a
time when mankind has become a force that changes the planet, affecting its ecosystems.
Huyghe’s work shows us an apocalyptic world in which humanity has been eradicated, with
the monkey’s lingering training the only relic of human civilisation."

https://frieze.com/article/one-take-human-mask

https://www.artsy.net/show/copenhagen-contemporary-pierre-huyghe-untitled-human-mask

On Exactitude in Science by Alan Butler at BALTIC as part of Digital Citizen – The Precarious Subject

"This two screen installation is a synchronized presentation of Godfrey Reggio's 1983 experimental film Koyaanisqatsi (1982) & Alan Butler's Koyaanisgtav (2017). Butler’s work uses the virtual worlds within popular video game Grand Theft Auto to create a shot-for-shot remake of Koyaanisqatsi. Featuring renowned music by Philip Glass, the narration-less Koyaanisqatsi presents a visual essay in slow-motion and time-lapse of the many cities and natural landscapes across the United States of America."

Koyaanisqatsi is a truly mesmorising film and Butler has enhanced this by creating a virtual remake of the entire film. It was only after a while that I realised that the film on the right was digitally created as opposed to being real life footage. The editing is seamless, and the attention to detail is faultless.

http://baltic.art/whats-on/exhibitions/alan-butler-in-conversation-with-alessandro-vincentelli

Having You On by Michael Dean at BALTIC

Approach the usual entrance to Level 3 gallery to be faced with a barbed wire fence preventing entry into the gallery. With some guidance, or by paying attention to other visitors moving through the space, viewers can walk along the side of the installation and then enter the vast expanse of the gallery. I enjoy the manipulation of the audience by the artist - it shows how he has considered how we will look at the work, something I always place importance on when installing my own work.

The installation is one of two halves. Towards the back of the space, individual sculptures made from cheap, accessible, waste materials are given space for us to consider them as separate entities. There are some satisfying arrangements. As we approach the front of the gallery the arrangement becomes denser and it resembles a wasteland of sculptures that are synonymous with popular culture and advertising. Logo's such as National Lottery make an appearance along with street furniture such as lampposts. 

I can't say that I am impressed. I understand what the artist is referencing and he has executed it well, but I see enough of these items on the street as rubbish, and would rather not see them presented in a gallery.

Lubaina Himid - Our Kisses are Petals - BALTIC

For this exhibition, Himid is said to have been inspired by the Kanga, a vibrant cotton fabric traditionally worn by East African women as a shawl, head scarf, baby carrier, or wrapped around the waist. 'Typically, kangas consist of three parts: the pindo(border), the mji (central motif), and the jina (message or ‘name’), which often takes the form of a riddle or proverb.'

Himid has suspended a number of cloths on three loops of rope, each of which span the width of the gallery and are positioned behind each other. Each cloth features an image of inner body parts and a statement borrowed from influential writers such as James Baldwin, Sonia Sanchez, Essex Hemphill and Audre Lorde. Himid's intention was to enable viewers to rearrange the cloths using the pulley systems. Although visitors can move the pulley, there is no way to change the order of the cloths or words and so one can only change the size of the gaps between the cloths.

I was disappointed in the execution of the work and found the participatory elements to be limited. The cloth used was a synthetic kind that had been digitally printed on, and so the traditional, handmade quality that is often associated with flags was not present. The concept behind the work was well meaning, but I question how much the artwork communicated this to an audience.

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market - Saturday 21 April, 11am-6pm

Look at the beautiful selection of publications that can be found on the Newcastle University table at BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market. Open until 6pm today.

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market events, performances and activities

There is a great line-up of activities to join in with, performances to watch and talks to attend at today's BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market. 

11.00-16.00
Foundation Press, Level 1
Visit Foundation Press throughout the day to see their work and chat about UNBOUND, an ongoing series of print performances developed specifically for bookshops and book fairs. UNBOUND uses Risograph printing to explore imagery and ideas in an artist’s work; they are currently working with artist Giles Bailey and CIRCA. This print event will culminate in a live performance at 16.00.

12.00-17.00
One Day Residency | Women Artists of the North East Library, Level 2 BALTIC Library
The Women Artists of the North East Library will spend a day researching BALTIC Library’s collection and archive, focusing on records of exhibitions and projects by women artists associated with the North East. This one day residency will form a collection which will be added to BALTIC Library’s online reading list, as well as informing the groups current research.

12.30
Tour of BALTIC Library & Archive, Level 2
Explore BALTIC’s Library and Archive with BALTIC Producer (Documentation, Library & Archive) Gary Malkin, with a special artist books ‘show and tell’.

