Static - Book Launch. Thursday Dec 1st 18.00 - 20.00
‘Us and Them’ (2005) brings together the best of Static Pamphlet’s essays commissioned between 2003 and 2004. Including texts by James Heartfield, Dave Beech, John Byrne, Lewis Biggs and Bryan Davies. Design by Stathis Pertsinidis, Sheffield.
Published by Static. ISBN: 978-0-9546498-1-4

‘Seminal’ (2005). Static and Wildprojects commissioned seven art student to develop texts in response to the Liverpool Biennial 2004. Design by Alan Scroggie, pica, Liverpool. Published by Static. ISBN: 978-0-9546498-2-1

‘The Manufacture of Ultramarine Blue’ (2005) by Becky Shaw with text by Ron Mein and new essays by JJ Charlesworth and Joanna Spitzner. Published by Grizedale Arts. Design by David Hand, Burn, Liverpool. ISBN: 0-9542577-7-4

And last but not least, Static is delighted to be the Liverpool distribution point for ‘The Internationaler’, a new quarterly publication published in Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool. The pilot issue contains texts by Mark Hutchinson, Becky Shaw and Mark Ramsden, Jaspar Joseph –Lester, Jon Traynor and an interview of Pavel Buchler by Hester Reeve. Design by Stathis Pertisnidis. ISBN: 1748-5576

Following the launch all publications will be available for browsing and sale in Static’s new complex including the recently completed coffee bar and production spaces. Static will also launch 'Bookwall' in January 2006. The Bookwall makes a range of texts on social and political space available to all.

A reminder that the closing date for entries is next Friday December 9th.
I'm working with p-ornithology, the T Shirt company to promote this so I have set up a separate blog called 100Shirts (surprise) to report developments. I have seen a couple of the early entries and they're really good but remember that the top 100 will be printed and exhibited in Liverpool during January.
The 100Shirts Blog
Full details here (pdf file)
NOTE: The email address should be the100shirts@aol.com

Have you been to the Walker Art Gallery yet to see the Conrad Shawcross exhibition 'The Steady States'? You really should, not to be missed etc. There's only three pieces of sculpture but they're huge and involve a lot of science, cosmology, music theory and stuff so go prepared. Read the info on the Walker's website including the glossary of scientific terms and the interview and read some reviews. Then go and see it before it ends on February 26th 2006.
I was lucky enough to meet the artist last week. The poor guy was worn out after days of building the things but he kindly took time to talk about the works. I'm afraid my old brain had problems retaining the information. Actually its not that heavy really, its interesting and fun even if you don't bother to study the science.

Observer review
Daily Post review

From the Capital of Culture Visual Arts Team...

The Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008 presents as a part of City in Transition Programme:

A CROSS MEDIA THEATRE WORKSHOP WITH THE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION & dbox

Celebrating its 11th anniversary, THE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION is a leading New York-based performance and media company that exploits the richness of contemporary technologies to extend the boundaries of theatre. Based on unusual collaborations and extensive periods of development, The Builders Association’s productions feature a seamless blend of text, sound, architecture, video, and stage performances that explore the impact of technology on human presence.

Workshop information:
The workshop will alternate Builders “discussion sessions” with “work time” for the participants. Discussion sessions will revolve around the increasing incorporation of media in performance, its effect on contemporary theatre, and the political and social implications of the ‘mediatization’ of culture. We will also spend time on some practical matters: sustainability/connections/networking/touring, here and abroad and strategies for developing work. The workshop will require participants to actively engage in the contribution to each other’s projects. This engagement will be facilitated by the workshop leaders in consultation with each participant on the development of their project. Workshops participants will present documentation of their own work and discuss their practices within the context of cross Media Theatre.

Worksop Practicalities:
When:
Weds 26th April - Sat 29th April 2006 from 9am - 5pm
(Friday 28th April 9am - 1pm only)
Where:
The workshop will be held at FACT (The Box)

Full Details here

Laura Davis reports in today's Daily Post...

Milligan, developer of the Met Quarter on Victoria Street, wants to create a shopping experience that will befit the city's upcoming Capital of Culture status.
It has commissioned a group of artists, based in the North West, to design a series of works that will help it realise the centre's aim of becoming "synonymous with the finest design, art and craft of the region".
Turner Prize nominee Mel Chantrey has been brought in to oversee the cultural side of the project, which is due to open at the beginning of March.

