Lady Lever Art Gallery Artwork of the Month - September, 2006
'The Piggery', by George Morland

About the artwork
George Morland, whose pictures can be seen in both the Lady Lever and Walker collections,was arguably the most genuinely popular of late eighteenth-century British artists. During his brief life, according to his contemporary biographers he may have produced as many as 4000 paintings. However this and many other highly-coloured "facts" about him need to be treated
with caution.

This painting is a fine example of Morland's characteristic rural subjects - rustic life with plump animals and contented rosy-cheeked peasants that presents an idyllic rather than accurate view of the English countryside. Pigs have had a mixed place in art - appearing as symbols of gluttony, sin or uncleanliness in religious art, or, in contrast like here, as part of a scene of rustic plenitude.

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Liverpool Walker Art Gallery - Artwork of the Month - September, 2006

'Self-portrait as a Young Man', by Rembrandt van Rijn

About the artwork
This year is the 400th anniversary of the birth of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) in the Dutch university town of Leiden, where his father was a miller. Rembrandt became one of the most celebrated European artists. His contemporaries admired his printmaking and portraiture. Later artists and collectors praised the compassionate humanity and psychological realism of his images, drawn from the Bible and ancient mythology, and above all his series of often profound self-portraits, of which he painted more than any other artist of his time.

The Walker Art Gallery’s 'Self-portrait as a Young Man' is one of the best documented of Rembrandt’s self-portraits. Although it is not dated we know fairly well when it was painted, between 1629-31, who first owned it and even under what circumstances and for whom it might have been commissioned. Rarely is there this amount of documented information for the other 80 or more self-portraits that Rembrandt produced in painted and print form over the course of his life.

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We have had an excellent response to our call for submissions for digital art and will start selecting the 200 images for the online gallery tomorrow. Today - August 31st is the deadline so if you were thinking of entering you had better act quickly.

Full details: www.digitalshow.co.uk

Here's details of Liverpool's newest and coolest exhibition venue Cube noir, housed in The Albany, a beautiful refurbished Victorian building designed by JK Colling, who also designed the National Portrait Gallery.

This impressive list of exhibitions will be running as part of the Independents Biennial Liverpool 2006.

Inaugural

Cube noir gallery
The Albany, Old Hall Street Liverpool
EXHIBITION DATES 14.09.06-19.11.06
OPENING TIMES 10.00-16.30
An eclectic mix of the finest representational artists working, living or born in the North West, includes work by MOST ESTABLISHED ARTISTS.

The Northwest Passage

EXHIBITION DATES 14.09.06-19.11.06
OPENING TIMES 10.00-16.30

The Northwest passage is an imaginative conduit for two of the most provocative and enquiring design studios, Mcfaul and Love, whose origins root firmly in the Northwest. Taking its inspiration from the tidal ebb and flow of the Mersey and the constant flux of people moving through the region throughout its history. The Northwest Passage provides a restless forum for collaborative thought and artistic debate mediated on the notion of progress and transition.

Cut for Confidence

EXHIBITION DATES 14.09.06-19.11.06
OPENING TIMES 10.00-16.30
These 'coffee table' paintings show yesterday's magazines printed with last weeks news a year into the future! This is the latest work by Liverpool based talent, Tim Ellis. It is his farewell to the city before starting his MA at the prestigious Royal Academy.

Score draw

EXHIBITION DATES 14.09.06-19.11.06
OPENING TIMES 10.00-16.30

An exhibition of paintings by Gareth Kemp inspired by the beautiful game, showing that football, like art, has a knack of imitating and reflecting life and the world it exists in.

Soup versus Gazpacho

EXHIBITION DATES 14.09.06-19.11.06
OPENING TIMES 10.00-16.30

Artists who work within the Liverpool Art World slog it out in an exhibition with a competitive edge. This exhibition showcases work produced by workers of two of Liverpool's biggest art institutions. Usually these artists work behind the scenes as curators, information assistants, art handlers, educators but during the biennial there will be a role reversal!!

Collidoscope Art Fair

at Ullet Road Unitarian Centre, a Grade 1 listed, Art Nouveau building,
over Heritage weekend, 9-10 September. 1-4pm.

www.ullet-road-church.org.uk
www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ed/merseyside/liverpool

From Lydia Bates (aka The Artfinder) who is about to open her new gallery in the city centre...

The Artfinder's Gallery
6 Queen Avenue
Liverpool
L2 4TG
0845 257 0357
(just down from the Oddbins off Castle St near the town hall)

I'm opening to the public at 3:30pm on Monday September 4th, and will be staying open until 8:30pm, the first exhibition will be a show of original prints by Sir Peter Blake. Sir Peter will be there as the guest of honour at some point in the evening.

There will of course be drinks and nibbles for anyone who pops in, and I promise not to go on too much about the amount of work needed to clean 150 years of grime from a wodden floor :) .

Regular opening hours will be 11-2 and 4-6, Monday to Friday, during exhibitions, and 'by appointment' outside of those times.