13.30
Tour of Sofia Stevi Exhibition, Ground Floor
Join an exhibition tour of Sofia Stevi’s first exhibition in a public institution turning forty winks into a decade, with particular focus on Stevi’s handmade artists’ books.

14.00
Artist Talk | Artists’ Book Club (ABC), Level 1 Studio
Artists’ Book Club (ABC) is a cross-disciplinary forum for makers of artists’ books and ephemera, founded at UWE in 2009. It provides an opportunity to get together for critical and constructive dialogue; to contextualise work, explore ideas and to develop creative practice. ABC coordinators Cathey Webb and Gen Harrison will be give a talk on Artists’ Book Club.

15.00
Artist Talk | Peter J Evans, Level 1 Studio
Peter J Evans’ practice explores interactions and how things intertwine, on both a macro and micro scale, working across mediums and often in collaboration. In this short presentation Evans will discuss multiples, editions, collaborations and a recent journey into crowdfunding.

16.00
Live Performance | Foundation Press, Level 1

16.30
Artist Talk | Ashington District Star, Level 1 Studio
The Ashington District Star is a 24-page photographic journal/newspaper, founded in 2014. The newspaper team will be giving an insight into their brand of community-led publishing, working together as a collaborative editorial team and creating a contemporary publication inspired by working class heritage and cultural history.

Publications for sale at BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market on Saturday

These are some of the publications I will be selling at BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market on Saturday. 

My work will be on the Newcastle University table.

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market - Saturday 21 April, 11am-6pm

I've been getting my publications ready to take to BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market on Saturday. There will be over 50 artists, bookmakers, small press publishers, printmakers, artist’s groups and zine makers selling their work. My publications will be on the Newcastle University table. 

This is one of the publications that I will be selling.

This expanded version of the annual Artists' Book Market is a great opportunity to meet artists and browse a wide range of affordable artworks. 

Artist-led activities and performances will also accompany this special one-day event.

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market will include:

Artists' Book Club (ABC)
Andrea Allan
Ashington District Star
Kristyna Baczynski
BBB Books Collective
Mark Beechill
Guy Bigland
Shona Branigan
Hugh Bryden
Nancy Campbell
Jessie Churchill
Katy Cole
Nicola Connor
Corridor8
Daniel Dale
Mike Davidson
Theresa Easton
Peter J Evans
Francis Fitzgerald
Ross Frew
Natalie Frost
Peter and Frances Grant
Greyscale Poetry Zine and SUBS magazine
John Harrison
Alexander Hetherington
Ella Holder
Rachael House
Jawbone Jawbone
Nicola Maxwell
Newbridge Books
Newcastle University - this is where you will find my publications
Northumberland College
Northumbria University
Pete Kennedy
Paper Jam Comics Collective
Pathetic Babies
Shinyoung Park
Synchronise Witches Press
Tamsin Rees
Kathryn Robertson
Chloe Spicer
Stichill Marigold Press
Jacqueline Thomas
Debra Thompson
Transition Editions
Sarah Tulloch
University Centre Farnborough
Andy Walton / Swirl
Andrew Waugh
Ellen Welsh
Eileen White
Women Artists of the North East Library
Lydia Wysocki

For more information please visit

http://baltic.art/whats-on/artists-market

The Drone Ensemble in Infinity Pitch, an exhibition by Pester & Rossi at The BALTIC

The Drone Ensemble were invited by the collaborative duo Pester & Rossi to host an experimental sound workshop for young gallery visitors during the Infinity Pitch exhibition at The BALTIC.

Pester & Rossi are asking visitors to make, break and re-make the rules of play. BALTIC’s largest gallery space has up to eight live action stations with activities where you can watch, listen, explore, improvise and play along with a number of enormous colourful inflatables.

We had planned a simple workshop structure that involved making megaphones for the children to use to mimic the sounds of the instruments. To make the megaphones we had prepared templates that could be used to trace the outline that was to be cut out of coloured card. Pester & Rossi have supplied rolls of coloured electrical tape for gallery visitors to use to transform the walls and floor of the gallery. This tape was also used to form and decorate the megaphones. The Drone Ensemble would perform a number of times throughout the duration of the workshop, following a score projected onto the walls and getting the children to participate at specific times. However, once we entered the space we soon realised that we would need to reassess our plans due to the existing noise levels, the nature of the space and the sheer number of children who desperately wanted to have a go at playing the instruments.

After setting up the instruments and observing how the space was being used, we had a group conflab and prepared our plan of action. Each of us was responsible for one type of instrument, and we were to demonstrate how to play the instrument. We encouraged the children (and adults) to try playing the instruments, and guided them as they did so.

