arts

Scratch the Surface Festival: BE Music ‘A Symphony of Bee and Man’

August 10, 2017Mental SpaghettiLeave a comment

BE perform their critically acclaimed album ‘ONE’. © Dom Henry Photography/Wolfgang Buttress Studio.

Scratch the Surface Festival: BE Music ‘A Symphony of Bee and Man’

For the past six months, Mental Spaghetti has been working with Collective//Pod, of The Pod, Coventry, supporting the upcoming Mental Health Arts festival, Scratch the Surface: Dialogue.

The festival runs September 30th – October 10th, World Mental Health Day, and will present a varied and rolling programme of visual arts, performance, and participatory projects. Artists and full programme will be announced later in the month, but for now I’d like to announce BE Music, by internationally renowned artist Wolfgang Buttress (whose work you may have previously experienced at Kew Gardens).

A unique concert will be creating a buzz in Coventry to celebrate World Mental Health Day!

Internationally renowned artist Wolfgang Buttress and music ensemble BE are set to bring a performance with a difference to Coventry Cathedral – they will be accompanied by 50,000 bees. BE will perform their critically acclaimed album “ONE” featuring a live-streamed chorus of 50,000 bees from a hive within the Cathedral grounds.

An integral part of the performance will be hosted by a bespoke community choir engineered and choreographed by the Pod’s Collective//Pod, an artist collective derived by members with lived experience of mental ill health. The Pod is Coventry City Council’s award winning mental health resource and creative hub.

The event, being held on Saturday, October 7 at 7.30pm, is part of Collective//Pod’s annual mental health arts festival “Scratch the Surface – DIALOGUE” and is being supported by Coventry Cathedral.

BE was formed as a collaboration between Wolfgang Buttress, musicians Tony Foster, Kev Bales, Deirdre Bencsik, Camille Christel and scientist Dr Martin Bencsik, who is undertaking cutting-edge research using accelerometers embedded in beehives.

The accelerometers, devices which are sensitive to tiny vibrations, will be used to livestream the sounds from the bee hive into the Cathedral during the performance.

Visual projections, including images from the project and live footage from the hive, will also be screened, and specially-created candles scented with botanicals from the Cathedral and essential oils from the new bee hive will be used to create a multi-sensory atmosphere.

The bees are already within the grounds of the Cathedral in preparation for the event, and the hive will remain there as a lasting legacy.

“Coventry Cathedral is an amazing space with an incredible history, so it is an honour to be performing there. It will be a very moving and powerful performance, and using bees based in the grounds will give the audience a real sense that what is happening is live. We weren’t scheduled to perform this year, however when we were approached to be part of a concert celebrating World Mental Health Day it really resonated with us and it’s wonderful that we are able to contribute.”
– Wolfgang Buttress

The event is supporting Coventry’s bid to be the UK City of Culture 2021. The bid is being led by Coventry City of Culture Trust and, if successful, would bring social, cultural and economic benefits to the city.

Coventry is now on the shortlist along with four other cities, and will submit a final bid in September before the decision is announced in December.

The Very Reverend John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral, added: “We look forward to welcoming BE and the choir for what will be a truly unique performance to celebrate World Mental Health Day. A performance featuring bees has never been staged at the Cathedral before, and demonstrates the diversity of the events that we hold. It’s also nice to have another 50,000 parishioners in the grounds, which will remain here permanently following the concert!”

“ONE” is the soundscape for Wolfgang Buttress’s multi award-winning sculpture The Hive, currently sited in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, which seeks to highlight the importance of the honey bee in the food chain and their plight as a species.

Since recording the album, BE has gone on to appear at festivals including Glastonbury, Bluedot Caught by the River and End of the Road and perform sell-out shows at Kew, Sonos Studios and St Mary’s Church, in Nottingham.

The critically acclaimed “ONE” was in the best album list of 2016 of The Guardian, Rough Trade and The Quietus.