My endless trawl of the internet in search of items relating to Liverpool art and culture unearths all kinds of bits and pieces. Here's one I spotted today, I knew that the council were encouraging people to do more recycling this Christmas but hadn't realised that the lights are being powered entirely from Bio-fuel made from vegetable waste.

There's a critical typing error in this Lighting & Sounds magazine report though..

The Bio Fuel that ruins these generators is made from reprocessed vegetable waste. It's 100 per cent natural, gives off no nasty emissions or exhaust fumes and is environmentally friendly. They consume about the same volume of fuel than diesel machines. "This is the first time we've had these available" says Grant, "And we are all keen to use them where possible in the future".

Lots of techie stuff if you're into lighting and sound, e.g...

Sound consisted of a Funktion One Resolution 5 system - eight elements a side, with two Res 4 infills, Turbo 450 wedges for monitors and a Midas Venice FOH console run by Francoise Lemoignan. Audile used their new Sennheiser 935 radio mics for the first time in an 8-way system.

Eh? Turbo wedges?

Don't know who the artist is but this amused me. The text on the wall says 'Key to making great art is all in the composition'.
Its in Bolton Street which is that awful grotty road that people who have just arrived at Lime Street station have to negotiate to reach the Adelphi hotel.

Full details at www.biennial.com

Development and Marketing Manager

Liverpool Biennial co-ordinates the UK’s festival of international contemporary visual art, and operates a ‘learning and inclusion’ programme and a public art agency. We’re a major player in Liverpool’s programme as European Capital of Culture 2008.

This exciting and demanding post manages two assistants to meet ambitious fundraising targets and deploy sophisticated marketing strategies. We are looking for a candidate with proven experience of delivery and with the ambition to meet an extraordinary opportunity.
£30k - £35k depending on experience - contract for 1 or 3 years.

For further information see attached application form, job description and biennial background information. Applications close: 2 January. Interviews: 12 January.

The Liverpool Centre for Arts and Development (LCAD) offers a FREE course to help Merseyside people gain the practical business skills to set up as a self-employed entrepreneur. Its 26 weeks and starts in January 2006. They are enrolling now. See the website for details

Red Dot Exhibitions have a show at John Moores University School of Art & Design at 68 Hope Street. Its titled 'Spellbound' and features photographs by Colin Serjent, Michelle Burrows and Ken Ashton and paintings by Sue Milburn, Claire Stringer, John O'Neil and Leon Jakeman. Its a good mixed show and the private viewing on Friday was very well attended. Do call in before it finishes on Friday December 2nd 2005.

It was a busy evening on Friday, before going to JMU I went to an acid party, oops, I mean an ACID Networking event at the Magnet bar. ACID is the Arts and Cultural Industries Development fund, they provide grants and other support to artists who wish to be self-employed. You can find out more through Liverpool Plus

Later I went to the launch party for the new edition of Nerve magazine which was held at 52 Roscoe St. (the Meta-conceptual gallery). Another good issue with the usual arts coverage and profiles of some local artists as well as lots of other interesting stuff.

Finally, I managed to catch some more of Liverpool Music Week at the Tea Factory. It was World Music night on Friday and I was glad to see Mamadou with the Libador Band (pictured here). As well as appearing at various venues in the city they promote West African music, dance and culture from their base in Toxteth. Check out the website for details of drum workshops etc.

the Art In Liverpool blog is 'website of the week' on the 24Hour Museum website. 24hour museum is an excellent website which I really should check out more often, here is the Liverpool page. It only lists the publicly funded galleries and museums though. You have to visit artinliverpool.com if you want to find out whats going on in the independent sector.

Did you know there's a nice little online newspaper called 'Liverpool News' which is run by John Moores University final-year journalism students?
Its updated every Thursday and last week Rachel Forsythe wrote an article with the headline 'Contemporary Painting Unpopular?' in which she quoted a few people who aren't too keen on the modern stuff. Anyway, this week, with the help of some quotes from my good self and Stephen Guy from NML, she gives a more positive view.