HeadSpace Invite You To:

"Funded By Feeling": ...a selection of work from the last two years...
By Leon Jakeman

Exhibition Opening: Thursday 31 August, 2006. Refreshments Available.

Venue: EggSpace; 16 - 18 Newington Buildings; Liverpool; L1 4DE.
Dates: 31 August - 15 September 2006
EggSpace Opening Times: Mon - Sat: 10:30 - 22:30 / Sun: 10:30 - 17:00

"The human condition gives me the greatest sense of inspiration, providing an interest in how people communicate, relate and interact with one another, ultimately studying coping mechanisms, strategies, and patterns within life - experimenting with how we manage to learn and adjust with the constant changes that we will experience over time, finding ways to improve or rebuild our lives under given pressures.

My main focuses are seen and developed from everyday materials, surroundings and subjects that have been exposed to the elements of life itself. I look for unusual colours, patterns, textures and forms within my subjects using these to bring awareness and a connection with what we tend to take for granted, ultimately to brighten up our own lives. On a personal level it is a productive way to cope with my past and ongoing stresses - using my feelings/emotions and memories to work theraputicaly within my practice, thus constantly re-evaluating myself within my given landscape and mind frame working in whatever expressive context I choose to work in.

My creative workings continually allow me to become stronger and gain more confidence within life itself. It has been, is, and always will be a channel for me to voice lightness and darkness through my past, present and future experiences. I choose to work this way, and I do so as it allows me to cope, persecute, destroy and ultimately to be perceived and understood."
Leon Jakeman.

Norman Parkinson: Portraits In Fashion at Lady Lever Art Gallery 10 June - 24 September 2006

Thanks to Liz Lacey for this review

Norman Parkinson- an eye for elegance.
Liz Lacey

Norman Parkinson was the pre-eminent fashion photographer in Great Britain from the late 30s until his death in 1990.
Born in 1913, he was apprenticed to a portrait photographer.
At just twenty-one, he opened his own studio and began to work for the British edition of Harper's Bazaar . His photographs graced many a chic and glossy magazine. His lively sense of humour, and ability to combine beautiful images of women with settings that departed from convention, set him apart from more staid fashion photographers of the time, and enabled him to capture the spirit of each successive decade.

Norman Parkinson was six foot five inches tall. He was inclined to the fashion statement in his own garb, and appeared in smoking jackets, brocade frock-coats, and famously, a Kashawari wedding hat .He experimented with his luxuriant moustache, teasing it into a variety of forms. His idiosyncratic personality and fondness for society, made him a celebrity and a darling of the London smart set . His innovative style transformed the static, posed approach to fashion photography, while he charmed his sitters and projected an alluring and glamorous public image.

Many of the greatest icons of the twentieth century, as well as some of the world's most beautiful women, are revealed through Parkinson's unique eye for glamour and beauty. This exhibition, though small, brings together twenty five key photographs that pay tribute to his skill as a fashion and portrait photographer.

Subjects featured include Montgomery Clift, Ava Gardner, and Audrey Hepburn. He took models out of the studio and caught them on the way to work, or perched them onto the backs of ostriches and among herds of slumbering wild elephants He was amongst the first photographers to use of outdoor color photography . Many a well-travelled model today can thank him for his pioneering of exotic locations for fashion shoots.

One of his better known remarks upon his own work was “ I like to make people look as good as they think they do. And with luck, a lot better..”. But what made Parkinson a great photographer was his view of women. “They are more courageous, more industrious, more honest, more direct." he said. This exhibition brings together twenty-five of his most iconic and exquisite images, and includes Audrey Hepburn, Jerry Hall, and his wife, the model Wenda Rogerson. It will delight anyone who appreciates beauty, style, and humour in photography.

All images © courtesy Norman Parkinson Archive

Latest addition is Karen Adamson who recently exhibited in the St Helens Open art exhibition.
Karen says..
"Colour, form and texture are a passion of mine. Combining various techniques and mediums to create images.

Life is about experiences, old and new and how you view the world and those around you. "

She has her own website at:
www.karenadamson.co.uk

To coincide with the Beatles Week / Mathew Street Festival, Ikonography are exhibiting the work of major photographers and artists from the ‘60’s including Robert Whitaker, Bill Zygmant, Astrid Kircherr, Klaus Voorman and John Lennon.

There are a lot of interesting and familiar (dare I say, iconic) images on display and for sale

The retrospective follows the transformation of the group from their early days in Hamburg through to the psychedelic era. For Beatles’ fans, the exhibition represents a rare opportunity to see the group’s former friends’/photographers’ works all presented together at once.

I called in yesterday and met one of the photographers, Bill Zygmant. He told me this was the first time he had ever exhibited his work. He is often asked to, of course, but he is more interested in just taking good photographs and has always enjoyed the work. He's pictured here in front of some of his photos. You can see plenty more on his website:
www.zygmant.com

Bill Zygmant,
Part-Lithuanian, Bill began his photography career in 1961 when he became a journalistic photographer for the London Evening News by accident. Having discovered a certain talent with a camera, he soon went on to become a freelancer and took pictures of a wide variety of big 60’s names including Lennon, Hendrix and Bolan. Bill’s work will be a major feature of the exhibition.