Tickets for the concert at Coventry Cathedral are priced between £25 and £35 and are available by searching for ‘BE Play Live’ at http://www.gigantic.com: Buy Tickets Here.

More about BE can be found by visiting www.beeandman.com.

Art, Power & the Asylum (Wellcome Library)

July 16, 2017Mental SpaghettiLeave a comment

Helen Greig, The Foetus / Rebirth. Credit: Adamson Collection / Wellcome Trust.

Please note that this series of events has been organised by the Wellcome Library, and will take place in the Reading Room at the Wellcome Collection.

Art, Power and the Asylum: exploring the Adamson Collection

What is the value of art created in the asylum? Who does it belong to and how should it be used?

Join contributors from the fields of mental health, art, libraries and ethics for a series of intimate discussions exploring value, power and identity, and shape how the Adamson Collection is framed.

The events will taking place in the Reading Room at Wellcome Collection and are drop-in events. First-come-first-seated – places are limited.

Naming the Unnamed

Tuesday 18th July, 15.00-16.00 (viewing of selected paintings, 14.00-15.00)
Should artists be named, or should they remain unnamed patients? Join Val Huet (BAAT), Michael Barham (Dramatherapist), Fiona Johnstone (Birkbeck) and Marie-France (ex- service user) to explore issues of sensitivity, identity and agency.

The ‘A’ Word

Thursday 20th July, 19.00-20.00 (viewing of selected paintings, 18.00-19.00)
Is work from the asylum art or medical record? What art history period does it fit into, if any? Join Beth Elliot (Bethlem Gallery), Marc Steene (Outside In) and Lamis Bayar (Dragon Café) to discuss how art from the asylum (and beyond) can be framed, and the value of terms such as Outsider Art and Art Brut.
Photography will be taking place during this event. Please speak to a member of staff for further information.

Read the Wellcome Library’s blog post about this event:

http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2017/06/art-from-the-asylum/

You can view the Adamson Collection online:

https://wellcomelibrary.org/adamsonartworks

https://wellcomelibrary.org/adamsonarchives

TAIESEID

May 31, 2017June 5, 2017Mental SpaghettiLeave a comment

‘Soul’ ©taieseid.com 2017

‘Lost’ ©taieseid.com 2017

‘Felt’ ©taieseid.com 2017

“TAIESEID: A Multi-media and oft (accidentally) installation artist with a working practise on mental health, specifically with an autobiographical focus on anorexia and borderline personality disorder.

A recent Fine Art graduate from Liverpool School of Art and Design, I have just undertaken my first international residency at Arts, Letters & Numbers in New York, USA.

I am also a recovering anorexic and bulimic, and current sufferer of borderline personality disorder, anxiety and depression. I have spent large portions of my life in inpatient mental health facilities and my practise focuses on mental health and, mostly, anorexia.”

See more at http://taieseid.com.

ARTIST SEEKING EXHIBITION SPACE! READ ON…

“I created the installation ‘Heterotopia’, which focuses on anorexia and the in-between living. It is a sound and film interactive piece, which consists of a 3/5 sided space panelled with reflective silver materials and a ‘squishy floor’.

The film and audio is 9 minutes long, with a 5 min gap between rolls to allow people to explore the squishy floor become ‘comfortable’ before the piece starts. Size wise, it is perhaps the end of a room or even a corridor would work so long as the floor and back wall and ceiling could be completely covered and the two sides left blank for reflections.

Below are some stills from a recent showing of Heterotopia at the Tertium Quid exhibition at the Arts, Letters & Numbers Institute in NY. “

If any of you readers with a suitable space out there think Heterotopia might be appropriate for your programme, please contact Taieseid via her website.

‘Heterotopia’ ©taieseid.com 2017

Micro commission opportunity at The Horsfall

April 14, 2017Mental SpaghettiLeave a comment

The Horsfall Micro Commissions 2017-18

Deadline Friday 5th May 2017

Applications are invited from artists and creative practitioners working in any art form for the 2017/18 Micro Commissions Programme with The Horsfall at 42nd Street.

