Here We Live (exhibition), Cartwright Hall, Bradford, jAN-mAY 2015

Collaborative exhibition with artist and printmaker Ruth Fettis is up and on display at Cartwright Hall is on display right now!!! Here are some pictures (more info is in the last blog)..

Here's a little round up of what I have been up too at the end of last year and my plans for the new year!

After moving back up north and into !!!ThE bULL!!!! by the end of last year everything was starting to come together!

In November I ran an art workshop for kids in my home town St Helens as part of The Heart of Glass Project http://www.heartofglass.org.uk. I collected pictures of the town and images of strange and brilliant things people might want to see in the town and had a computer and camera so people could find and add images of themselves into the art. This is what they made...

It was such great day! I had a ball and they made great work that is now on display in St Marys Market.












You can see more pictures from the day here... https://www.flickr.com/photos/126556268@N08/sets/72157646975494703/

In November Stop The Traffik, The Netherlands were looking for artists to put a face to human trafficking. I collaborated with artist and print maker Ruth Fettis and made this...

we came second and you can see it on display in The Hague here...

To find out more about this exhibition and Stop The Traffik in Dutch look here... http://www.stopthetraffik.org/nl/campaign/93/news/2 or for information in English of what Stop The Traffik are about and their campaigns look here http://www.stopthetraffik.org

December was the showcase of 'The Deal Vs The People', a show I helped develop and create with Common Wealth Theatre and The Trade Justice Movement and four amazing inspiring young women from Bradford! The show was about the controversial trade deal TTIP it was performed for an audience in London. We developed the piece from research we conducted on a trip to London where we attended The Houses of Parliament and the four girls interviewed a number of people from MPs and Civil Servants to N.G.O.s it was a great process and we will be developing this show further this year. For the show I was commissioned to create sculptures that broke down various aspects and groups related to the trade deal. You can see some of these below...

 

and at the end is me and Evie in Parliament (when we were doing the research for the show) posing next to the statue that one of the suffragettes chained herself to. 

Also in December I supported artist Rhona Byrne to produce her piece "And, on that note" a live art piece at Langtree Park... http://www.rhonabyrne.com/35060/5296553/works-and-projects/and-on-that-note

And now its 2015...

My latest collaboration with artist/printmaker Ruth Fettis is currently on show in Cartwright Hall in Bradford. For those of you who don't know it, it is amazing building in the middle of Lister Park...

Yes mate!! The work is about Bradford, the people and its stories and I'm so proud of it. As well as making our own work me and Ruth have been working with students at Carlton Bolling High School in Bradford in the lead up to the exhibition. Ruth created prints with one group to make prints about Otley Road. I worked with another group to use the prints to create 3D pieces of art using the mixed media that told stories. This taught them our collaborative process and our own techniques. Their work and the prints Ruth created with students will be on display throughout our exhibition in Cartwright Hall.  I am so proud of them , they have worked so hard and are brilliant artists and thinkers. Some of the female students will be giving me a make-over for the opening!!

Here is a picture of our exhibition being set up, you can see more pictures on my website http://unbastarto.wix.com/unbastarto#!about1/cuap but its even better in person. There is an official opening on the 8th of March 1-3pm, you can come and laugh at me doing a talk and see the students work which goes on display on that day.

The rest of the year is looking good, I have a few projects I am in the early stages of. I am currently working on a research project in my home town St Helens. I will be taking on an old industrial site in the town and working with unemployed 16-24 year olds to research and develop ideas for a new art project. I have also been awarded a micro-commission fund from Heart of Glass to make a short film I have been writing with Bradford film-maker Jack King. We aim to start making the film in spring. I am also working with Tony Loco to create a live music and visuals show to perform this summer. Some other little projects are in the pipe-line and this year is shaping up!