Professor Jackie Kay CBE, University Chancellor and Scots Makar, is sharing a series of poems with colleagues, students and members of the public, reflecting on the current period of uncertainty that we are in.
This week, we are sharing Jackie’s poem ‘Welcome Wee One’, to welcome all of the babies who have come into the world in the last few months but also sparing a thought for relatives who have not yet met the new babies in their families due to current social distancing restrictions.
‘Welcome Wee One’
O ma darlin wee one
At last you are here in the wurld
And wi’ aa your wisdom
Your een bricht as the stars,
You’ve filled this hoose with licht,
Yer trusty wee haun, your globe o’ a heid,
My cherished yin, my hert’s ain!
O ma darlin wee one
The hale wurld welcomes ye:
The mune glowes; the hearth wairms.
Let your life have luck, health, charm,
Ye are my bonny blessed bairn,
My small miraculous gift.
I never kent luve like this.
Published in BANTAM, reprinted with kind permission of Picador Publishers.
Don’t miss Jackie’s weekly series of online literary and musical performances. ‘Makar to Makar’ will showcase a line-up of established talent and emerging voices from Scotland and around the world. Read more about ‘Makar to Makar’ here.
Follow Jackie on Twitter @JackieKayPoet to hear a new poem every Sunday.
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Following our virtual support sessions for contemporary visual artists applying to ACE Emergency Funding, we’re pleased to offer further bookable online studio visits for practitioners based in Greater Manchester & the North West.
The informal sessions last for around 45-60 minutes, and have recently included: reviewing CVs, statements and websites, discussing professional practice, supporting bid-writing, and opportunities to talk about your latest projects or new directions in your practice.
We are a small team but have a range of experience between us. We can only offer a limited number of sessions – but we’d be very happy to hear from you and look forward to finding out more about your work.
‘The Wanderers’ (2020) Katie Tomlinson 50 x 60cm, Oil on Canvas
The Wanderers (2020) is a response to Figures by a Fence (1922) by Adolphe Valette. Although, Valette created this painting almost 100 years ago, the painting holds new significance when reflecting on our current climate.
Adolphe Valette, Figures by a Fence, 1922. Photograph: Photography North West.
Once the government announced lockdown I found myself enjoying hobbies that I hadn’t had time for in years – baking, gardening, and most importantly, walking. For most, the ritual of a daily walk became a silver lining, and Valette’s painting depicts just this; A content and peaceful couple enjoying a moment with nature.
My response, ‘The Wanderers,’ is a depiction of one of the many idyllic Greater Manchester settings that I have immersed myself in, during my government approved daily exercise, whilst in lockdown. I especially enjoyed long walks along the banks of the River Mersey, whilst I filled my phone with amateur photographs of tall trees, wild garlic and cute dogs.
I found this photograph (left) particularly interesting. My phone automatically curved the trees, creating an obscure, fish eye perspective. Although, this resulted in a poor photograph, I felt compelled to adapt the image into a painting. The distorted and surreal curvatures of the trees later became a visualisation of the surreal experience we were all facing.
From this I began playfully constructing collages using Photoshop. The collages were generally produced using primary photographs and awkward stock images found serendipitously on the Internet. I use collage as a way of working through compositional and colour decisions, as well as a means to determine how to share the story I wish to tell. Although the painting continues to develop on the canvas, I consider the preliminary collage making to be the most significant part of my process.
As the painting progressed, I decided to revisit the spot where the original photograph was taken. During my walk I noticed small pieces of white fluff falling from the sky and as I reached the River Mersey the area was covered in a layer of cotton like snow, completely transforming the landscape. I later learned that it was fluff from female Poplar trees.
In ancient Greek mythology, the Poplar tree was devoted to Hercules after he destroyed the fire-breathing giant, Cacus. Like Hercules, we are also being attacked, but instead of a fire-breathing giant, we are faced with an invisible monster. The tree is also a symbol of endurance and courage, qualities we have all demonstrating throughout 2020 in our battle against Covid-19.
Revisiting the landscape and walking amongst the Poplar snow, led me to reflect on the painting I was creating. Although id began the painting with the intention of representing the positives of my lockdown experience, the work had soon become engrossed with negative post-apocalyptic scenes, tree fires and unidentifiable ghouls roaming the landscape. Therefore, when I researched the Poplar tree symbolism I was inspired to incorporate its protective fluff within the painting. Just like our key workers, the Poplar fluff falls into the painting and begins to extinguish the Covid 19 fire, saving the wanderers beneath.
