Hyde Indoor Market artwork unveiled!
Following six months of consultations, workshops, meetings, fabrication and lots of sanding, the Hyde Indoor Market artwork was unveiled on Saturday 6th April. As I’ve mentioned previously, the artwork consists of 3D letters which spell out the words ‘Hyde Indoor Market’, with each letter representing something different sold within the market.
In terms of fabrication the letters presented a variety of challenges as they all required different processes to complete them – these included mosaics, mould-making and casting, decoupage, illustration, knitting and painting to name but a few. Detailed images of each letter can be seen here on the Woodend Artists flickr page but I’ve included a select few below.
Waste Creative starts
Woodend Artists have started the Waste Creative project with a series of workshops making animal sculptures from recyclable materials. Working with three different groups of young people from the New Charter estates in Mossley, artist Richard Dawson and myself, Jacqui Symons used milk bottles, plastic pop bottles and cardboard to create group sculptures of a wolf, a giraffe and an elephant and smaller individual sculptures.
The next part of the project is a visit to the Recycling Centre in Sharston, Manchester and then we’ll start to create an information booklet that will be for New Charter residents and will include information about recycling and what can and can’t be recycled.
The Big Green Recycled Queen
Myself and Richard Dawson worked with local kids to make this amazing sculpture to celebrate the Jubilee in Hyde Park, Manchester. We made it in one day and everything is made from recycled materials (except for cable ties, brown tape and plastic tags).
The milk cartons mostly came from The Flying Teapot Cafe at Woodend Mill and the bottles from New Charter Housing Association. A few of the group worked all day on the sculpture with others dropping in and out throughout the day.
Here’s the finished Queen after we had a mini-coronation…
Quite the Culture Vulture
Fellow Woodend Artist member and artist Pat Baker invited me to the theatre this week. We trotted off to see ‘Two’ by Jim Cartwright at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Starring (predictably) just two actors, Justin Moorhouse and Victoria Elliot, the play is set in a pub whereby they play the landlord and landlady and then a variety of characters / couples that come into the pub. Justin Moorhouse is well known for his role in Phoenix Nights (the guy that spends the whole second series with his face painted as a tiger) amongst many other roles and comedy parts.
I really enjoyed it (for all that I don’t often go to see ‘normal’ acting plays) but was very glad I wasn’t sat on the stage level seating where Moth the smooth ladeez man attempted to try it on with almost every single person. Very funny for the rest of us, though…
The stage design was very simple except for the chandelier that was created from a few hundred suspended pint glasses and tankards. Looked great with the lighting and multiple piece suspended artwork is a format that always hits the spot with me. I can’t find a picture of it but the designer was Amanda Stoodley. Instead of an image of her work, here’s an image / detail of my suspended artwork…(dodgy connection, I know)
Together We Are Greater - suspended origami artwork by Jacqui Symons
Community Waste Fund – Waste Creative
Woodend Artists have been successful in gaining funding from Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) to deliver Waste Creative, a project aimed at increasing awareness and knowledge about recycling and promoting the value of waste as a resource in our local community. Working with young people and residents from New Charter Housing in Tameside, Woodend Artists will run a programme of creative workshops and art events which will include designing an information pack, making an animated film and creating junk art and sculpture.
Richard Dawson and myself are the lead artists on the project and we were delighted to be successful in gaining funding to run Waste Creative. I think it’s a great way of getting the local community and young people involved in recycling in a way that’s interesting and creative. The project also includes a communal composting scheme and an initiative which will see local residents elected as Recycling Champions.
Waste Creative will culminate in a big launch and art exhibition at New Charter in Ashton-under-Lyne.
In the meantime, here’s some sculpture created from secondhand and waste materials which were produced in workshops run by Richard Dawson. The workshops were part of the GiveGetGo! Volunteering and Wellbeing Campaign I project managed and designed for Manchester City Council last year. I’ll post more on GiveGetGo! as this month a bus stop poster campaign designed by me is about to be run in Manchester city centre.
Woodend Artists Winter Exhibition
Woodend Artists Winter Exhibition is a group show of work being exhibited at the Riverside Cafe in Uppermill from 30th November – 28th December. The cafe is open from Wednesday to Sunday every week.
This is the poster I designed for the Exhibition, alongisde a flyer and e-flyer.
Day Out at the Beach
Just a quick one this week…some of the Woodend Artists went on a trip to Formby yesterday for a walk on the beach with the dogs (that’s Harvey, Meg, Lara and Sir Percival Fuzzington), a third or fourth look at Antony Gormley’s Another Place (in the dark as it turned out!) and the preview of ‘The Imaginarium of The Bizarre and The Mysterious’ an exhibition by Woodend Artist member, Sue Platt.
Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’
Thanks to Pat Baker for the images!
Being A Freelance Artist 