Past Projects
Mind
Mental health has often been a starting point for my projects. Musings explored through my own studio practice often gain wider socially engaged applications, becoming useful to others as long term projects with transformative processes and legacy art works created in response.
LIKE IT OR LUMP IT WE ARE ALL CONNECTED
Crocheting the news and wondering about how its all connected. The project involved groups from across the North West of England who chose news which was important to them. They then crocheted it and added their piece to a web of circles. The final 20 ft installation was shown at spaces such at Stockport Museum and The Willamson Art Gallery and is still available.
RECIPROCATE
Exploring giving and reciprocating with groups in Salford, England. Random acts of kindness were memorialised in stitched works, recorded voice pieces and stained glass. We played with ways to support and encourage even more giving and finally had an exhibition with a gift shop full of products and a tea party discussion.
KNIT A YEAR
Individuals from across the world joining together to knit their moods each day for a year. The multi coloured strands were brought together with story labels in a series of exhibitions across the UK.
OUTSIDE MY TINY FRAME OF REFERANCE
A body of work to understand the death of my Grandma and help me through grief. I created large oil paintings, used stitch and unraveled material to try and work out how a person could be so solid and there one minute and the next gone. The work and my understanding was informed by “The Tao Of Physics” by Fritjof Capra.
THE MARRIAGE GAME
Created in conjunction with The Brindley Arts centre the exhibition included 20 large prints and a room set with playable board game. The work explored how marriage now and in in the 1950’s alongside community groups from both generations.
THE HOSPITAL
In 1995 I took part in a residency at Denbigh Mental Health hospital, first when it was open and then when it was closed. The place and work created left an impression on me and I have returned to make work about it at several points over the years. The work explored the institution and mental health more widely.
BEAUTIFUL THINGS
Giving new lives to the little things which people throw out or overlook. Each new treasure was presented in a “Poetic Theatre”. The treasures were also photographed and digitally manipulated into prints. One box was used as a prompt for students at Manchester Metropolitan University. The students adaptiations and a series of the boxes were shown in “The Link” gallery and as part of an exhibition in Chester called “Populate”.
STARVATION DIET
Exploring food inequalities. The project noted changes in my body as I resisted buying extra calories and donated the money to charities dealing with malnutrition. I was keen to spend a year resisting the urge to bring unnecessary objects into the world so all was documented online and only at the end of the project in a book and mock poster. The objects were shown at “The People’s History Museum.”
YOU ARE ALWAYS SAFE WHEN YOU SHOP
Questioning what we fall back on when we don’t have a religious faith, is it shopping and faith in brands? The project took the ebay catch phrase of the day “You are always safe when you shop on ebay” and the image of the safety officer on the site. The phrase and image were repurposed as icons. Presented as wall pieces at “Cube” Gallery and then as a series of “poetic theatre” altar pieces at St Mary And All Saints Church.
Place
I have often been commissioned to create work with a specific community in a unique place. Each place has its own attributes and troubles. Art is a useful way to start discussions, explore together, develop processes which support change and present the stories of a group to others.
LITTLE PEOPLE
Highlighting the cruelty of forced relocation when things like new urban plans are developed. The project also looked at other ways we make people small in order to more easily deal with them. Populated areas were photographed, the people cut out, made into stickers and relocated. The people were photographed in their new locations and made into a tiny hand bound book and a series of prints.
SMALL SPACE
A 1970’s dolls house converted into a galler. The first exhibition highlighted the closure of real spaces and saw the gallery derelict. The gallery had a come back when it was used in an exhibition on mail art staged by artists Hazel Jones and Micheal Leigh at “MMU”. lt is available for hire with a themed exhibition or empty.
WHEN THEY ARE GONE
Exploring the closure of local cinemas and taking inspiration from a phrase my Mum used to use when we raided the biscuit tin, “When they are gone they are gone.” The exhibition included animated film and voices captured outside the closed Chester Odeon and photographs taken on the last day of the Northwich Regal.
Legacy Groups
Sometimes the most important thing a collaborative art project leaves behind isn't products but new groups of people. Sometimes the work we have done together has formed a new group, at other times it has helped give a group new ways of doing things, clearer vision or strength and practical ways to carry on.
WORKING TITLE ARTISTS COLLECTIVE
Formed with myself, film maker Jason Sheppard and later conceptual artist Simon John and Town planner George Evans. We aim to create at least one collaborative project per year and as a constituted group we offer a structure to hang art projects off.
LIQUID
Formed with myself and Simon John the pair look to explore their more conceptual work together. They were commissioned to create a work on risk by “Hazard” festival in Manchester, created the “Urban Intervention Kit” which has been used in various town centres and exhibited in Runcorn and shared with urban planning students at Sheffield University.
ART BOOT CAMPS (R)
I created “Art Boot Camps” in 2006 as an intense art experience for groups. Ran over four days the first included a trip to several art spaces, the second chance to explore materials, day three saw the groups planning their own exhibition and creating individual pieces. Day four was exhibition and skill share day. Alongside it people under 25 could gain a Bronze Arts Award. Many young people and some older groups took on the challenge.