Robert Whitaker
Part -Australian, Whitaker was born in this country but moved to Melbourne in 1961 to go to university and became friends with major figures in the Australian art world. He met The Beatles in 1964 when they toured Australia and Brian Epstein offered him a job as a staff photographer. Some of his most famous work includes the ‘Butcher’s Sleeve’ picture that was used on an LP cover released in the U.S. that had to be withdrawn due to complaints. He is famous for having said “There were about 100 people who ran the Sixties.” Whitaker seems to have either photographed or hung out with most of them. A lot of his own work and his own private collection of work was featured in last year’s ‘Summer of Love’ exhibition at Tate Liverpool due to his key involvement with a wide variety of artists, musicians and writers during the whole psychedelic era.

Astrid Kircherr and Klaus Voorman
Astrid and Klaus were both German art students who met The Beatles when they were working in Hamburg. Astrid became engaged to band member Stuart Sutcliffe who subsequently left the group. She later went on to become a freelance photographer.
Klaus Voorman was initially an artist but also turned out to be something of a musician himself. He followed The Beatles to London and ended up joining the band Manfred Mann. He designed the album cover for their LP ‘Revolver’ but turned increasingly towards the musical side of his career and became a session artist, eventually moving to the U.S.

At Ikonography until Wednesday August 30th 2006

GRAFFITI DISPLAY at 1847'EVEN on 16 Newington, Liverpool!

Young People having been working over the last 20 weeks with Zap Graffiti Arts as part of the POPS "GRAFFITI AT WORK" training programme with Leasowe Development Trust. Over the next few days you can see them at work on this quirky shop front!

For further info on the Graffiti art courses available for young people across the UK,
please contact ZAP GRAFFIIT ARTS on 0151-702 9057 or 0771-6548 629:
E-mail: info@zapgraffiti.com Website: http://www.zapgraffiti.com

Liverpool artist, Julie Jones, has been in residency at Liverpool Parish Church of Our Lady and St. Nicholas, for the past 2 weeks.

I did not go to see her in action myself but she has been keeping a fascinating diary of her time there which you can read on her website.

This is one of three residencies organised by Dying Frog. The resulting works will be shown during the Liverpool Biennial (Independents).

At this time of year its compulsory to mention the Beatles. With the International Beatles Week and the Mathew Street Music Festival here in Liverpool its hard to avoid it and I'll certainly be enjoying the weekend.

What I hadn't realised is that National Museums Liverpool have a large collection of Beatles-related items which, apart form the odd Stuart Sutcliffe painting, rarely go on public display.
I discovered via their Blog that you can at least see the items online in their Online Beatles Exhibition. Lots of interesting stuff there. I never realised, for instance that there were Beatles Xmas Records which were exclusive to the Fan Club members.

I haven't reviewed a book for quite a while, in fact I haven't read a book for ages. Don't find the time but this is one of those books you can dip into now and then for a light-hearted break from the hard slog.

London Street Art is the first street art book solely on London, which is surprising as there is so much of it ands its been around a long time. Apart from the 2 page introduction there is no text, leaving the pictures to speak for themselves. Of course, the work is anonymous but I'm sure graffiti aficionados will recognise many of the 'authors', there's certainly some of Banksy's work in there.
The book is by Alex MacNaughton, a freelance press photographer and is published by Prestel Publishing

Readers will know that I am not a fan of defacing of public buildings however good the artwork but I can still enjoy the humour (some are very funny) and skill of the artists and looking at them in a book like this helps me ignore the location to a degree.

'London Street Art' by Alex MacNaughton, Prestel, Publication date: 4th September, 2006
Padded hardcover • 17 x 12 cm • 3-7913-3674-6 • £8.99
96 pages with 150 colour illustrations

Thought you might like to practice your ink drawing skills this weekend.
Re-blogged from Eyebeam reBlog...

Hot off the heels of his colouring tutorial (previously on Drawn!), MAD Magazine’s Tom Richmond offers up a wonderfully-detailed and thorough tutorial on how he inks one of his illustrations. He explains the tools he uses, the various types of inks, how he holds his pens, how he moves his arms, cross-hatching, solid blacks — you name it! He even drops a few secrets of some of the older generation of MAD artists like Mort Drucker and Jack Davis.

Tom Richmond’s Inking Tutorial: Part One | Part Two

Originally posted by Johnny from Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog

Here's a small but interesting exhibition on the first floor of the Maritime Museum.

'Hello Sailor! - Gay Life on the Ocean Wave' looks at crew life on passenger and merchant ships between the 1950s and 1980s when being at sea was one of the few places gay men could be themselves.

Hello Sailor! flags up a period of great social change. Until 1967 homosexuality was illegal and gay men were often persecuted and prosecuted. Many chose a life in the Merchant Navy where there was greater tolerance of camp and effeminate men.

