Good Old Recessions.

It's not all doom and gloom with lean times especially if your an artist, or at least an artist without a big gallery and a fist full of collectors behind you. All them property types who have been throwing up buildings with gay abandon over the last decade or so have now got a lot of empty space on their hands that they wish to fill. So move in the Artists, business will follow and around we go again. Now this starting point is great it's just the shit at the end like The Northern Quarter that's the problem but hey this is an up-beat post today so enough of that.

And so if I was to say to you how would you like some free exhibition space in the heart of Manchester City Centre what would you say?

Well now you can. The Triangle is offering that chance in one of it's empty retail outlets. If you can keep it open and manned during The Triangle's usual opening times it's free! Imagine if you are making work about the Downturn or perhaps consumerism, What a top spot for showing it, it would give the work a whole new dimension.

Anyway details of this opportunity should you be interested are as follows;

Contact Ryan Thomas on 0161 834 8961 with the following details;

• Exhibition name
• Date
• Opening times
• Launch night
• Expected number of people daily/launch
• Type of Art work
• Sample photos
• How many days/hours you would be able to keep it open
• How will you market it
• Special requirements
• What materials will be used (dead sharks etc)
• Setting up period

I've spoken to Ryan and he's a nice chap so good luck and send me an invite to the opening...............................

Nathan Baker.

Images Nathan Baker

An interesting look at Pop culture in a world of mass media and globalisation by Nathan Baker.

America America.

And following on from the last post. Thanks to Stan for this little gem!

Funny As F@@k Friday.

I don't think it's supposed to be, but this is piss funny. Brought to you by the OATH KEEPERS I'm not sure to laugh or cry with these lot to be honest. If ever you think that America & Britain are close or similar or more or less the same, then just watch this and remember, It's not just a different country it's a different planet..........

That Was The Week That Was.

Image Paul Graham

This post is by way of a "catch up" placing in one post things I was going to post about this week but due to time or lack of it, and my selfishness at only posting some of my own photographs for most of the week I've not got round too.

First up I guess the biggest event in the photographic world this week has been the announcement of the winner of this years DEUTSCHE BORSE photography prize. Winner Paul Graham. (b. 1956) I should of had a flutter on that one. The also rans were Emily Jacir (b. 1970) Tod Papageorge (b.1940) and Taryn Simon (b. 1975) who would have been a joint favorite with Graham should I have been a photie bookie, but of course no such job exists. Out of interest you will have noticed that I have added the photographers birth date, as in the photography world this seems of some importance, perhaps similar to saying such & such has had a baby boy he was 7lbs 8oz. My choice for winner would have been Tod Papageorge. Passing Through Eden is a masterpiece, but then I'm not scared to admit I like Black n White photography.

The second biggest event in the photographic world this week as got to be the CAPTURE MANCHESTER competition. Organised in part by the North West Photography Network REDEYE and held at THE CUBE Gallery.

Redeye's Director Paul Herrmann, who was one of the judges, said: “I’m amazed at the explosion of talent this competition has unleashed. Of course it's impossible to capture the city in one image, but so many of the entrants have really thought hard and given us something surprising, funny, personal or just different. Doesn't that inventiveness and creativity make Manchester the place it is?" (Quote from The Cube Gallery website) Yes you are right Paul, so why did this lot win? I understand a 14 year old winning, bless his cottons but a London underground map with the station names removed and Manchester suburbs added, fuck me Paul! Sour Grapes of course. I have feeling's, cut me, do I not bleed?

The other piece of sad news of course this week, is the death of the Pikey Princess.

And talking of dying with dignity. Out of all the major religions in this country it seems to me that on the whole the Hindu's seem to be one of the least demanding. So would it be too much to allow them to have some space so as to have open cremations? Now I'm not suggesting that we have them on Deansgate and I'm sure that's not what they want, but I'm sure we could organise some space somewhere for them. Jeez after the Jade Goodie fiasco if there's one thing this country needs it's a lesson on how to die with dignity..............

Mancunia.

Images copyright Mark Page

Enough of this self indulgence. Back to normal posting tomorrow.

Mancunia.

Images copyright Mark Page

Mancunia.

Images copyright Mark Page

Mancunia.

Images copyright Mark Page

Mancunia.

Images copyright Mark Page

Jeongmee Yoon.