The Micro Commission programme is a research and development opportunity for creative practitioners working across any art form. Designed to foster experimentation and innovation in creative practice within the realms of young people’s mental health and wellbeing, Micro Commissions enable practitioners to engage with an established mental health charity with its own creative programme and dedicated creative venue; The Horsfall.

We invite applications from creative practitioners from any discipline who wish to explore one of the following:

– The intersections of their practice with young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

– How the history of The Ancoats Art Museum or 87 Great Ancoats Street (the site of The Horsfall) can inspire and inform our arts and mental health practice at The Horsfall (resources are currently being curated into an online collection and can be supplied upon request).

– Ruskin/Horsfall’s vision for Useful and Beautiful art and how this can be reflected in arts and wellbeing work with young people at The Horsfall.

– The natural world in the urban environment and its relationship to young people and mental wellbeing.

You can download the full application guidelines PDF here: The Horsfall Micro Commissions Application Guidelines 2017

About 42nd Street

42nd Street is an innovative Greater Manchester mental health charity committed to supporting young people aged 11-25 years with their emotional well-being and mental health, promoting choice and creativity. With an excellent 35 year reputation, our unique holistic service model combines therapeutic psychological interventions with advocacy and social care. We reach 2000 young people each year via individual therapeutic support, projects and activities, leadership, peer research and a creative programme.

About The Horsfall

The Horsfall is a new venue and creative programme for Manchester, dedicated to improving young people’s mental health and wellbeing and the opening programme of projects, workshops and events will see artists, makers and heritage experts working with young people to reinterpret stories from the past, interrogate their own stories and to imagine new futures.

About the Micro Commissions

The Micro Commissions will be reserved for practitioners who are 35 years of age or under on 1st May 2017.

As this commission programme is conceived as a period of research, testing and experimentation, the only set public outcome is a presentation or sharing about your commission for an audience to be determined by The Horsfall team (including young people and the Creative Producer) and the commission holder.

As well as having access to one floor of The Horsfall for the equivalent of one week, commission holders will have access to 42nd St staff and their expertise in the field of young people and mental health.

It is not necessary for the applicant to consider or plan any direct delivery with young people during the commission period, although we do welcome applications that consider the involvement of young people in some way.

The Horsfall is based in central Manchester and easily accessible by public transport. The building consists of three floors and either the ground or first floors are potentially available for the commission. The ground floor is fully accessible.

Structure

There are two Micro Residencies in 2017 each lasting approximately one week. This can be a block of time or individual days taken over an extended period. Commission holders will receive:

– £500 expenses

– Workspace at The Horsfall

– Support from the Horsfall programme team (creative producer, engagement officer and communications officer)

– Access to support and information from mental health practitioners as necessary and where possible.

Chosen practitioners must have a current DBS at the time of taking up the micro commission. 42nd Street is able to assist in this process if necessary.

How to apply:

Please send the following:

– A one-page statement outlining your practice, your interest in the Commission, and how it will benefit one or more of the following:

– Your work

– Young people

– The Horsfall

– 42nd Street

– Your CV

– Supporting material – This must be in the form of a pdf containing up to 8 images and no larger than 10mb in size. You can include links to work online and your website within this document. If you want to include moving image/sound work in your application please include links to your work online.

There are two commission time slots. These will be confirmed by mutual agreement with the chosen candidates and will be between June 2017 and January 2018.

If you have any further questions about any aspect of the application please feel free to e-mail Julie.McCarthy@42ndstreet.org.uk. Please send applications by e-mail to Julie.McCarthy@42ndstreet.org.uk.

Selection Panels and Timescales

The Micro Commission panel is chaired by Julie McCarthy, Creative Producer for The Horsfall at 42nd Street. The rest of the panel is made up of:

– Two young people from the Creative Agents group at The Horsfall

– A representative from The Kim Lindfield Trust

The deadline for submissions is Friday 5th May at 12 midday.