Gay culture has been a feature of seafaring life for centuries but it is still largely a hidden one even today. Hello Sailor! reveals this hidden history for the first time in a major museum. It shows how on board ship gay men were welcomed in catering but engineers, pursers and officers had to be more cautious as they could face hostility or lose their jobs.

There was a great diversity among gay men at sea during this period. Some were out, camp and casual while others remained in the closet and wary. Lesbian women were less evident on board ship and were more discreet.

Hello Sailor! shows how life at sea contrasted with life at home. There is a recreation of a steward’s cabin featuring a flamboyant dress of the type worn during camp crew shows. Film clips of shows from the 1950s and 1960s feature interviews of seafarers who appeared in them.There are photographs and other ephemera from the period such as hand-made posters advertising shows. Gay seafarers talk about their lives in taped interviews. There is also film of the gay wedding of two former seafarers who have been together since 1974.

Gay seafarers have drawn maps for the exhibition from memory showing where they could find gay bars in ports around the world. There are examples of Polari – a secret language used by gay men in public places.

Dr Jo Stanley says: “Hello Sailor! brings the personal stories of gay men who served in the Merchant Navy to a new audience.

“There was a fascinating gay culture on ships which was very different from life on shore. For a camp man a place such as the dining saloon was his stage, cruising place, playground, club and theatre for informal entertainment throughout the meal. Gay dining room stewards minced, flirted with passengers and made a camp show of waiting at table.”

Dr Stanley, author with Paul Baker of Hello Sailor: The Hidden History of Gay Life at Sea, adds: “Passengers, especially regulars, often welcomed camp seafarers because they gave good customer service.

“When camp seafarers came ashore, particularly in the 1950s and early 60s, they were like colourful butterflies in a drab world.”

Hello Sailor! is supported by Homotopia, Liverpool’s gay-led festival of arts, film and performance. This year it is being staged 1 – 14 November.

'Hello Sailor' runs until March 25th 2007

Although not based in Liverpool. Andrej has links with the city through his work with the London Biennale - Museum MAN collaboration. Here is a review by John Byrum (American writer and curator) of his latest show in London's Shoreditch Gallery.

Andrej Tisma - Advertising the Fight for Mental Survival / digital prints

Pin in the Inflated Bubble of Expectations
by John Byrum

The meanings of Andrej Tisma's works reside and resound in the contrast between the perfection of the advertising image and the reality in which we actually live. Mr. Tisma would like us to be aware that these images exist to convince us to alter our behaviour, i.e., to purchase something which we might not have previously considered purchasing. Or, perhaps, more subtly, to act as yet another in a virtually endless string of such images that, taken in total over our lives, goes a long way toward influencing our thought, and circumscribing the possibilities of our thinking.

The advertiser must create a mythology of sorts, a visual mythology of perfection attainable through the product. Mr. Tisma undercuts that message by simply contrasting this false fable of fashion with the physical reality of the everyday, thus inserting a much-needed pin in the inflated bubble of our expectations. The point of his pin seems to be the contrast between the projection of an ideal, timeless, perfect product for consumption, with the everyday reality of decay and imperfection in which we actually live. Mr. Tisma’s collages thus lead us to discover interesting parallels between Platonic idealism and consumer advertising.

Mr. Tisma reminds us that decay and decomposition is inevitable. Timeless perfection is a chimera, all we can know is transformation.

And, didn't we know this already anyway? Mr. Tisma's works are here to remind us.

London show

These works will be on view in the London's Shoreditch Gallery, 5 Hoxton Market - August 16th-31st 2006

Influential artist, Sandra Blow died on August 22nd. She was a prize-winner in the 1961 John Moores painting competition and Editions gallery in Cook St. had an exhibition of her prints just last October.

From The Times obit...

Sandra Blow
September 14, 1925 - August 22, 2006
Abstract artist who followed the example of Chagall in producing innovative work into old age

SANDRA BLOW’S large, bold collage pictures have an immediacy that belies her method of working. They are not, as one might suppose, the inspiration of a moment but the result of painstaking experimentation. Blow temporarily stapled pieces of coloured paper or other material to canvas, wood, board or paper, and altered positions, shapes and colours until the final overall composition of a picture suggested itself. “I wait for the picture to talk to me — to tell me what it wants,” was how she put it. And it was not until the picture cleared its throat that she would reach for her paintbrush to work around whichever of the appended items she retained.

The Liverpool Collective of the Transvoyeur artists have come together to contribute a selection of art of a diverse nature for an auction.

Date: Wednesday 06 September 2006, 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm

Venue: View Two Gallery, 23 Mathew Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 6RE .
Tel: 0151 236 9444

- Performances by Transvoyeur artists -

Auctioneer: Peter Worthington (Director of South Bohemian Gallery)
Curator: Tony Knox and Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney.
Transvoyeur Management Team (Liverpool): Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney, Jo Derbyshire, George Lund and Tony Knox.

In association with Transvoyeur, View Two Gallery, Podgy and South Bohemian Gallery:

I'm looking forward to this exhibition of works from the Tate Collection which opens on Saturday.