Image copyright Jeongmee Yoon

Jeongmee Yoon is probably best Known for her series "The Pink & Blue Project" but go see her other projects including Zoo which broke my fucking heart.

99.

99 Cent by Andreas Gursky

As you know, Just before Christmas the government in a vain attempt to kick start the economy reduced VAT from 17.5% down to 15% One of the side effects of this gesture was that the shops had to reprice their goods. All of a sudden £9.99 became £9.97. It was peculiar. There must have been a public out cry, we want 99 back we love it, perhaps people shouted, we are stupid and gullible and believe that something that costs £9.99 is soooooo much less than £10.00. Anyway thank goodness for all the kind shop owners, concerned with our confusion and bad arithmetic, they have kindly crept the prices back up to .99p.

Funny As F##k Friday.

This was found thanks to Stan. Try here for more Vids, and here for "Some Grey Blokes" website. It's kept me laughing all day.

Obsessives Of The World Unite!

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for "Trainspotters" obsessives they are a little like photographers. We also both seem to have been singled out as the most likely people to impersonate should you wish to become a terrorist.

This silly cow from Virgin trains certainly seems to think so as can be seen in the above video. I'm giving her and this country the benefit of the doubt here it may be worse, it may be another example of Britain's eroding civil liberties. Of course people will bang on about "The terror threat" Which so far has amounted to 7/7 and some divvy setting fire to themselves at Glasgow Airport. When I was younger you could go trainspotting and photograph the choo choo's if you chose. Perhaps the IRA never thought of pretending to be trainspotters......

Jesse Chehak.

Image Jesse Chehak

There is a monumental feel to Jesse Chehak's series "Fool's Gold"

Could you imagine?

creating a piece of Art that still has people debating it in a major broadsheet almost a century later? I bet old Marcel is up there laughing his cock off!

John Davies @ Cube

Image copyright John Davies

Exhibitions in Manchester by Great British Landscape photographers seem to be like buses you know the wait all year for one............ Just as Jem Southam at The Lowry gets set to close, (22/3 so you've still got a couple of days) "The British Landscape" by John Davies is set to open on the 20th March (preview tomorrow 19th 6pm til 9pm free wine, I'm not sure that bits true I'm just guessing, you know nice and warm in plastic glasses.........) at The Cube, Portland Street Manchester 20th March until 4thMay (I'm going to forgo the wine and schmoozing and go on a wet Tuesday afternoon so I can enjoy his work in peace........)

Think I'll Leave It.............

I was supposed to be having an operation on my knee, but stories like this make me think it's not that bad and maybe I'll leave it. Britain 2009.

"Tip top"

Thomas Wrede

Image copyright Thomas Wrede

I can't remember where, but I recently read a comment left on a blog where the person said something like; Taking photographs of adverts was a cop out, because the advert was a creation by someone else. I do remember at the time thinking what a stupid comment it was. Going by that logic there would be nothing designed by man that you could photograph. We would have to only photograph nature, landscapes people etc, and I have always found lampposts far more interesting than trees, cities more interesting than the woods and how the hell can you photograph a city without including at least some adverts?

Which brings me to the series Manhattan/Picture Worlds by Thomas Wrede. The posters here are beautifully photographed as part of the cityscape. The adverts dominating the scene but at the same time blending effortlessly. Advertising is of course a huge part of modern life as is capitalism and it's over powering presence. As Martin Parr said," Capitalism should be the new front line for photographers".

The series Manhattan/Picture Worlds is for me is one interesting and arresting way of standing on that front line.

Albion.

Image copyright Mark Page

Back Online.

Good to be back. Volume 2 of EXPIRATION NOTICE is out tomorrow featuring amongst other things the work of Manchester based photographer Seba Kurtis. Been a big fan of Seba's for a while now so pleased to be featuring his work over on EX NO.

Have not posted for the last week so I could get Volume 2 out and also so I could finish off "The Unofficial History Of A School/Teaching Children How To Draw" and upload it to my homepage. It consists of details from school desks that have spent the best part of a century being "customised" by several generations of Manchester school kids. The desks started life around 1904 at what was The Manchester Municipal Secondary School. It later became The Central High School and eventually became The Shena Simon College.

All the way through Art lessons at school and later studying Art at college, teachers and lecturers would talk about "mark making" I always found it hard to do, to be that loose and messy when it came to drawing. I was always a little envious of students who had wonderful untidy sketchbooks. So when I saw these desks I had to photograph them. Work made by generations of little Pollocks & Basquiats..............

