As I write this I wonder what recent changes - good or bad - to the ways we live, work, communicate, share, and understand the world around us are going to continue beyond the pandemic - and how these might play out in our immediate and longer term futures?
As a relatively small collection, it's exciting therefore that we can move quite quickly to capture some of these important experiences. Our current programme of new commissions is already proving to be a rich and poignant body of work, which - rather than acting as a record of the pandemic itself - looks to chart some of the deeper and wider human impacts of 2020. From personal reflections on nature, relationships and daily life, to politically charged works that address borders, representation and racism, to new adjustments of time and space itself - we're excited to keep sharing these stories in years to come.
Looking ahead more immediately - to the new term in September - we look forward to welcoming new and returning students, whether online or in person where possible. We're very grateful to our academic, estates and support teams who have been working incredibly hard to create a warm (and safe) welcome for everybody.
We've also been happy to hear from past graduates and alumni who have continued their creative practices - through and beyond the new limitations of Covid - from mask-making, to public installations, to online performances. Not to mention our own Chancellor, Jackie Kay CBE, who has generously shared new poetry each week both on social media and live streams.
Read on for more info.
Keep safe,
Stephanie Fletcher Assistant Curator
News
Announcing: six new commissions for the Collection with our external partners
Parham Ghalamdar, Birds or Borders, still from digital animation (2020)
In collaboration with key partners across the North West, we’re delighted to announce six new commissions for the Collection – aiming to capture contemporary experiences during the pandemic, as well as supporting artists who may have otherwise lost work.
The selected artists are making new work that responds to the wider and deeper impacts of the current situation on our sense of community, connection, wellbeing and belonging.
Mandy Cleveland’s drawings on found paper contrast daily, personal encounters such as noticing nature more closely in the garden, with the overwhelming sense of global upheaval and uncertainty. (with Hot Bed Press)
Sarah Eyre’s series of GIF collages will explore our new senses of fragmented space (physical, virtual, public and private), with a focus on the impact of Covid on women, who have been disproportionately affected by lockdown. (with Open Eye Gallery)
Parham Ghalamdar’s new animation explores freedom & restriction of movement - asking if our experiences of lockdown will encourage greater understanding of global civil rights injustices at the borders. (with Castlefield Gallery)
Marija Bozinovska Jones’ audiovisual works will take this moment to reflect on the truly global 'interconnectedness' of all things: from plants, animals and the earth, to technology, science and the cosmos (with AND Festival and Somerset House Studios).
Kiara Mohamed has captured photographs during video calls with friends and family, and considers the ways we stay connected whilst apart - with a particular interest in the lives of Black and brown people. (with Open Eye Gallery)
Jack Tan’s work addresses the rise in anti-Chinese racism during Covid, situated within a history of Chinese civil rights narratives that are often overlooked in the UK. (with Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art)
An element of each project will be launched online during Summer/Autumn 2020, and the final works shared at our New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery in 2021.
Call for photographs: contribute to a new artwork by Anna Ridler
(untitled) still from video, Anna Ridler (2020)
Contribute to an original new artwork and help ‘teach’ an AI to create new images
Following the Peer to Peer project curated by Lindsay Taylor in 2019, we are pleased to be commissioning artist Anna Ridler to make new work that uses Artificial Intelligence to explore the natural and human-made worlds around us.
Anna requires thousands of images in order to ‘train’ an Artificial Intelligence programme to understand the data, and in turn to generate new images of its own. We’re looking to crowdsource photographs of both human-made and natural specimens that you find in your local environment – such as your garden, street, or on a local walk, ideally in the Salford area, or the northwest of England.
The photographs will contribute to a new original artwork that will be exhibited in Salford in 2021 before entering the University Art Collection.
Get involved and:
- Enjoy a local walk/explore nature nearby
- Be part of an exciting new artwork
- Contribute to innovative tech research
We are yet to announce when New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery will re-open however there are lots of opportunities to engage with the Collection and our wider work online.
Salford Spring micro-commissions programme - new works now online
Heather Glazzard, Unexpected Salford, digital zine (2020)
Five artists were selected for our Salford Spring micro-commission programme, to make new work in response to our rich and varied art collection.
The commissions are released weekly online, with the first three now available to view.
Salford graduate Heather Glazzard has produced a new digital zine, titled Unexpected Salford, which reflects on their 'life-changing' time studying here. Glazzard's photography and collage based work reflects on class, politics, society, and LGBTQ+ community.
Paradise Works based artist Katie Tomlinson has produced a new painting, titled The Wanderers (2020) in response to Figures by a Fence by Adolphe Valette (1922). Painted by Valette almost 100 years ago, and depicting two figures meeting in a local green space, the painting holds 'new significance when reflecting on our current climate'.
This week, digital artist Pat Flynn has chosen to revisit an earlier body of his own work - the Cheese series - which is represented in the University collection. Using the latest 'fluid dynamics software' (often used for special effects in movies) Flynn's mischevious encounter turns his still images into animated videos: by 'melting' them.
Check back in the next fortnight for new drawing by Richard Shields, and a new video based work by Mollie Balshaw.
Now screening: Nick Crowe & Ian Rawlinson - Song for Armageddon
Nick Crowe & Ian Rawlinson, Song for Armageddon (2017). Digital video (still)
The moving image work Song For Armageddon by Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson, which we co-commissioned in 2017 with Forma, is now streaming online at their website.