Tate Collection Display at Tate Liverpool

Patrick Caulfield
26 August 2006 - 4 February 2007

This display brings together paintings and prints from the Tate Collection to celebrate the work of Patrick Caulfield, who emerged during the 1960s and died in 2005.

Traditional genres such as landscape, still-life and the domestic interior are radically re-imagined to produce images of startling originality. Finding his subject matter in the everyday world, his work exudes a highly personal style where detail is reduced to bold areas of vivid colour and form to solid black outlines, evoking a vivid sense of place both melancholic and mysterious.

Some of you might like to help out this student. I have uploaded the questionnaire (word doc) here so you can download it, fill in the gaps and email it to her at melissa.rigby@st-catherines.oxford.ac.uk

My name's Melissa Rigby and I am a Geography undergraduate at Oxford University. I'm currently working on my dissertation and was wondering if you could help me out?
I'm attempting to assess the state of grassroots and alternative culture in Liverpool in the context of the city's regeneration programme. In order to reach some sort of conclusion I'm relying massively on the opinions
of a handpicked selection of local organisations, venues and individuals.

I'd be really interested in hearing the views of an actual artist living in the city. I realise how busy you must be, but any feedback you give would be very much appreciated!

From culturepool: www.culturepool.org.uk

What
A curator led tour of the Discovery Centre and Bug House plus tickets for the new Theatre House
Organised especially for culturepool, this is a unique chance to talk to the curators and examine some of the exhibits. The tour will be followed by a discussion in a room provided by the museum.
Note: may include bugs - the exhibits that is, not the curators!

When
Saturday 2nd September 2006
Meet @ 1.30pm in the foyer of the World Museum Liverpool.

Where
World Museum Liverpool
William Brown St, Liverpool L3 8EN. Call the museum on 0151 478 4393 for directions.

Who
World Museum curators
Curators from the Bug House and Discovery Centre will act as guides for the group.

How
No need to book for this FREE event

Just turn up at the World Museum. Note: a limited number of tickets are available for the Theatre House.

The new Bluecoat Display Centre Two is brilliant. We called in there today and were amazed at the great job the staff had done in a short time.

Its the former Black's Outdoor Store in Hanover Street, so where there used to be tents, rucksacks and other useless stuff there is now some beautiful sculptures, ceramics, jewellery, paintings etc.

Its a shame its only there until Spring 2007 when the premises will be demolished as part of the Paradise Development.
Meanwhile the original Display Centre is still accessible (just about) from College Lane just opposite.

The current exhibition:
Flower Power 19 August – 16 September
Mixed media exhibition of work inspired by flora and fauna. Artists featured include North West based Kazuhito Takadoi, Ruth Moilliet, Audrey Hayes, Molly Rathbone, Jennifer Barker and Elspeth Edmondson plus many more.

Went to a nice little party at the Heart & Soul restaurant last night. There was music provided by Mellowtone and we met some of the dot-art artists.

Actually I know quite a few of them as they are all local and have appeared on artinliverpool site in the listings or reviews or the artists directory at various times.

Dot-art sells paintings either through their website or through contact with the public and business.
Two of their artists, Garry Lawlan and Jasmine Maddock have recently received sponsorship from local businesses via Dot-art.

Now they have announced plans to open up a 'real' gallery in the city centre in September. Plans are still being finalised so you will need to keep checking here for further news.

www.dot-art.com

Preview by Catherine Jones for tonight's Echo of the exhibition at Ikonography (she spells it Iconography, never mind).

He took one of the first pictures of John and Yoko together and once borrowed the Beatles' psychedelic Rolls Royce for a photo shoot.

Visitors will have a chance to buy copies of the pictures and on Saturday have them signed by the photographer himself.

It opens on Friday August 25th at the gallery and photography studio above the Beatles Shop in Mathew Street.

There is a viewing on Thursday evening.

LINK

NB: Ends Monday August 28th 2006.

On a large screen in Gallery1 at FACT is a video of a man wearing a helmet spinning round whilst suspended from the ceiling. Except he isn't really hanging from the ceiling that would be impossible or at least very painful. The image has been inverted and is in slow motion. Doesn't sound very exciting I suppose but I sat there for quite a while watching it and marvelling at how the human body works. This work is called Pataphysical Man by Shaun Gladwell, the title refers to the science of the absurd as defined by Alfred Jerry.

The other reason I was happy to stay and watch for a while was because I was seated on Zizi the Affectionate Couch (Stephen Barrass, Linda Davy & Kerry Richens) a strange shaped furry sofa that reacts to people sitting on it and stroking it. It vibrates and purrs, quite a pleasing experience, I wonder where I can buy one for the home.

Another work in Gallery1 is Expecting (Van Somerwine, Isobel Knowles & Liam Fennessy) an interactive installation. By squeezing a small teddy bear you can cause the animated girl to give birth to a small child which she then serves tea to and then play and fight together. Very clever and slightly disturbing.