I was very impressed by the children's abilities to learn how to play a new instrument, particularly the friction drums.

The gongs were extremely popular, and we were able to involve lots of the kids playing the gongs at once as we performed a number of gong parades around the gallery. Pester & Rossi have made a selection of costumes for visitors to wear, and so we encouraged the children to dress up in these. Armed with a gong in one hand, a beater in the other, and dressed in an array of brightly coloured red, green, yellow and blue outfits, we paraded around the gallery in single file making a rather colossal sound. 

The children enjoyed making the megaphones, and this activity was easy to manage as the instructions were very simple and did not require many materials or guidance. This meant that we could concentrate on playing the instruments with the children.

The workshop was a big success and Pester & Rossi were pleased with our contribution and response to their exhibition. We were exhausted afterwards, but would certainly consider doing more workshops in the future.

The Drone Ensemble prepares for BALTIC workshop

The collaborative artist duo Pester & Rossi have invited the The Drone Ensemble to lead an experimental sound making workshop as part of their current exhibition, Infinity Pitch, at BALTIC.

Sat 7 Apr 14.00-17.00
Drone Ensemble
Infinity Ensemble experimental sound making workshop

Yesterday we had another workshop planning meeting where we prepared the props we will be using in the workshop, confirmed the logistics, booked the van and developed the score for the performance that will take place as part of the workshop.

It was a really productive session, and I'm hopeful that it will go down well with visitors.

For more information about the event visit
http://baltic.art/whats-on/infinity-pitch

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market

I'm pleased to announce that some of my publications will be for sale at the Self Publishing Artists' Market at The BALTIC in April!! They'll be on the table with work from other Newcastle University staff and students. It is a day not to be missed.




Sat 21 Apr 11.00-18.00
FREE
Drop-in

BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists’ Market launches for the first time on Saturday 21 April, with over 50 artists, bookmakers, small press publishers, printmakers, artist’s groups and zine makers selling their work. This expanded version of the annual Artists' Book Market is a great opportunity to meet artists and browse a wide range of affordable artworks. Artist-led activities and performances will also accompany this special one-day event.

http://baltic.art/whats-on/whats-on-artist-events/artists-market

Play by your own rules - The Drone Ensemble collaborate with Pester & Rossi at The BALTIC

Infinity Pitch
Pester & Rossi

24 March – 15 April 2018

Pester & Rossi have invited The Drone Ensemble and a group of other collaborators to make, break and re-make the rules of play. Their forthcoming exhibition, Infinity Pitch, will involve up to eight live action stations and big, fun, colourful inflatables across BALTIC’s largest gallery space. Visitors will be able to take part in activities where they can watch, listen, explore, improvise and play.

Infinity Pitch is for everyone and open daily. No need to book, just drop-in.

Sat 7 Apr 14.00-17.00
Drone Ensemble
Infinity Ensemble experimental sound making workshop

For more information please visit

http://baltic.art/whats-on/exhibitions/infinity-pitch

Serena Korda - Missing Time at BALTIC

"Serena Korda works across performance, sound and sculpture reconsidering aspects of communion and tradition in our lives. Korda is the 2016-17 Norma Lipman & BALTIC Fellow in Ceramic Sculpture at Newcastle University, a two-year residency that culminates in this exhibition.

During her fellowship, Korda has drawn inspiration from her location and the people she has met. She has become fascinated by the sound of stars from the dark skies of Northumberland, only audible with specific radio devices, and the pre-radar acoustic sound mirrors dotted along the North East coastline that attempted to detect the sound of enemy planes up until 1919.

During her research, Korda has explored planetary harmonics using homemade radio telescopes to pick up the sound of our galaxy. The particular frequencies derived from the planets, otherwise known as the ‘Music of the Spheres’, were believed during the Renaissance period to have a direct effect on the human psyche. Inspired by these different ways of listening, the potential healing power of sounds and their use as a way of communicating, Korda has created a series of large ceramic dish-shaped portals that act as sound resonators. Working alongside North East-based a capella group Mouthful (Katherine Zeseron, Bex Mathers, Dave Camlin and Sharon Durant), Korda has created a sound work that plays with the harmonics of each portal and a powerful live performance that touches on invisible forces, consciousness and what lies beyond planet Earth."

It is wonderful that BALTIC is currently exhibiting solo exhibitions by women in each of it's galleries, and with the quality of the artwork and hugh standard of the exhibitions, I really hope that this is not the only time it will happen.