Filmed on location at Tel Megiddo, the biblical site of Armageddon in Israel, the film is 'situated between the real and the fictional': “In an age of Trump, Putin and climate change, with globalisation and wars – civil and otherwise – racking the globe, this work is a chance to return to the source of ‘end times’ iconography. Armageddon is a nexus of metaphysics and geopolitics.” – Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson
Accompanying the screening is a new interview with the artists, discussing the work's original intentions and potential for new meaning in the wake of Covid 19.
Commissioned by the University of Salford Art Collection and Forma, in association with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Supported by Arts Council England.
Also online
Makar to Makar Hosted by Chancellor Jackie Kay CBE
Streaming online - 20th August
Tune in for the final Makar to Makar live stream, hosted by University Chancellor and writer-in-residence Jackie Kay CBE. The series shares poetry, music and song every Thursday at 7pm, with the final chapter on 20th August.
Chancellor Jackie Kay CBE
COVID-19 Crisis: New poetry online
Since April 2020, our Chancellor and writer-in-residence Jackie Kay CBE has shared a poem online each week to provide inspiration, reflection, and a little comfort, during the pandemic.
Now that the series has concluded, you can revisit all of the poems and videos in one place on our website. Read more & view here
Open Music Archive Everything I Have Is Yours (2019)
Digital video
On 1st July we launched the 'mesmerising' audiovisual work, Everything I Have is Yours, on our website. The film, released under a Creative Commons license, is available to watch online - and also to download, keep, share and remix.
As our new cohort of Graduate Scholars get ready to start the programme we're also pleased to share news from scholars, past and present, who been continuing their creative practice throughout, and in response to, the pandemic:
Masks For Life
Artists at Islington Mill, including our current graduate scholar Heather Bell (mask design pictured) have been designing and producing new limited edition masks, which are for sale on the website.
The project also seeks to support the wider community by: offering free donations of masks to groups who are in need, and also acting to signpost other Covid response projects such as Manchester Pink Scrubs and the Big Community Sew. Visit the site to read more.
Queer Contemporaries
Graduate scholar Mollie Balshaw is one half of the curatorial duo Short Supply, who have recently curated the Queer Contemporaries exhibition with support from Superbia. The exhibition brings together an eclectic mix of contemporary LGBTQIA+ artists across painting, sculpture, drawing, performance, film, assemblage and drag, for a snapshot of queer art in the UK today.
Opening at AIR Gallery, Manchester, from Friday 28th August, alongside a digital showcase. More information here.
Terrace Square Artists Project -
TSAP @ Platt Hall
11 July - 31 August 2020
Platt Hall Windows at Plattfields Park
Graduate scholar Claudia Alonso presents a new collaboration with fellow alumnus Carlos Vicente, in response to the site & collections of Platt Hall.
Part of the The Terrace Square Artists Project (TSAP) - please visit the TSAP website for full details.
VIEUX art & music collaboration
streaming online
VIEUX is a collaborative art project between graduate scholar Bridget Coderc and musician Lee Roberts. Spoken word and abstract visuals by Coderc are combined with electronic/psychadelic sounds by Roberts.
Coderc, based at Paradise Works studios, took part in our 2019/2020 graduate scholarship programme.
WEȽ∝KER audiovisual performances streaming online
WEȽ∝KER (pronounced Wet Locker) is an experimental audiovisual performance collaboration between graduate scholar alumnus Joe Beedles and sound artist Guillaume Dujat. They live streamed a laser performance from the Niamos Arts Centre in Hulme as part of Test Card TV on Thursday 30th July, which you can now watch back on Facebook here (streams start at 5m30s)
News from our friends & partners:
Salford Museum & Art Gallery - phased re-opening
We're delighted to hear that our partners at Salford Museum & Art Gallery have started to welcome visitors back to the building, through a phased re-opening.
You will be able to visit the shop and cafe, and make bookings for Lark Hill Place and the Local History Library. Visit the SM&AG website for full details, opening hours, and the latest Covid updates.
Box on the Docks
MediaCityUK and HemingwayDesign have teamed up to bring a 'unique new dining and arts experience' to Salford Quays: around 30 custom designed outdoor 'pods' for residents and visitors to meet, work, and dine safely.
The boxes have been decorated by artists from Paradise Works, Islington Mill, Hot Bed Press and more - including graduates from our School of Arts and Media. Visit the website for more info & bookings.
Open Eye Gallery:
Vacancy for Digital Marketing, Communications and Content Producer
A fantastic opportunity to join the dynamic team at Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool. Closing date for applications 26 August, full details on the OEG website.
East Salford communities: Submit your videos to 'Capturing Summer 2020'
East Salford based studios Paradise Works have teamed up with Manchester International Festival to create a 'collective portrait' of the area during Covid 19.
If you live/work in the area, you are invited to submit a short video for inclusion in the collaborative film project. Visit the MIF website for full details.
Keep in Touch
The team are currently working from home. We’re keen to hear from artists and partners to keep exploring how we can best keep supporting the sector at this time. You can reach us at:
Both AN and Arts Council England have the most up-to-date and comprehensive advice for artists & arts organisers during COVID-19.
For local residents, the Spirit of Salford helpline/webpage offers a whole range of advice from housing/debt issues to sourcing food and emergency supplies.