Contemporary painting unpopular?
Art expert brushes off apathy

I went back to the 55ROOTS exhibition at Polished T to see the completed mural by the Japanese artist, Dragon. I reported on the opening last week when Dragon was painting the mural during the evening. So here's a photo of the finished thing. Very nice.
By the way, Dragon is with the Dutch Uncle agency who have a very good list of illustrators on their website at www.dutchuncle.co.uk

Here's a nice idea. You can borrow one of these prints to hang in your home for 3 months.
Eleanor Hawkridge is the artist exhibiting 'As Far' at the Puschka restaurant in Rodney Street. She says...

"I made the 5 images on show as part of a performance, and as a way of getting the audience I want for the work I am lending it out to members of the public (people who live in Liverpool). It's about debt, renewal, the current climate in Liverpool and regeneration. It's about the dirt of the city and having a fresh start.
If anyone would like one they can contact me by email or sign up for one in the restaurant."

You can email Eleanor at houseofporcelain@hotmail.com
The exhibition opened in September but should be there for a while yet.

The latest exhibition at Egg cafe, curated by Headspace is called Live! and features photographs by various artists of live events. Some are bands but there's also wrestlers, bodybuilders, street performers, the Brouhaha festival and many others. The show opened with some live performances from Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney as 'The Bunny of Death' reciting something about Hitler and genetics while the audience were exhorted to play Tic-Tac-Toe and George Lund as the Funky Chicken who you can see here dutifully playing the game.
The artists are: Ben Zuhlcke, Jo Derbyshire ,George Lund ,Gaynor Sweeney, Jazamin Sinclair, Julie Nylander, Karen Henley, Yemi Abisola, Arvinder Bawa, Wendalena Kazinski, Colin Serjent, Sue Milburn, Tom Toti, Leon Jakeman, David Colbran, Joan Evans and Tony Knox.
Runs November 23rd - January 8th 2006

Late notice of another exhibition at Museum MAN opening Saturday Nov 26th at 19.00. This will be the final exhibition of 2005 and runs until December 30th.
'Beirut Out of War' - curated by Mai Ghoussoub

"The Museum MAN in Liverpool has asked me to curate an exhibition relating to Beirut and the reality of the city as seen by Lebanese artists.
I chose the title Beirut out of War, out instead of after because many artists in Lebanon faced the war by painting and sculpting an alternative reality in the midst of it. I chose out because many younger artists came back to Lebanon after having lived the reality of the war from outside, expressing through their installations, films and music a vision of their country that is both from In and from out of its geography and visual or artistic ‘heritage’. Out is also a better term in the political panorama of Beirut today, especially after the trauma caused by the bombs that have fortunately not (yet?) resulted in war but that have prompted a memory in the future of past fears.
Four Lebanese artists will bring their work in November 2005 at MAN Museum Liverpool reflecting through their different artistic languages and approaches their vision of Beirut Out Of War."

Strange goings-on at the normally staid Lady Lever Gallery this morning as NML staff and children from Church Drive Primary School, Port Sunlight dressed in their pyjamas to publicise the pyjama party this Sunday.
The event is inspired by Sleepwalkers, an installation from Pulling the Lever: Sculptures by Pete Ellis, the contemporary exhibition currently in the gallery, which consists of three pairs of suspended stripy pyjamas. This unique exhibition pays homage to many simple objects that we take for granted such as pyjamas, socks and sausages by displaying them amongst the gallery’s treasures.
The Peter Ellis exhibition opened on October 1st and I'm glad I finally got around to seeing it, it runs until January 8th 2006.
I'm too old for the Sunday party myself, its for children (and teddys) aged 7 and under.

The Lady Lever Art Gallery is inviting all sleepy-heads to a Pyjama Party on Sunday 27 November 2005 from 1330 - 1600 hours, a quirky free event for children aged seven and under.

Pyjamas, slippers, bed-heads and blankets are essential elements of the dress code for anyone attending this slumber party. Cosy story-telling sessions and sculpting activities using play dough are some of the party games that visitors can enjoy whilst lazing around in pyjamas.