Korda's ceramics are beautiful objects containing patterns and marks that resemble marble while also appearing painterly and washy. I was intrigued to find out that the technique used to form the patterns is Nerikomi, a Japanese technique "in which the clay is stained different colours, rolled into a sausage shape, sliced and rolled back together for a marbled finish with runs right through the body of the dish. Korda then scraped back the surface" to reveal more layers. 

I'm looking forward to going to her sonic performance in March.

Jasmina Cibic - THIS MACHINE BUILDS NATIONS at BALTIC

"Bringing together film, sculpture, performance and installation into multi-layered projects, the core themes of Jasmina Cibic’s practice explore how art, architecture and political rhetoric are deployed and instrumentalised in the name of the nation.

For BALTIC, Cibic has developed a site-specific installation that showcases the three films of her latest Nada trilogy presented for the first time in the UK. Setting and framing the scene, the artist has devised chambers where specific architectural components are reconfigured. These include design fragments drawn from modernist Yugoslavia’s unique synthesis of architecture, art and design, culminating in the modernist palace which housed the First Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961 in Belgrade. Corridors, curtains and murals here become theatrical devices which guide the viewer through the exhibition.

Bridging the installation is the narrative trio of films that examine three of european modernism’s star architects and the role their work played in forming national representation in decisive moments of European history. These include Mies van der Rohe and his trade fair designs for Germany in the 1920s; Vjenceslav Richter’s Yugoslav Pavilion for the 1958 Brussels EXPO and Arne Jacobsen’s Aarhus Town Hall finished during the Nazi occupation of Denmark.

Nada, meaning hope in Croatian, gathers together these historical symbols and iconographies that stand between ideological censorship and cultural production. Cibic’s projects present a synthesis of gesture, stagecraft and re-enactment, revealing the strategies employed for the construction of national culture as well as their use on behalf of political goals. Realised in films and installations, hers is also an ongoing performative practice, an ‘enacted’ exercise in the dissection of statecraft."

I found this installation to be visually stunning and intellectually stimulating. Although Cibic's work is layered with meaning and historic references, I feel it is possible to appreciate the work without being privy to this information. Cibic's ability to compose her videos is exquisite. Mirror images, symmetry and formalism, all come into play. The initial walk through the long illuminated passageway sets the scene for what is to come. The first room shows Vjenceslav Richter's original and censored design for the Yugoslav Pavilion in Brussels reinterpreted as a musical instrument. The second film Cibc's redirection of Bela Bartok's pantomime ballet The Miraculous Mandarin. The final film features a debate staged between 3 women about what art should be. It had lots to get me thinking! 

Sofia Stevi - turning forty winks into a decade at BALTIC

"Sofia Stevi (born Athens, 1982) makes paintings, sculpture and works on paper. Drawing inspiration from literature, philosophy and the everyday, her works bring together a wide range of references, from the writings of Victorian poet Christina Rossetti, to found images on Instagram.

Stevi’s sweeping lines and colours describe form with a sense of playfulness and animation. Her paintings capture fleshy fruits and soft body contours with a cartoon-like expressiveness. Made with Japanese ink on untreated cotton fabric, the works evoke the domestic but have a charged eroticism. Torsos and limbs dissolve into psychedelic patterns and washes of colour. Moving between the real and imaginary, Stevi’s works are often deeply personal, exploring the artist’s desires and dreams."

In the smaller room of the gallery Stevi displays some of her offcuts of fabrics that have been made into what resemble sample books that have been placed on a low coffee table. Viewers can sit on one of the bespoke bean bag style cushions made by Stevi. It is these that I am particularly attracted to because of their abstraction and non-figurative nature.

BALTIC Artists’ Award 2017

One of the current exhibitions at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead is the BALTIC Artists’ Award 2017: an exhibition featuring work by Jose Dávila, Eric N. Mack, Toni Schmale and Shen Xin.


The four recipients of the award each received £25,000 to create new work and a £5,000 artist fee. This major new international award is the first worldwide art award to be judged solely by artists.


Four of the most celebrated international contemporary artists - Monica Bonvicini, Mike Nelson, Pedro Cabrita Reis, and Lorna Simpson - selected an emerging artist whose work they strongly believe in. The four winning artists work across a diverse range of media. The exhibition will provide a vital opportunity for those selected to have their work seen by tens of thousands of visitors, to work with BALTIC’s curators and be supported by a high-profile artist.


Public visitors to this seminal exhibition of new works are able to vote for the artists’ presentation they have the greatest connection to. This will inform an additional legacy commission project enabling a deeper engagement between one of the artists and local communities in Gateshead to be announced in autumn 2018.