Successful candidate will be notified by Friday 12th May.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to creative practitioners working in any discipline at any stage of their

career. The commissions are reserved for practitioners aged 35 years or under on 1st May 2017.

Students in full time education are ineligible to apply.

Feedback

We regret that we are unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.

Exhibition: The Shapes & Lines of Beauty

January 9, 2017January 9, 2017Mental SpaghettiLeave a comment

What: Visual art exhibition, group show
When: Until Thursday 19 January 2017, Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Where: The Conference Centre, St Pancras Hospital, 4 St Pancras Way, London, NW1 0PE

161031 Beauty and the Beast.jpg

Ten artists explore ‘beauty’ in a group show curated by Peter Herbert and The Arts Project.

“A stunning new art exhibition on the theme of Beauty and the Beast. Service users are among the ten artists whose work will be displayed in The Shapes and Lines of Beauty, including striking images by a former soldier who received treatment at the Trust for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Shaun Cole’s work evokes the colours of the Middle East, where he served as a soldier and he credits his works’ striking use of repetitive dots, reminiscent of aboriginal art, with helping him to “bring order” to his experience of PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder).

The aim of this latest exhibition in St Pancras Hospital is to encourage people to consider the nature of so-called ‘beauty’ and to question pleasing appearances.

Arts Project curator, Peter Herbert, who will be displaying two of his own pieces of work, said: “This is an exhibition bursting with warmth, vigour and imagination. Ten artists have produced work celebrating ideas of beauty and covering a broad spectrum. This is a fascinating concept and one that is well worth exploring further”.

Introducing the Artists…

SYBIL ADELAJA expresses the face and body as conduits to the inner soul though obsessive line drawing scribbles, which convey real power and forceful imagination.

CHRIS BIRD’s images which use rapidograph pens to create black lines on white with red colours have been published in THE BIG ISSUE and exhibited over the years. The result is a growing body of work responding to the beautiful and confusing energy of life in the big city. Within complex patterns the artist is drawn to faces in the crowd through which he emphasises marginalised people who inhabit the daily life of our city.

EDWARD BLAKE produces work inspired by a background studying architecture. These composite creations revel in layers of frames within frames, stained glass inserts decorated with flowers, foliage and texts of a personal nature.

RUBY BRADLEY is a self taught artist who contrasts traditional and delicate still life paintings of vases/bowls of flowers with new work, which develop into more abstract impressions of line and colour.

SHAUN COLE is a former soldier who was one of the war artists featured in our earlier ‘THE WAY AHEAD’ exhibition. Here, the artist returns with a wider range of work that evokes the colours of the Middle East, where he served as a soldier. His striking use of repetitive dots, recalls aboriginal art. This is artwork that helps to bring order to the artist’s experience of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He is currently studying for a Fine Arts degree at Ipswich University in Sussex.

MANEL GUELL is a painter who evokes the spiritual genesis of an often troubled Spanish social and artistic history. His delicate work using lines and shapes is rich with references to the surreal abstractions of Spanish artists including Goya and Luis Bunuel.

RICHARD KABY had open heart surgery after suffering a heart attack in 2014. His change in lifestyle while recovering resulted in a new awareness of the minutiae of everyday life and he was challenged to take one photo a day pasted onto Face Book in a project i flower. Using a phone camera as his eye ,the photographer discovers the nature of beauty in flowers, both as they blossom and die, depicting the fragility inherent within the cycle of our lives. Using extreme close-ups, these are photographs by an artist with an eye for the beauty around us, which most of us barely ever see.

KATHY KEEFE creates hats and head wear inspired by a love of millinery artistes of earlier decades including Treacy, Dache and Schiaparelli. For her display, the artist has created a boudoir, set against beautiful backdrops of delicately embroidered transparent lace.