The artists studios at 50 Parr St. are still open to the public until tomorrow- November 24th. 11.00-17.00. Well worth a look, I'm sure you can call round any day really, wrap up warm though, these poor guys don't have the luxury of proper heating.
The artists: Anna Benson, Peter Cameron, Tim Ellis, Daniel John, Gareth Jones, Frank Moore,
Nick Sykes, Chek-Huo Leung, Steve Strode, Marianna Whitehorn, Anna Ketskemety

Liverpool-based T Shirt company p-ornithology have launched a national t-shirt design competition open to artists and designers throughout the UK. Its called '100shirts', the best 100 be will exhibited in the city centre in January 2006 and the final 3 winners will receive between £300 and £1500.
Full details here (pdf file)
Closing Date December 9th 2005

The Pool Project
Development Manager
Part time (17.5 hours but flexible depending on need)
£25,000 per annum (pro rata)

The Pool Project is a Liverpool based not for profit organisation. Utilising the arts, the project seeks to explore, reveal and celebrate the origins of the city of Liverpool.

Are you highly skilled and able to manage the administration of this exciting project. Working alongside the Creative Director, you will be responsible for fundraising and budgetary control. You will have at least 3 years relevant experience. Experience of managing arts based projects useful but not essential

The post is offered initially on a one-year contract.

Closing date for applications 7th December 2005.
Interviews will be held in Liverpool on 19th December 2005.

For full details visit www.poolproject.co.uk or contact 0151 727 1074

From Adam Nankervis, MuseumMAN...

BLUE PRINT of the SENSES
Models and Instruction in an age of Uncertainty
museumMAN Liverpool Biennial 2006 call for submissions and contribution

Twinned together,the theme park and museum are intrinsic models borne out of polar, yet intertwined concepts of the hetrotopia. The ethereal and peripharal site of the circus,the sites of exotic exageration,mocked and painted wonder,collapsable consetenaed candy shacks was the illusionist canvas of the alien and its physical extremities.The inception of theidiosyncatic "permanent recipricol" of the Curiosity Shop was ,so it would seem, its bone collector. museumMANliverpool invite artists to submit work for the museumMAN's participation in The Liverpool Biennial 2006 with either a postal response or proposasition. The first incarnation at The Berliner Kunst Salon October 2005 saw over 100 artists response to the Blueprint in its first inception to much critical acclaim-dealing with the theme of the circus and the urban periphary.

Artists architects curators historians collectors of memorabilia and collections of a particular study or interest are invited to partake in this uniquely "lived in museum" that challenges the borders between acceptable notion of art+the sciences to create a valid dialogue of the disparate and yet ultimately a telling sign of the formulation of the modern museum. In the mid 19th Century the acceleration of exact science and the arts was to dust away eccentric aesthetes and devotees of unique forms and sciences,to establish the beginnings of the catalogue,and to develop guidance through history in an order that made human,animal,botanical,geological,spacial evolution,once an ill considered far away labyrinth the deliberate tools of selective representation in order to guide and instruct firstly the acamedician,and from the early success of World Fairs and Expositions,that of the public too.

By the beginnings of the 20th Century,both instiitutes had laid foundations.Architecture of folly and attainment,sympathy,harmonies,wonder and awe,though initially divisive in their aims,have by their very nature become brothers to serve the crowds.Architectual butrusses of ascent and descent in age of uncertainty. Blue Prints of the Senses will aim toward representing both artists and architects and art practitioners visions wether utopic or apocalyptic.An organic assemblage,The aim being the exhibition itself forms its own dynamic dialogue through stark,witty,fetishistic,planned and chaotic structure.Where Susan Hiller's Punch and Judy video insatallation awaits for the ergonimic immersion into space.in and out of memory,to the glass entombent of
extinct wildlife,leant from The Manchester Natural History Museum,fortune tellers behind marquettes of
Frank Gehry's Bilboa and The Judisches Museum blueprints of Lieberskind hanging akin to a tatooists
map.An intimate installation of a revolving schema of artists exhibitions including David Medalla''s Stitch
in Time and international artists whos legacies are undisputabed in an interactive weave of the particapory,the ephemeral,transportable,and through interaction,a free form catalogue of a definitive time.

Artists are free to post works and submissions to Adam Nankervis museumMAN Top Floor 48 Rodney Street Liverpool L1 1AA England Uk

A comprehensive catalogue will be printed during The Liverpool Biennial 2006

adam.museumman@gmail.com
www.museumman.org

From Liverpool Culture Company...