I was drawn to the work by Jose Dávila, (b. 1974, lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico), the artist selected by Pedro Cabrita Reis.

"Influenced by Minimalism, American Conceptual Art, and Brazil’s Neo-concrete movement, Dávila’s artistic practice questions the inherent qualities of modern architecture and art throughout history. His sculptural work is based on the arrangement and overlapping of common construction materials such as boulders, glass, steel, concrete and marble, kept in perfect balance addressing the never-ending struggle against the force of gravity."

I enjoyed the unusual and playful combination of materials and the lightness of touch to this installation. The simplicity added to its power. I had a physical reaction to the work, and enjoyed walking around it to experience different angles and see it in new ways. The sculpture is seamlessly constructed, which is essential for a work so minimal. The balloon adds a refreshing splash of colour and is in contrast to the industrial metal girders and heavy natural rock.



It was only when I saw the video about the work of Eric N. Mack that I realised that the clothing that was hung on the wall could be experienced in a different way. Every day, a performer wears the clothing for a few hours and walks around the gallery space. I was disappointed that I did not see this is person as from the video, the clothing comes to life when it is worn. The fabric becomes part of the installation and an interesting dynamic is formed between it and the structures.




http://www.balticmill.com/whats-on/baltic-artists-award-2017

Rory Pilgrim: Software Garden as part of World Is Sudden: Summer Lab

World Is Sudden: Summer Lab is a project by Giles Bailey & CIRCA Projects. They invited international artists, performers, musicians, designers and dancers to make artworks in the urban and natural environments of the Northeast region and to propose new ways of discovering the area as a continuum, without divisions between nature and culture, city and countryside, street and path, local and foreigner, human and animal, day and night. Invited artists have created a series of day-long projects which fuse interdisciplinary experiences to each reflect upon a different host venue and their different role as a cultural producer in our region. Participants of the Summer Lab were invited to discover other forms of being, hearing, touching, tasting and seeing the world.

As part of World Is Sudden: Summer Lab, Rory Pilgrim presented an evening performance at BALTIC based on the work he had done during the day with participants from the summer school.

"Inspired by collaborative forms of quick action, improvisation and group making, the performance invites people to encounter a space of joy as a form of resistance and collective experience."

Rory Pilgrim explores questions of time and connections between activism, spirituality, music and performance. His recent work has explored the relationship between words, age and inter-generational dialogue as a radical proposition.

"Unfolding somewhere between Kabuki theatre, a pop concert and a political social space of action, this performance attempts to bring together a variety of people from different ages, backgrounds, human and robotic, to propose the creation of an embodied system of care and kindness as a software garden.

Exploring connections between technology, disability and care as a way of looking at larger political framework, the performance interweaves poetry, speech, song and choreography as part of a new growing experimental music album."



Despite only having a day together to learn the performance, the Summer Lab participants performed in such a natural and assured manner that it appeared that they had been working on the piece a lot longer than a day. There is a fine line between being prepared and being either over or under prepared, and on this occasion that balance was just right.

The combination of all the different elements, maintained my interest in what was rather a long performance considering that the participants only had a day together to rehearse. They seemed to be working as a team, responding well to each other and mirroring each other's actions. No one in particular seemed to be the 'leader' as such, but they all had a good awareness of each other and their movement on an individual and collective basis.

http://www.rorypilgrim.com/

Artists Book Market at the BALTIC

I had a short, (was working at the weekend so went during my break), but lovely visit to the artists Book Market at the BALTIC.



It was good to see some familiar faces from both Newcastle but also the artist book community around the UK. Some of the participants from the Glasgow International Artists Bookfairs that I organised were at the BALTIC this weekend, so it was, as ever, great to see what they have been working on and hear their news.



I was delighted to hear from Hugh Bryden that his recent publication Sheep penned, a collection of poems by Hugh McMillan with Linocuts by Hugh Bryden, was awarded a prize worth £1500 last week. 

Congratulations to Hugh and Hugh!

To get your hands on one of the award winning publication with an incredibly soft wool ecofelt cover, visit:
http://www.hughbryden.com/?p=831

My publication, A lot can happen in fifteen minutes was available on the Newcastle University table which was full of work by other staff and students. It is great to see such a variety of artists books from those at the University and I really hope that this continues. Many thanks to Julia and Erika for organising the table and to all those who helped man the table over the duration of the weekend.

I was excited to see Foundation Press taking over one of the rooms adjacent to the Bookfair, but gutted that I wasn't able to see the performance. They had been printing lots of patterned papers using their risograph machine and were installing them in the space along with a performance from Sacred Paws.