Sodley-on-Sea Gets Grant For The Arts award.

 Sodley-on-Sea gets a grant from the Arts Council. It's to fund the production of  light boxes, exhibitions and run workshops based around Sodley. Further details to follow. Big thanks to Andy Brydon from CURATED PLACE for all his help and advice.

Fuck Dragon's Den.

 

Good ideas don't need a telly programme. If I had one musical bone in my body I would upload it HERE and get me a single and you can too Pop Pickers. Pop pickers, that wasn't one of uncle Jimmy's sayings was it? Can you still say Pop Pickers?

I reckon this idea could be as big for muso's as blurb is for photographers. And of course it's come from here in Manchester. If self publishing has been the big news over the last few years then go HERE to the new kid on the block and self record deal.

The Manchester Mafia presents.......

The Manchester Mafia are once again bringing us The Manchester International Festival! Reuniting chums Hans Ulrich Obrist, Maxine Peake, Bjork, legendary Mancunian Damon Albarn, Peter Saville (no relation to Jimmy) and the oldest swinger in town Dave Haslem. All together again for another money spinning year.

It's Competition Time !

This just in from Manchester Uni....

The Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI)

 

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2015

  Call for Entries

  The Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI) Photography Competition 2015 is a juried competition that invites submissions from students, academics and members of the general public. Entrants are asked to submit (a maximum of three) images that depicts the social organisation of ordinary and habitual everyday practices in which consumption takes place and how they relate to  changing infrastructures, policy and power.

 

All shortlisted entrants will have their work mounted and displayed in the offices of the Sustainable Consumption Institute. Both the winner and runners-up will receive a cash prize (1^st prize £100; 2^nd prize £50, 3^rd prize £50 plus 2 x runner ups @ £25 each) and also feature on the SCI website.

 

The competition begins on the 1^st February and closes for entries 1^st April 2015

 

To upload your image(s) please click on the link below:

 

https://www.flickr.com/groups/sci_photo_competition_2014/

 

 

Please find attached a flyer giving more details of the competition which can be printed and placed on noticeboards within your area.

 

 

 

Susan Hogan| Institute Manager | Sustainable Consumption Institute | School of Social Sciences   |  Faculty of Humanities  |  188 Waterloo Place, Oxford Road|  The University of Manchester, UK M13 9PL  |  Tel : (0044) (0) 161 275 4030

 

For the latest news on SCI activities visit our website at http://www.sci.manchester.ac.uk

Sometimes I Bloody Despair Of Photographers.....

 

You may have seen this story and image floating around social media. It's a tale of a painter who's used a photo he's seen as the starting point for a painting he's made. Photographer finds out gets pissed off and thinks "nice one I can make a quid I'll sue the fucker"  it goes to court. It's a bit like the Richard Prince type thing only this time the photographer wins. Art world is a bit miffed, freedom of artistic expression they cry, conservative photo world declares victory for copyright and the status quo. Anyway you can read the tale and common sense comment HERE

Now you may be thinking that I'm having a go at the photographer Katrijn Van Giel well I'm not. It's a strong portrait that's been appropriated by a well known successful artist so I understand their reaction, although in this case I think both the photographer and the law are acting daft. If it was one of my pictures and a top artist like Luc Tuymans decided to use one of my photos I would not only be chuffed to death but I would also milk it like fuck. Still Van Giel is quids in.

It's not a good decision for art though and the reaction from a lot of folk in the photography world just shows their plain ignorance and lack of understanding when it comes to issues being raised by contemporary art. This worries me (as far as photography goes but not like global warming or the new bus lane on the East Lancs Road) because it's some of the movers and shakers of the photography world who think this is a victory. 

I copied the below post from someone on facebook. I've not said who it is so I hope they won't sue me over copyright.