The Art of Living

Date: Thursday 1 December 2005, 9.30am - 3.45pm

Venue: The Royal Court Theatre, 1 Roe Street (central Liverpool)

Speakers:
Alison Atwell, Motivational Speaker
Alan Yates, Chief Executive of Merseycare NHS
Kathy Heywood, Project Manager for the Liverpool Culture Company Friend Ship Programme
Julie Hanna, Creative Health and Well Being manager, Liverpool Culture Company

The event aims to address the health agenda, focussing on the "Self help concept", linking in with the Liverpool Feel Good Initiative to develop the future '08 programme for health and well being.

The Art of Living event is an opportunity to consider what things contribute to our sense of well being with an emphasis on the links between creativity and well being. The event itself creates opportunities for fun and laughter, both of which perhaps we need in abundance to help us along on this journey.

The event is FREE, but to reserve a place you must RSVP as soon as possible to:

rsvp@liverpool.gov.uk

Haha, they obviously haven't seen what goes on at Private Viewings.

From the Guardian...

London's museums and art galleries should open until 10pm at weekends so people have an alternative to binge drinking in pubs and clubs, a report said today.
Offering the public more varied night-time entertainment, not geared solely towards young drinkers, is the key to avoiding a surge of antisocial behaviour in the wake of this week's extension of pub opening hours, according to the London Assembly.

I went along to St Georges Plateau to witness the big celebrity switch on of the Liverpool Christmas lights last night. I knew I wouldn't enjoy it but I feel duty-bound to record these momentous events, I know you all appreciate my efforts.
But I'm sad to say I gave up after half an hour so did not see the actual switch on by Sir Steve Redgrave (Olympic rower extraordinaire).
Having endured 'Perfectly Frank' the Sinatra tribute guy (he's rather good but its not my kind of music)
Then two local footballers, Tim Cahill of Everton
Kev Seed (Radio City DJ): 'So Tim, what do you think of this important issue of recycling eh?'
Tim: 'Pardon?'
and John Arne Risse of Liverpool 'We just want lots of 3 points for Christmas'
I lost all will to continue to stand in the freezing cold when some 'singer' called Tabby (x-factor finalist apparently)came on. Tabby? We had a cat called Tabby and he could sing just as well!
There was a rumour that the next treat was an ex Atomic Kitten so a hasty retreat was called for.

Still, many of the 15,000 crowd loved it. Its for the Kids.

So I'm going to cheat and go back tonight to take some pictures of the lights, I'm sure they'll be splendid.

Press Releas from North West Arts Council...
Over £700,000 have been awarded to regional arts projects and artists from Arts Council England, North West in October

53 projects in the North West region will receive a total of £743,152 in the latest round of Arts Council England, North West's Grants for the arts awards.

The Grants for the arts programme in the North West awards over £5 million annually to arts projects and is open to a wide range of groups and individuals. The programme distributes money from the national lottery and from government. For more information about the Grants for the arts programme, including how to make an application, contact Arts Council England on 0845 300 6200 or visit www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding

Listed here is a small selection of successful projects to benefit from Grants for the arts funding from Arts Council England, North West in October:

Trevor Avery, Sedburgh, Cumbria has been awarded £9,390 towards the project From Auschwitz to Ambleside, an 18 month video project that will centre on the journey of the child survivors of the Holocaust who came to be evacuated to a small, now vanished housing estate in the Lake District. It will culminate in a special installation event in Cumbria for Holocaust Memorial Day in 2007.

The digital and video journey will encompass and connect the locations closely associated with the events and journeys of the liberated children in Poland, Czechoslovakia and in the Lake District. The journey will include the museums and buildings at Auschwitz and the Terezin ghetto as well as the former site of the now disappeared public housing scheme at Calgarth (now Troutbeck).

The project will also include aspects of the art works and music produced in the Terezin ghetto by artists, writers and composers who disappeared into the death camps but whose work produced in the ghetto survived.

