Projects: Manchester – a space for artists to test and experiment | News | a-n

Projects: Manchester – a space for artists to test and experiment | News | a-n

Mark Devereux Projects announce Projects: Manchester

Last month I became a member of Mark Devereux Projects, an artist production-development organisation established to help increase the national and international profile of early-career visual artists.

With each practitioner’s artistic and career development paramount, emphasis is placed upon mentoring and helping the individual to place themselves within the industry through concentrated critical engagement and promotion.

Mark Devereux Projects have just announced it's latest project:

Mark Devereux Projects are delighted to announce the launch of
PROJECTS: MANCHESTER
AND BEYOND MERELY ASSEMBLING EXHIBITION
FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2013

Launching this November, Projects: Manchester is a new pop-up space dedicated to nurturing and developing the work of emerging artists. Responding to the current ecology and Mark Devereux Projects’ ongoing ambition to help nurture the best up and coming talent, we are excited to offer creatives a new test space. Emphasising Manchester’s reputation for its support to early-career artists, the space will be available to trial new ideas.

 

Taking residence in one of the eight floors of former office space at the Co-Operative’s major Federation House in central Manchester and as part of Castlefield Art Gallery’s New Art Spaces initiative, the venue will offer artists the opportunity to showcase, develop and experiment.

 

To launch Projects: Manchester, Mark Devereux Projects will be showcasing the work of ten of the organisation’s associate members responding to the title ‘Beyond Merely Assembling’. With works considering the way in which we respond to the environment around us, the spaces we occupy and how we often try to make-do with what we have, the exhibition includes the mediums of installation, painting, sculpture, video and performance.

Selected by Kerry Harker (Director The Tetley, Leeds), Gill Park (Director Pavilion, Leeds), Tony Charles (Director Platform-A, Middlesbrough) and Mark Devereux, each artist is given dedicated one-to-one developmental and critical support from Mark Devereux Projects, helping to nurture their ongoing careers.

Beyond Merely Assembling features the work of; Bettina Amtag, Tom Beesley, David Bethell, Phoebe Eustance, Charles Gershom, Aylwin Greenwood-Lambert, Mark Houghton, Katrien van Liefferinge, Kit Mead, Darren Nixon and Zervou-Kerruish.

Beyond Merely Assembling launches on Friday 8 November, 6-9pm and continues until Wednesday 20 November. There will also be a special event on Sunday 17 November, with further information to be announced shortly.

---

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Projects: Manchester, 1st Floor, Federation House, Federation Street, Manchester, M60 0AF
Opening times: 1-7pm Tues-Fri | 12-4pm Sat-Sun | Closed Mon

markdevereuxprojects.com

Manchester International Festival

At the weekend I travelled to Manchester to visit the Manchester International Festival (MIF) and catch up with my good friends, artist Liz West and artist, curator and tutor, Mark Devereux (I will be blogging about their interesting work later on so keep a look out!)                                                                                                           

Our first stop was Piccadilly Place (http://www.piccadillyplace.co.uk/), a number of vacant multi functional spaces in the heart of the city centre. Mark explained that the office blocks had been built a number of years ago, but the large ground floor spaces have never been permanently filled due to the premium rental costs and so rather than leave the spaces empty, artists can hire them out for free. This seems a mutually beneficial scheme. Liz has booked one of the spaces for a show in September. While we were there one of the other spaces was being used as a gallery by artist Richard Shields.

Unlike Glasgow International festival of Visual Art which, as it's name suggests, concentrates on visual art, Manchester International Festival encompasses music, theatre, performance, visual art and more.

As we sat in Albert Square, the festival hub, live musicians provided cheerful rhythms. Local producers were offering high quality street food and stripy coloured deck chairs added to the summery vibe, enhanced by the glorious sunshine.

There was a cosmopolitan and continental feel to the city as we walked past graffitti artists working on walls, beautiful florists and unique cafes with outdoor tables and chairs.

After being shown a couple of Manchester's best art suppliers, (including the range of spray paints that Liz has currently been using in her work)

we headed to the Chinese Arts Centre (http://www.chinese-arts-centre.org/) where there is an exhibition by Jennifer Yang called First Step.

 I then headed to Mayfield depot, the disused railway station built more than a century ago. The expansive space was an idea setting for Martin Spangberg's "Epic", abstract artowkr in which nine dancers moved around an informal platform in weird and wonderful ways, reacting to each other, music being played and interacted with numerous objects surrounding them, all creating a vibrant and engaging landscape.

This dancer was pouring fluid onto glass sheets which reminded me of the breezeblock sized works I had made with coloured plaster at the Market Gallery.

The final artwork of the day was Tino Sehgal's "This variation", and what an artwork it was to end the day! 

As on the MIF website (http://www.mif.co.uk/event/tino-sehgal-this-variation),

  "This radical and immersive work plunges visitors into a pulsating sensory landscape, by turns enigmatic and recognisable. Taking advantage of the visitor’s own dilating pupils, This Variation constantly shifts perception, processing and transforming before eye and ear. "



Entering the pitch black room was rather daunting as I had no idea of the other people in the room or what was going to happen. Performers were constantly circulating the space, singing and making music of some kind. Gradually over the course of about 30 minutes, my eyes adapted, and by the end I was able to see the silouette of other people around me. It was a breathtaking experience.

Market Gallery Residency - Day 19

I began the day with a walk to Allscot, a company specialising in glass fibre products. I have done some research into strengthing plaster, and it would seem that putting a layer of glass fibre in between 2 layers of plaster would strengthen the plaster. John, the guy I spoke to at Allscot was ever so helpful and suggested that a fabric would be better than glass fibre as glass fibre needs to be used with resin.

Back in the Market Gallery I had a good review of my work, and drew an inventory of all the work that I have made during the residency to date. I now realise how much I have to play with for the exhibition. I had a bit of a clear-up and thought about specific things I want to make.

I began a new hollow cylinder form, added another grey layer to the cardboard form, and tested out a small sample of the fabric weave that I hope will strengthen the plaster.

In the evening I had a wonderful studio visit from artist Liz West and Mark Devereux, Independent Curator, Artist & Tutor based in Manchester, UK. Blank Media Collective Founder & Director 2006-2012. I will post more about their work in later blog posts, so keep your eyes peeled! Meanwhile, here are some links to have a look at:

http://www.liz-west.com

http://liz-west.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.axisweb.org/seCVPG.aspx?ARTISTID=14896

https://twitter.com/LizWest_Art

https://twitter.com/mark_devereux

http://www.markdevereux.co.uk/