Also in Gallery1 is Cross-Reference (Craig Walsh) which is a film of people walking in a street past a hidden camera, every so often one of the pedestrians will stop and peer into the camera. Because its a large scale picture the viewer feels a bit small and insecure.

The Shy Picture (Narinda Reeders & David McLeod) is sort of the opposite to Cross-Reference as this time the people in the video are seemingly frightened off by us, the viewers. Its a very clever use of motion-sensing software. As the viewers approach the screen the family in the film run away and hide and only return once the viewer has moved away again.

Finally in Train No 8 Daniel Crooks uses his signature 'timeslice' technique to alter the look and shape of a train ride through London.

In Gallery2, I had great fun smashing up lots of objects. Only virtually though. Op Shop (the Australian name for a junk shop) by Stephen Barrass is another interactive installation. You talk, sing, scream or whatever into a microphone. The noises make the objects on the screen vibrate and eventually explode if you make the right noises.

House II (David Haines & Joyce Hinterding) is more video trickery. A large solid house in Pennsylvania has a fast-flowing stream of water pouring from its ground floor doors and windows and down the street. That's all it does though so don't sit there for ages waiting for something else to happen.

I think my favourite thing in the show is Dislocation by Alex Davies. A maximum of 4 people are allowed into the room at a time. You can each look into the 4 small monitors in holes in the wall and you can see yourselves filmed from behind on the screen. Then as you watch, other (pre-recorded) images are superimposed. It looks so real, there are people walking in and out talking, a dog comes in and barks wildly, you can hear it and see it on the screen but when you look round there's nothing there! Amazing.

In the Media Lounge is probably the most popular work. Virsual (Steven Mieselewicz, Nimrod Weis & Asaf Weis (ENESS)) is a typical 3D landscape computer game but it is controlled by the person 'riding' a small yellow rocking horse and turning its head from side to side. So the player feels much more part of the virtual landscape than they would just using a mouse or joystick.

The other work in the Media Lounge was Panopticon (Tan Teck Weng) which is a small black box with a camera and tiny furniture inside. You would tip the box in all directions and see the furniture fly around the room. I really enjoyed that but sadly, it broke after a few weeks of heavy use and has been replaced by an amusing slow-motion video work. Its similar to Bill Viola's works but these are films of people being splatted with various liquids. (Marcus Lyall: Slow Service - See Marta's comment below for the full explanation)

Experimenta Media Arts is Australia's leading contemporary arts organisation dedicated to commissioning, exhibiting and promoting media art in a way that is engaging and accessible. Since its inception in 1986, Experimenta has developed a worldwide reputation for fostering creativity that extends the aesthetic and conceptual potential of new art forms, and its exhibitions have been the launching pad for many Australian contemporary artists.

Overall, one of the best FACT shows so far. Or at least, one of the most entertaining. We have to have the dry, serious stuff too I suppose but, hey, its summer and we have to amuse the kids. I have been round it a few times and will miss it when it finshes on Monday.

Experimanta - Under The Radar at FACT June 16th - August 28th 2006.

Not the best show I've seen at the Tate but you still shouldn't miss it.

LAST CHANCE TO SEE 'BRUCE NAUMAN: MAKE ME THINK ME' AT TATE LIVERPOOL BEFORE THE EXHIBITION TOURS TO ITALY

Bruce Nauman Make Me Think Me
Finishes 28 August 2006

Admission £4, concessions £3

Forty years after his first solo exhibition, Tate Liverpool presents the largest exhibition in Europe of the American artist Bruce Nauman since 1998. Regarded as one of the most influential artists working today, Nauman has been a significant inspiration for many artists over several decades. Focusing upon his frustration with the human condition by examining forms of human behaviour, the exhibition is divided into two parts. The first half explores his use of language, its success and failure as our fundamental means of communication, and is juxtaposed with his examination of physical and mental activity in the second.

Nauman studied mathematics and physics as an undergraduate and approaches art making as a process of investigation, creating experiments in which his subjects are analytically tested. He explores art’s potential as an instrument to investigate the human condition and the systems and structures that determine human behaviour.

The exhibition opens with neon works, sound pieces, sculpture, video and works on paper that incorporate wordplay. Language is tested to the point at which meanings multiply and syntax no longer functions. Also included are instructional pieces, such as Shit in Your Hat – Head on a Chair 1990, where language is used as a tool to control.

In the second half of the exhibition the subject shifts from the artist’s own body to that of the viewer. Alone in his studio, with little money for materials, Nauman’s early explorations of human behaviour were based upon his own movement. Recording himself performing simple, repetitive tasks, such as walking around a square, his mundane actions became emblematic of a wider human condition. The movement and reactions of the audience are subject to examination in installations such as Corridor Installation (Nick Wilder Installation) 1971 and Double Steel Cage Piece 1974. To enter these uncomfortable environments is to become a performer, yet, predetermined by the artist, our movement is always controlled.