Fallow

Not going to be posting for a week or so, letting the blog go fallow. Expiration Notice vol 2 is due out next Monday 16th which we are working on and I'm also getting ready to upload a new series onto my homepage.
The new series "The Unofficial History of a School" is images of desk lids that have spent the best part of the last century being "customised" by Manchester school kids. More details will be on my homepage. So until next week have a good un.

Jen Davis

Image copyright Jen Davis

Female self portraiture that goes beyond mere navel-gazing, and brings brilliantly into sharp focus much wider issues that effect us all. And a good antidote to this shit.

http://www.jendavisphoto.com/

Blurb Books

It became a pretty big deal last year the Blurb photo book competition. Well it's open again so if you got the time and the subject why not? If you've been visiting this blog for a while you'll know my feeling's about Lulu (no funny fucker not the singer ) I did get sent a smart little book by super photo blogger Tom Rice-Smith that he produced using Blurb and the quality was good. Oh did I forget to mention the $25000 top prize?

Rex Bruce.

Image copyright Rex Bruce

You know it never ceases to amaze me how few photographers in the WWW dot, gallery, bloggy getting your name repeated around the jungle that is Art Photography world, are actually engaging with digital technologies. Oh yes they are blogging and flikring and have websites and form Internet alliances and forums and have multi media etc etc, but are still shooting film with wardrobe cameras . Now if that's your bag, grand, and as Jem Southem is currently showing us at The Lowry sometimes you just can't "whack it" for (physical) quality and beauty.

But I think there should be more photographer's willing to explore the medium of digital photography though, it's like sculptors only ever sticking with marble.

I love the above image by Rex Bruce. Lapis Lazuli Sky's, exotic architecture, cherubs. The same subject matter as was, when artists really start exploring the medium of paint. As Bruce says

"Painters over the centuries sought to advance their capabilities to create an ever more realistic representation of what could be seen, but began to experiment with the nature of the paint itself and other purely aesthetic concerns regarding shape, texture, color and form (to name a few). Similarly, this work breaks off from the pursuit of the "best image possible" into an exploration of the formalistic attributes (and conceptual implications) present in the emergent technology of digital imaging itself". Brilliant!

Should you be reading this on the sunny side of the USA you can see Rex Bruce's work at The Los Angeles Center for Digital Art 107 West Fifth St. L.A. CA 90013 from the 12th March..........

44

Hurrah! My copy of 44 has arrived. It's always nice to see your work published. 44 was the brainchild of Mel Trittin from cigarettes and purity She organised it to celebrate the inauguration of Obama, hence it's title. My pictures on page 2. A nice keepsake me thinks. It can be bought here. (Cat sold separately)

Luke Stephenson.

Images copyright Luke Stephenson

I absolutely love love the brilliant, crazy world of Luke Stephenson!

Old Master And An Old Cynic.......

No I know It's hard to believe but occasionally I have been called a cynic! My latest bad dose has been a trip to Manchester City Art Gallery to see "Ten Drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci From The Royal Collection". This is of course another "bums on Seats" exhibition by our friendly neighborhood art gallery, and so good of her Majesty to send culture to the province's.

I'd not been to this kind of exhibition for a while and I'd forgot what they're like. Crowds of people with hushed reverence slowly (I reckon about 1 min is polite) filing past the small hugely under whelming sketches. So why are they here and why am I doing a good impersonation of a nun on a Vatican mini-break?

Yes of course he is a genius but a small sketch of an ugly bloke is well, just that. I guarantee that up and down the countries art college's there are draughtsmen & women who could knock out a decent doodle of a plug git. So if it's not that what then? Icons, relics curiosities. Now there's nothing wrong with that, I spent my minute in the pictures presence staring at a stain on the paper wondering what Leonardo was up to way back in the mists of time to cause it, but whats the point of clogging up our main ART gallery with what would surly be better off being shown in a museum. You can't even hardly see them because the lighting is so low to preserve them, which I understand but that just makes the whole process even more pointless. If I wanted to study them in detail I would get a closer look from a book. Manchester is shit for venues showing Art so lets not clog up one of our main venues with the Antiques Road Show.

Although on second thoughts if the best they can do is Paul Morrison maybe they should stick with the six hundred year old stuff, sheesh..........