Jim Medway, Manchester has been awarded £29,000 towards a youth led comic project. The project will involve groups of new young immigrants producing comic books, which depict their daily lives, building both verbal and visual literacy skills. The project will run repeatedly, eventually creating a substantial collection of works, which for the reader will provide an engaging, amusing and informative insight into the lives of young immigrants. As part of the award Jim Medway will be attending a summer course at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, USA, which is wholly dedicated to sequential art, with an impressive list of successful and established comic artists.

Stockport Excellence Cluster has been awarded £25,000 towards a creative evaluation project. The project will involve the active participation of visual artists, pupils and staff in drawing together the impact of the Clusters programmes in an installation, which will help to determine future developments within the Cluster schools and their wider communities. The clusters programme is a partnership of 15 schools who work together to lead the way in developing new activities and projects to help children and young people get the very most out of their education. This project will develop and embed creative approaches and processes to engage children and young people in evaluation and consultation.

In response to this latest round of awards, Michael Eakin, Executive Director of Arts Council England, North West said:

'In the North West we are very lucky to have artists and arts organisations who produce such high quality and innovative work with the aim of enriching the lives of those who live in the region. The Grants for the arts awards in October reflect that quality and innovation, they will make a positive contribution to communities, children and young people across the region and create more opportunities for people to experience and take part in the arts.'

For more information about the Grants for the arts programme, including how to make an application, contact Arts Council England on 0845 300 6200 or visit www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding

End

For more press information contact: Neil Morrin, Assistant Communications Officer, Phone: 0161 827 9256 Email: neil.morrin@artscouncil.org.uk

www.artscouncil.org.uk

This week only. Ends Friday 25th at Heswall Library on the Wirral.
There are 3 photographers including Sean Bickerton painter, Ian Mackie an illustrator and creative wearables artist Alison Bailey Smith.
exhibition open during library opening times
9-7.30 mon
9-5 tues
closed wed
9-7.30 thurs
9-5 fri

the 7th edition of Nerve, the Arts and Culture mag from Catalyst Media is out this week and as usual there's a launch party.

Nerve 7 Launch Night - Including live music, video, etc at the Meta-conceptual Gallery, (adjacent to Grapes pub), 52 Roscoe Street.
Friday November 25th, 8pm to late. £2/£1 (unwaged) admission

Look out for the mag in all the usual places, its free.

Here is another local artist just added to the directory.
Terry Kane is influenced mainly by the German expressionists and his works are all oils on canvas.

The only thing that bothers me about this report is that, yet again, emails have been leaked. Emails shouldn't leak! More effort should be put into sacking the people who leak them rather than vilifying the original sender.

The BBC, Emin and a bill for £60,000 - The Observer
My original post on the unveiling of the sculpture.

Whenever I added (or updated) a local artist to the artinliverpool.com directory I used to post a link on the home page of the website but from now on I'll publish the fact on this blog instead.

So recent additions include:
Mary Christie
Kevin Humphreys
Sharon Mutch
Michael Haselden
Bob Iddon
Debbie Ryan
Annette Cox
Lynn Fraser
Arthur Roberts
Paul Elliker
Lynn Ben-Yousef
Carol Traynor
David Shiers

There's now so many, I need to divide the page up, its getting too big to display as one page.
Still plenty of room on the site for more though.
Link to artinliverpool.com directory of Liverpool artists

From the Liverpool Culture Company...

The Liverpool Culture Company is taking its plans for 2008 to the heart of Europe.

On Wednesday (November 23rd), culture and city council chiefs will host a high-profile reception in Brussels to launch its Business Plan in front of an influential European audience.

The Liverpool Culture Company's artistic director, Robyn Archer will outline the city's ambitions for a stunning Capital of Culture year to MEP's and top European Commission officials. The TV celebrity chef, and Deputy Chairman of the culture company, Loyd Grossman, will be hosting the event

The 400 guests will be treated to a taste of Liverpool's outstanding cultural talent, with a performance by musical ensemble, Tarang, who will play a selection of north and south Indian music. Tarang is part of Milap Festival trust, which was launched in the city ten years ago as a music festival and has since developed into a regional and national force in South Asian arts.

The Business Plan details how a massive £95m is to be spent on the 2008 celebrations - one of the biggest amounts ever spent by a Capital of Culture city. More than 90 per cent of the funding needed has already been secured, including a major contribution from private companies. The budget allocates £26m for investment in stunning art and cultural venues in the city, while £12m is to be spent on promoting Liverpool as a premier European city to a national and international audience.