The exhibition culminates with a selection of Nauman’s animal and head casts, including Three Heads Fountain (Andrew, Juliet, Rinde) 2005. The casts are confrontational and force a reassessment of our own behaviour and relationship to nature. Hanging almost playfully like a child’s mobile, they function as symbols through which Nauman makes some of his most powerful assessments of human nature to date.

IKONOGRAPHY HOSTS BEATLES’ ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION FOR MATHEW STREET FESTIVAL

Opens Friday August 25th 2006

Ikonography will be exhibiting the work of major photographers and artists from the ‘60’s including Robert Whitaker, Bill Zygmant, Astrid Kircherr, Klaus Voorman and John Lennon.

The retrospective follows the transformation of the group from their early days in Hamburg through to the psychedelic era. For Beatles’ fans, the exhibition represents a rare opportunity to see the group’s former friends’/photographers’ works all presented together at once. For photography and art enthusiasts, this is another chance to see portraits and pictures by some of the key figures in 1960’s photography and contemporary art of the time.

Director of The Beatles’ Shop, Ian Wallace, said “This a fantastic opportunity for Ikonography both to participate in the Mathew Street Festival and also to be able to display the work of these truly talented photographers who produced such iconic images of The Beatles and of the Sixties”

For further information contact Samira Romaya, Ikonography Ltd, 31 Matthew Street, Liverpool L2 6RE ,
tel 0151 726 0659,
e-mail samira@ikonography.net
www.ikonography.net

Gallery opening hours during Matthew Street Festival are 10.30am to 4.30pm, from Friday, 25th August through to Sunday, 27th August.

Our Prize Draw competition closed at midnight on 20/08 so despite the late time we managed to call in a couple of local celebrities to make the draw.

Here you can see Missy Poptronica and Blogger in da Hood pulling the winning name out of the 'hat'.

It was all very exciting, the winner will receive 2 free tickets to see the Bang on a Can All Stars in concert at the Philharmonic Hall in October.

I have emailed the winner, I hope they receive it ok, an email saying you've won a prize is likely to be put straight into some email systems junk box.

So, we soon achieved our first mission of 20/08 day which was to find Sgt Pepper walking around Liverpool and ask him for a 'ticket to ride'. Unfortunately all the free tickets for The Beatles Story had gone, he had finished and was just returning his Culture Company umbrella to the 08 Place.

The 08 Place officially opened its doors in Whitechapel on this day last year so today is its first birthday. Hence the excellent looking cake. We got there just as the staff were about to cut into it and hand out pieces to the visitors.

We picked up a few leaflets for next weeks Mathew Street Music Festival whilst waiting for the guide to take us to St John's Beacon (now known as Radio City Tower). It was a long wait, in fact he didn't show up but eventually a replacement arrived, a nice young bloke called Jordan.

They have tours of the tower every Saturday and Sunday, bookable through the 08 Place but normally you have to pay, today it was free. It includes a quick tour of the Radio City studios and a showing of a short video about the history of the tower. Obviously we took loads of photographs but it was a wet, grey day and the windows are quite mucky so not ideal conditions. Some amazing views though, interesting what you can see on top of some of the roofs in the city centre.

Here are pictures of the fountain and roundabout in Williamson Square and a view of one of my favourite areas - The Museum, Central Library and Walker Gallery with St Georges Hall. We could have gone on to a few more places but we were worn out after climbing the tower (only kidding, the lift goes so fast it makes your ears go funny)

Oops, this should be on the Culture blog I suppose.

Lots of nice pictures of the Moth Man versus Joseph Hayes wrestling match which took place in St Helens on July 8th 2006.
Pictures by Kev Thomas (c) Tony Knox

Reminds me, we went to see the film Nacho Libre a few days ago and really enjoyed it.

I'm not a wrestling fan, by the way, this is here because its performance art in case you were wondering.

Preview of the match

The Photos

Its 20th August which means its 20/08 and we are taking part in the 20/08 2006 celebration events.
Have you entered our prize draw yet? You have until midnight to enter.

So we have decorated the artinliverpool.com 'office' with bunting and balloons to get in the party mood and in a short while we're off to the 08 Place for a look around and a trip up to the top of St John's Beacon / Radio City Tower.

Another photographer, Sean Limbert, joins the artinliverpool directory.

Sean says
"My images vary greatly in subject matter and approach using both colour and b+w And have been described by others as both dark and comic.
Recently I have begun to use digital post production techniques on some images.

Whilst living in west London I spent time working in commercial photography producing small exhibitions and limited print runs.
I have now returned both to Merseyside and to taking pictures for myself.

I am hoping to find exhibition space in Liverpool for the new year"

There are several interesting examples of Sean's work on his flickr webpage:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mohawk

Latest addition to the artists directory is Lindsey Davies, another of our artists who likes painting faeries and fantasy pictures. Which is fine by me.

Lindsey says...
" I am a BA (Hons) Illustration and Design graduate and currently Managing Director of my own company, Tricksy Pixie Ltd. I produce Fairy Portraits, Fantasy Art & illustrations, Abstract Art and Bespoke Paintings in a variety of styles and mediums including soft pastels, acrylic & oils. I am Looking to expand my portfolio and exposure by commissioning additional pieces of art and Illustrations and exhibiting in galleries throughout the North.