"You can see from my photos that I brave the elements to make them-I am up in the middle of the night, or early morning- or outside in the very cold. They are my point of view- the way I see things - my work and the photographs are the end result, unless I want to do something else with them. I am always talking about how much I resent painters saying they want to paint my photograph. I think painters should find their own subject matter- and go out and take photos if they use photos as inspiration. I think, I can paint my own photograph, but other's should not. I get testy. Of course I have no control when I post them. The choice seems to be that my photographs get seen every few years in a gallery setting, and they are seen no where else, or I post them online, and obviously, I chose to post them. It is, to me, a question of morals, integrity and originality
http://hyperallergic.com/176138/luc-tuymans-convicted-of-plagiarism-for-painting-photo-of-politician/"

PS I just saw this! https://www.lensculture.com/articles/katerina-belkina-paint-a-series-of-photographic-self-portraits

Gabriel Orozco: "Mirror Crit"

Following on from the last post... This seems more useful than a shitty boring portfolio review, and I bet you could still make a quid out of them.

Portfolio Reviews Are Fucking Nonsense.

Save your money..

Even A Play Museum needs A Gift Shop.

Exit through the gift shop and all of that. Every cultural institution worth it's salt needs to make a quid and MoTMA is no different. Go shop. www.takeawaymenumuseum.blogspot.com

Save The Arts (although to be honest I don't care that much about community dance groups)

You may have already seen this. It's one of those things that snowball in Internet land. It's a good cause, on the whole. I do think though that a lot of Arts organisations have been pissing money against the wall for the last decade or so. Too many freeloaders, too many hangers on, too little money going to makers and too much going to people with made up jobs. We need some weeding and a bloody hard frost. If the Arts continue to spend money reinventing it's self as a poor imitation of social work and family/education services, people are bound to start to wonder why they are paying twice. If the people in our Art world who decide how the hard fought funds get spent, think so little of Art, that they believe that unless it has some kind of social purpose it has no use then perhaps they should leave it to people that think Art can and should be made for no other reason than for Art itself.

Having said all that still sign this petition I'd rather the money go on a Dance group called 'Street Moves' made up solely of ex crack whores than it go on the Olympics. HERE to sign.

LEGAL NOTICE: 'Street Moves' is not in anyway meant to represent any crack whore dance act either past or present and is entirely fictional.

You Serving mate?

So according to RECENT research, Manchester is one of the worst places in the UK for drunkenness and alcohol problems. Well fucking done Sherlock! The fact that the regeneration of the city since the mid 90's has basically been centred on bar culture has paid off then. And in the spirit of the great British knee jerk they are going to introduce minimum pricing. And of course if there's a fucking stupid idea needs testing Manchester is always the first place to volunteer. Remember the ID card trials anyone? I know Manchester is always desperate to be first at stuff but can we just limit it to good idea's?
So making sure that old Me has to pay at least £5 for my twice a week bottle of wine that's the way to cut the local NHS bill. Never mind the fact that I can go on line 24 hours a day or now, thanks to the tatty business card that came through my letter box last night at 23:30, ring a mobile phone and get some scally to bring me round some cans. Now forgive me if I'm wrong but I thought you needed a licence to sell alcohol? I'm also intrigued to know what 'Plus much more' means? Skunk anyone?

No I'm not giving you the bloody links.... Oh go on THEN.

PS Anybody know where that scene of Manchester on the above 'Booze Manchester' banner is?

Photo-Grids

I've been looking for ways to offer some of my work for sale via my homepage. www.markpagephotography.com I am going to offer box sets of prints of complete series, but these are going to cost a bit due to materials. I thought I would also offer Photo-grids which I think is a good way of displaying Typologies anyway. I will offer them at A3+ size which means I can print them myself maintain quality control and keep costs down. I've just got to build a shop page now and get them on. The above image is "25 Potential Weapons Descending in Order Of Desperation" http://www.fractionmag.com/group1/group1.html I think £25 signed & dated is a fair price. I think this is also a good way of displaying "Tramheads" as that project grows. www.tramheads.blogspot.com I course with my superb business acumen I will miss Christmas completely.............