Andrew Holmes: ‘Light Signatures’ project began tonight. The Palm House website currently gives a good description of what it's all about:

"The work takes its inspiration from the eight Victorian statues arranged around the Palm House - John Parkinson, Christopher Columbus, Charles Darwin, Andre Le Notre, Linnaeus, Captain James Cook, Gerardus Mercator and Henry the Navigator -- all explorers and pioneers noted for their discovery and classification of the natural world. It consists of projections of the signatures of the 8 figures at 4 locations around the park."

So now the parade field outside my window has the signatures of John Parkinson and Andre Le Notre projected from Brompton House. The words are very bright and look particularly good in the midnight darkness. If you stare at them for long enough they begin to disappear, like ink drying. They're going to be in place for twelve months and one night I'm definitely going to walk the perimeter of the park to see them all, at least at ground level.

[John Davies gives further background on the selection process here.]

Its a nice gallery this...

Christmas Fine Art and Contemporary Craft Event 2005
Chapel Gallery, St Helen's Road, Ormskirk L39 4QR
Map: Chapel Gallery
Tel: 01695 571328
Email: chapel.gallery@westlancsdc.gov.uk
Date: 25 November 2005

This popular annual event gives visitors an excellent opportunity to pick-up unique gifts in the festive surroundings of the Gallery while evening visitors are greeted with complementary mulled wine, live music and a great atmosphere.

With its growing reputation, artists and makers from throughout the UK participate in the event, bringing together striking collections of jewellery, prints, ceramics, paintings and more, to display for sale.

So I'm listening to my free CD of roots music as I type this. The likes of Lee Perry, Bob Marley and U Roy. Not my favourite genre but its ok and there's no denying its influence on youth culture and pop music over the last 30 years or so.
These were being handed out at the launch of the 55Roots exhibition at Polished T last night along with live music from The Mighty Trojan Sound System and a live mural painting by 'Dragon' from Japan (pictured).
The exhibition features 6 artists who have interpreted 16 original Trojan tracks. The artists are:
Dragon and Shibuya from Japan, Mitchy Bwoy, James Carney, Jim Stoten and Peter Quinnell. Some really good figurative work here.

The show is a collaboration between 55DSL (spin-off from Diesel clothing) and Trojan Records. It moves on to Birmingham on December 1st then to Glasgow and London.
55DSL Website (some nice graphics, have a look at the 'poo on art' section)
Trojan Records
At Polished T 37-41 Duke Street until November 28th 2005

Joe Riley of the Echo has come up with a list of 10 reasons to love Liverpool. Seems there's a Love Liverpool campaign being launched.
I'm so proud to be a scouser.

8 The best creative arts and entertainments scene in the UK - and that includes London. A procession of stars of stage, screen and television other towns and cities can only dream of. Plus the premier national art collections outside the capital, with the Walker considered one of the 20 greatest galleries for Victorian art in the world. That easy access feel to city locations makes Liverpool the top UK destination for movie-makers

Full article.

Yes, it is still the year of the sea and Sea Liverpool and I don't think I can take much more marine-related art but this is JMW Turner and one should never miss an opportunity to admire some original Turners. Apparently, nearly a third of Turners paintings represent the sea, these are just a few from the Tate's collection.
There are several of his rapidly-executed watercolour studies of sea and sky. I love the contrast between the grand detailed oils and the very simple watercolours.

Turner - The Sea at Liverpool Tate until April 23rd 2006, free admission.

Very nice bit of artwork on the Google UK home page today. Its by Lisa Waiwaina, age 11. You can see more here.

After reading this quote from Ruxanda Bulaci the curator of a Mark Lewis exhibition in Bucharest, I wanted to know what 'atomized singularities in Brownian trajectories' meant. So just for a bit of fun I passed it through Google translate from English to German and then back again.
I'm no wiser..

Mark Lewis’ work is about time and space. It is about the inexorable flow of time; about alienated atmospheres, impersonal architectures and wasted landscapes conveying psychologically latent feelings: of life and death, of micro and macro, of order and chaos, of entropy and anti-entropy, of the interplay between the simple and the inordinately complex. It is about atomized singularities in Brownian trajectories… about contemporary solitude

After translating to German and back...