ALBAN LOW has a growing collection of portraits, constructed in lines with splashes of colour to bring out the warmth and passion of musicians. These are drawn ‘live’ by the artist during his visits to the jazz cafes of London. For this exhibition, the artist is also presenting portraits of eight musicians who work with the innovatory programme Key Changes. They will perform a live set on the opening night, curated by manager Peter Leigh.

GEORGIA MATHEWS returns to the gallery for her 6th exhibition showcasing creative embellished jewellery. With this display she specialises in harmony between line, pattern and shape taking influence and inspiration from nature, colour and materials of the earth.

The exhibition includes two installations by PETER HERBERT. One is a fantasia of a carousel horse leaping through rainbow coloured hoops and a second installation involves a log lady made from the trunk of a cherry tree.

Contact details

C&I communications team: 020 3317 7236
communications@candi.nhs.uk

www.facebook.com/keychanges
www.facebook.com/theartsproject1
The Arts Project Gallery and Sales: Curator Manager Peter Herbert: 020 7916 8416
Operations Manager: Elaine Harper-Gay theartsproject1@gmail.com

EXHIBITION: Showcase, Paintings in Hospitals

June 13, 2016October 25, 2016Mental SpaghettiLeave a comment

What: Exhibition, ‘Showcase’, key works from the UK’s first and only art collection specifically created to improve health and wellbeing.
When: Wednesday 15 – Saturday 18 June 2016, 11:00am – 6:00pm
Where: Menier Gallery, 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU

Showcase features a variety of printed, painted, drawn, sculptural, and digital artworks, and will also comprise a programme of talks, tours, and events.

National arts and health charity Paintings in Hospitals announces today an exhibition highlighting key artworks from their extensive collection. Selected from over 4,000 artworks, the exhibition reveals how this 57-year-old charity continues to challenge ideas about the kind of artwork deemed suitable for health and social care spaces with a range of contemporary pieces from leading artists, including Antony Gormley, Ian Davenport, Susan Derges, Albert Irvin, and John Carter.

Since its founding in 1959, Paintings in Hospitals has been a pioneer in championing the belief that high-quality, original artworks can make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of patients, service users and those who care for them. This belief has been reinforced in recent years by studies that show the measurable benefits, including reduced drug consumption, shorter recovery periods and lower anxiety levels.

The unique Paintings in Hospitals loan collection has been created to provide comfort and relief, helping patients, visitors and staff to better interact and cope with their environment. All health and social care providers are welcome to borrow from the collection.
Showcase features a range of printed, painted, drawn, sculptural, comprise a programme of talks, tours, and events.

Paintings in Hospitals are running two ‘artWalks Specials’ as part of their Showcase exhibition. Choose between Wednesday 15 June and Friday 17 June, and join us at the Menier Gallery!

Tickets are available here.

CONNECT
Twitter: @artinhospitals
Facebook: PaintingsinHospitals
Instagram: @PaintingsinHospitals

HASHTAG
#ArtsHealthConnect

CREATIVITY AND WELLBEING WEEK 2016

The Week will take place from 13-19 June 2016. London Arts in Health Forum is coordinating Creativity and Wellbeing Week and is delighted to be collaborating with the National Alliance for Arts Health.

The Week will consist of a huge range of independently managed events and activities, providing something for everyone with an interest in the arts, health and wellbeing. Creativity and Wellbeing Week is generously supported by the Arts Council England through its support for London Arts in Health Forum, which is a National Portfolio organisation.

Website: www.lahf.org.uk
Twitter: @LAHFArtsHealth
Facebook: LAHFArtsHealth

The Mind Machine: DAO Review

January 28, 2016Mental SpaghettiLeave a comment

Colin Hambrook, Disability Arts Online editor, has written a wonderful review of The Mind Machine. Great mention is made of Yvonne Mabs Francis, describing seeing her work again for the first time since the 1990s as a ‘personal pilgrimage’.

To see the review in full, please visit Disability Arts Online.