My upbringing in the beautiful Lake District has inspired me and brought about my fascination in the fairy realm and its surroundings. I love to make my work seem real and lifelike portraying emotion through my use of colour whether it is moody black and white or the vibrant use of abstract colours used in much of my figure painting. I try to create fresh original pieces where no two are alike. "

Lindsey has her own website: www.tricksypixie.com

37SECONDS PROGRAMME TWELVE
Friday 18 August - Thursday 31 August
Everyday at 10, 12, 2.30, 4 & 7
Big Screen Liverpool, Clayton Square, L1 1QR

IAIN FORSYTH & JANE POLLARD (UK) THE DESIGNERS REPUBLIC (UK)

37Seconds presents its twelfth programme of contemporary moving image exclusively curated for The Big Screen Liverpool. Scheduled to coincide with Liverpool’s Mathew Street Music Festival (25 – 28 August) this programme features two very different creative responses to the theme of music.

Prior to their new work Silent Sound featuring in next months Liverpool Biennial, 37Seconds will be screening two video works by up and coming, London-based artists’ Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard. Shot in Montreal and London respectively, Everybody else is wrong 2004 and Anyone else isn’t you 2005 are unscripted portraits of two groups of young people, talking intimately to the camera about love, loss, mix tapes and the personal impact of music as a soundtrack to their lives. Iain and Jane's dynamic pace of editing jumps back and forth between the subjects, mixing meaning and blurring narratives, shifting seamlessly from moments of brash self-confidence to crushing uneasiness. www.iainandjane.com

In sharp contrast, The Designers Republic’s music video for Funkstörung’s single Grammy Winners mixes visually stunning animation and advertising - style typography; cleverly undermining the video’s stand alone artistic value with constant references to its status as a consumer product. www.thedesignersrepublic.com

www.37Seconds.co.uk

From Beccy Williams...

The Living Market August 19th, Rescheduled.
Believe it or not it's summer....Everyone is escaping the rain and the thunder and flying off on sunny holidays. Man-Power for the market is low, and town is quiet too. Those of us who are not on holiday have decided to conserve our energies for September 16th, the first of the weekly Saturday Markets to run during the Liverpool Biennial 06.

We apologise for any disappointment and look forward to seeing you on September the 16th for stalls from a selection of the finest Local Art, Craft, Live Music and refreshments.

LINK

I didn't actually see this on August 10th 2006 but looks like it was fun. It was a procession 'Puki Proceedings' by Reynolds, the American performance artist with local artists and curated by Adam Nankervis. Starting from MuseumMAN in Rodney St along to the Anglican Cathedral at the end of the road and ending in the Cemetery.

More info and pictures (by Tony Knox) on the MuseumMAN website
www.museumman.org

Museum MAN moves from Rodney St at the end of August. I don't know where Adam's new place is going to be yet.

Meanwhile, take a look at this panoramic picture of the main room courtesy of William Curwen.

www.williamcurwen.com

Review by Biljana Mickov

'Mary Fitzpatrick - Fotografije' has opened at The Center for Visual Culture - The Golden Eye Gallery, Novi Sad, Serbia.

The exhibition will run from the 12th to the 31st August 2006.
Zlatno Oko, Center Za Vizuelnu Kulturu, Novi Sad, Serbia

Mary Fitzpatrick is a Contemporary Fine Artist working with painting, photography and video. She is currently based in Liverpool, UK and has recently been working on a long term project in the Middle East called Failaka.

The Artist has worked on the Failaka project in Kuwait over a long period of time since 1998. The works on display in the Golden Eye Gallery were completed over a three-year period. They were produced on Failaka Island, the island in the Arabic sea which was abandoned after the Gulf War in 1991 - The ruins are still there. Mary’s work are focused on the therein scene, on the ruined schools, destroyed bank, discarded military equipment, clothing, and children's paintings left in one of the schools. Fitzpatrick is completely concentrated on those images but the presence of war is giving rise for many emotions. Not just as human anger but more different emotions that we can see on the pictures.

On the global stage big changes are happening – energetic crises are present, misapprehensions and political conflicts occur, which has been actual since the beginning of nineties.

The artist with her artistic activity is not in a position to change society, making effect on societys conditions or advancements, but she can express “human or not” feelings. The work has a powerful presence in the space of the Golden Eye gallery .The titles of exhibition such as the School, the Bank, the Bag, Battle scene, Earth, Unearthed, Bombed houses are making and symbolizing the cold military action. The ragged books, the dry choppy earth, the abandoned doll, the rambling bags, bombed house, destroyed interiors …..

The strongest point of the exhibition is the image of the Abandoned Doll even if it’s as a document of crime is not the cruelest in the show. At the same time in that image we are seeing the humanity and brutality and because of that the image of the Doll is very important as both a document and high level expression of symbolic artistic composition / photography.