Mark work Lewis ' are over time and space. It is over the inexorable river of the time; over alienated atmospheres, and the landscapes, which convey psychologically latent feelings, wasted impersonal architecture: of the life and of the death of micro and of macro, the order and the chaos, of entropy and of anti-entropy, the reciprocal effect between the simple and that unsettled complex. It is over atomisierte peculiarities in the Brownian flight path... over contemporary Solitude

OK, not a real one but its a scale model of an actual iceberg and it felt cold enough this morning when I went down there to take a look. I like it, I will have to go back at night to see what its like with the lights shining on it. Its there until February 10th 2006.
Here are the full details...

Beyond the Irish Sea is a large-scale sculpture by artist Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, ‘drawn’ using data scanned from an actual iceberg. This stunning sculpture, which also acts as a weather station, was unveiled on Thursday 10 November at 12 noon on the South Lawn of Liverpool Pier Head.
Beyond the Irish Sea is based on the 460 ft deep iceberg,“r11i01”, which broke away from the Greenland ice-sheet and drifted into the Labrador Sea in 2001. Working with the Canadian Hydraulics Centre, the artist acquired topographical data of the iceberg, using a combination of radar and sonar technology above and below water. The resulting sculpture is modeled on this data, scaled down to create a work just under 18 feet high.
The sculpture has been commissioned by Liverpool Biennial and is supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Henry Moore Foundation. It is temporarily sited until 10 February 2006 on the Pier Head to form a part of the Sea Liverpool 2005 celebrations.
Constructed from 561 aircraft aluminium tubes and connected by 148 digitally printed rapid-prototype joints, the iceberg is mounted on two shipping containers, while the addition of an anemometer, used to measure wind speed and direction, reveals the artist’s ongoing fascination with the weather.
Situated between the River Mersey and the Port of Liverpool Building, historic home of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, the sculpture’s location signals a midway position between the forces of nature and human efforts to control and predict these.
For the artist, ‘climate’ extends beyond ‘natural’ phenomena to encompass a whole set of seemingly intangible forces – social, political and economic – which affect and condition contemporary life. The sculpture explores these forces through using weather as a metaphor.
The title refers to Liverpool’s historic legacy as one of the primary ports for emigration to America during the late 19th century. Today Liverpool continues to hold a prominent position amidst other world ports as a key centre for the shipping of containerized goods. Beyond the Irish Sea reflects on these shifts within a contemporary climate of growing concern about globalization and the environment.

CHRISTMAS FAIR
World Museum Liverpool hosts festive Fair Trade shopping.

World Museum Liverpool is celebrating its first Christmas with a festive shopping evening at its Fair Trade Shop on Wednesday 23 November 2005 from 17.30 to 20.30 hours.

Shoppers are invited to take the stress out of Christmas with a free glass of mulled wine and fair trade nibbles whilst children from St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School sing Christmas carols.

Visiting World Museum’s well-stocked Fair Trade Shop provides an opportunity to do Christmas shopping safe in the knowledge that the goods on display are manufactured without exploiting child labour or using animal testing.

Shoppers can browse through an extensive range of gifts, including jewellery, textiles, confectionery and stationery - all supplied by recognised fair trade importers who contribute to sustainable development in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

World Museum Liverpool’s gift shop is the first museum shop to achieve accreditation by the British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS).

T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity
Merseyside ACME has published a new publication to help creative businesses. Written by management consultant David Parrish, the book provides both inspirational and practical advice for all those involved in running or setting up a creative business. David draws on his own experiences of running creative businesses and the insights he has gained from helping hundreds of people in creative enterprises.

Full details on the ACME website

Off Topic but I have to mention that the Sigur Ros concert at Liverpool Philharmonic on Sunday was brilliant, doesn't get much better.
In fact it was a good weekend musically. On Friday I saw the excellent A Hawk and A Hacksaw (pictured) and Zukanican at View Two Gallery then Saturday night it was the Hive Festival of New Electronic Music at Korova. Well done to the Hive Collective, their first festival seemed to be a great success.

I love this animation of a fugure being drawn starting with the skeleton. I can watch it for ages.
Via Drawn!