The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Photo by Vintage Lulu
Posts Tagged: art
7
Jul 10
My current inspiration(s)
Mike Disfarmer‘s photographs from the 30s, 40s & 50s:
Everything by Maison Martin Margiela (photo by Joe Hughes):
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist (photo by Brendan Skinner):
26
Jun 10
I must, must, must see this exhibition
I’ve been meaning to arrange a trip to London to see the Martin Margiela retrospective exhibition at Somerset House for ages, but I’m really going to have make more of an effort because I must, must, must see this exhibition!
I’ve been a fan of Maison Martin Margiela since first coming across his/their work in the early 90s, and especially of the Artisanal limited edition and one-off pieces. Waistcoats made from shards of broken porcelain or vintage evening gloves, reworked 50s ballgowns and theatrical costumes. But Margiela is also a master of cut, proportion and fabrication so the main women’s and men’s lines are equally gorgeous and wearable too. Just wish I could afford the stuff!
The attention to detail in the clothes is carried through to every part of the Margiela experience, from the website that looks like a file directory to the whitewashed shops and the exhibition itself – can’t wait to see it
25
Jun 10
Some cool stuff I’ve been looking at
Just a few links to some cool sites I’ve been looking at recently, though I can’t take credit for having found them – far cooler people than me did that and I just hoovered up the links:
super/collider – some really interesting projects from a not-for-profit promoting science through the creative industries
The Glue Society – lots of cool art and media projects from an Australian creative collective
Daytum – really nice approach to collecting and visualising personal stats. One of the people behind the service is Nicholas Felton, the creator of the awesome Feltron personal Annual Reports
Ilse Ruppert – photos from the 80s of punks, musicians, actors in Hamburg, Berlin, Paris & London
Fashion Projects – interesting look at the more experimental and ideas driven side of fashion
Uploading – about lots of things, but particularly interesting (to me) about wearable technology
Sesame – an online fashion magazine from Australia with a nice left-field approach
24
Jun 10
Art Is Child’s Play
Just caught up with this week’s imagine programme: Art Is Child’s Play. It’s fascinating to hear artists talking about their childhoods and their influence on their art and how they produce it. And a good reminder that we all need to play more.
If you’d like to watch it, it’s on iPlayer for another 19 days only!
18
Aug 09
What I did (on another day of) my holidays. More culture innit
For the past few years we’ve taken a day out from relaxing by the pool to head into Arles for the annual Les Rencontres photography festival.
From July till September the city hosts exhibitions across the city in art galleries, churches, official buildings and in the disused former railway works, the Parc de Ateliers.
The huge former ateliers or workshops, named after their former uses (Atelier de Mechanique, Atelier des Forges, etc.) are left pretty much as they were with temporary exhibition spaces built inside. Or in the case of one now roofless building, turned into an open-air cafe.
Each year a guest curator helps to select and commission the artists and works to be included in the festival. This year’s guest curator is Nan Goldin, one of my favourite photographers, whose ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’ is being presented in a slideshow in one of the disused railway office buildings.
As well as some of her other work, the exhibitions also include a selection from her own photography collection and shows by her invited guests. My personal favourites include Marina Berio‘s drawings of negatives large scale in charcoal, Lisa Ross‘ images photos of Uighur holy sites in northern China, and Antione D’Agata‘s sometimes explicit Agonie series.
As well as the Nan Goldin curated exhibitions, the festival also includes a large number of other shows. Highlights for me include a retrospective of Willy Ronis and the work of the nominees for this year’s Discovery Award, including Olivier Metzger‘s brooding nocturnal images, Yang Yongliang‘s twist on traditional Chinese landscape paintings, and Moira Ricci‘s moving series of photographs of her late mother, into which she has carefully inserted her own image, looking at her mother.
Les Rencontres d’Arles runs until 13 September
15
Aug 09
What I did on (one day of) my holidays. A little bit of wildlife and a little bit of culture
On the way to see some wildlife in the Camargue this morning, we stumbled across Chateau d’Avignon (always nice to get a bit of chateau action in on a trip to France. Don’t be fooled by the name though. it’s not in Avignon. or even near to it).
Unfortunately it was closed for re-building work. But…
Instead of just closing up the house, the gardens and outbuildings have been used for an open air art exhibition. Using mostly the same materials and tools as for the rebuilding work, the artists have created specially commissioned sculptures and installations.
There were some really witty and interesting pieces and it was a really great surprise to come across the exhibition in a place I’d least expected it. Though it was great to travel into the Camargue and see wild white horses, pink flamingos and black bulls, being a bit of a culture vulture this was a real highlight of the day for me.
If you’re in the area (It’s near Aigues-Mortes on the edge of the Camargue) over the summer, it’s well worth a visit (it’s free). It’s not mentioned on the Chateau’s website, but the nice lady on the gate said it’s open until the autumn.
3
Jul 09
I’m a work of art. almost
I’ve been selected to take part in the One and Other project, which means I’ll be standing on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square for an hour on 17 July (well, I might sit for a bit – an hour’s a long time to stand. and I’m getting on a bit)
As I hadn’t expected to get a place, I hadn’t given much thought to what I’d do while I’m standing up there.
I entered the draw because I was already a fan of using the 4th plinth for temporary artworks, and Antony Gormley‘s project sounded intriguing. And an ego as big as mine couldn’t pass up the opportunity to become art
But, as I mentioned, I had no plans for what to do if I was selected. Luckily, twitter came to the rescue! @lowcarbondiary (Tracey Todhunter of LCCN) suggested:
“you could pose with a #colalife pod ….”
A bleedin’ great idea. I already knew of ColaLife through @51m0n (Simon Berry) so I got in touch with him, and we’re hoping that I’ll be able to take a giant ColaLife aidpod onto the plinth with me (it’s currently in the reception at NESTA).
It would be great if we could use this opportunity to get as much coverage of ColaLife as possible. I haven’t been able to work out the details with Simon yet, but if you’re interested in coming along, and helping to spread the word, why not:
- tweet me: @russelltanner
- email me: russell (at) rtanner (dot) co (dot) uk