Katie lives and works in Manchester, and is currently a studio holder at Paradise Works. Recent exhibitions include: Happy Ending at Bunker Gallery (Manchester) Spilling out with Castlefield Gallery at The Manchester Contemporary, and More T’North at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery (Preston). https://www.katietomlinson.co.uk/info
Adolphe Valette,Figures by a Fence, 1922. Photograph: Photography North West. Acquired by the University of Salford Art Collection in 1971.
We are pleased to announce the first in a series of new commissions with our key industry partners, as part of a wider programme of support for artists during Covid 19.
Open Eye Gallery and University of Salford Art Collection have commissioned two projects examining underrepresented repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The programme, How Will We Remember? seeks to identify gaps in the public consciousness around who is affected by the global health crisis, and create opportunities to document the lived experience of those who have found themselves especially vulnerable.
The two North West-based artists, Sarah Eyre and Kiara Mohamed, will respond to Covid 19 and its impact on creativity and wellbeing through their artistic practices. The resulting artworks will be accessioned into the University of Salford Art Collection.
Kiara Mohamed‘s commission will approach the personal impact that Covid 19 has had specifically on the lives of Black and brown people. Using video calls as a device, Mohamed will photograph these conversations as they occur, giving a view into how daily life and the way we relate to each other have changed.
Kiara is a multidisciplinary Muslim queer artist based in Liverpool. She works with photography, filmmaking, poetry. Her work is primarily concerned with addressing the intersections of race, gender, sexuality and self care, particularly in relation to forms of community and social responsibility. Open Eye Gallery encourages people to make a donation to help a queer, black, non-binary friend of hers move to safer housing; they are a low-salaried cultural worker who has been furloughed; they need to move out of the property they are living in because it is not safe for them. You can learn more and help out here.
Kiara Mohamed Black people built Liverpool
Kiara Mohamed Founding Mother (2020)
Sarah Eyre‘s interest in presence and absence lends itself to the exploration of Covid 19 through a focus on how women are particularly affected by the virus. Eyre uses a cutout technique and layers images from a range of source materials. This could explore the absences that Covid 19 has left in women’s lives, as well as the gaps in provision or support that they might now be facing.
Sarah Eyre is Northern based artist working with photography, moving image and collage. Her practice often combines found imagery, her own photography, animation and sculptural artefacts. Her recent projects ‘Wigs’ and ‘Copy / Cut / Paste’ both explore the way that women’s wigs draw attention to the complex relationships between the body, its external presence and our formation of self.
The commissions will be released initially online in July, and will be acquired into the University’s permanent collection.
Sarah Eyre, Lockdown collage (2020)
Sarah Eyre, Lockdown collage (2020)
How Will We Remember is part of a wider programme of support for artists during Covid 19, aiming to capture contemporary experiences during the pandemic as well as supporting artists who have otherwise lost work.
Further new commissions will be announced soon, in partnership with: Castlefield Gallery, Hot Bed Press, Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, and AND Festival.
July 2020
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Professor Jackie Kay CBE, University Chancellor and Scots Makar, is sharing a series of poems with colleagues, students and members of the public, reflecting on the current period of uncertainty that we are in.
This week, we are sharing Jackie’s poem ‘Caravan in Avielochan’, which has been written to celebrate Gay Pride. Originally published in the collection BANTAM (2017).
‘Caravan in Avielochan’
The rain on the caravan roof – a skin drum, or
birds dancing – and in the morning,
the hens come to the caravan’s steps, feathery feet,
on the hunt for bacon, maybe egg.
Then – guess what? BIG surprise! The period arrives!
I’m eleven. You’re eleven! Claire Innes says.
Some don’t get them till they’re fourteen. Lucky you.
Don’t tell your brother. Brothers are not supposed to ken.
And then, to the chemist in Aviemore, in the Morris Minor,
to get the towels mum says are like nappies.
I’m disappointed. They’re nothing like nappies!
I’m all emotional. You’ll feel all emotional;
It’s natural. In the caravan, in the middle of the night,
Claire turned to me, the wee curtains shut tight,
the rain pitter-pattering the roof. Wheesht! Wheesht!
I went dead quiet. Not a word from me, not a word.
You’ve a forest, there, Claire said, softly (she had no pubic hair!)
Then she pushed her tongue to the roof of my mouth –
and we kissed, we kissed, we kissed. We really did.
Published in BANTAM, reprinted with kind permission of Picador Publishers.
Don’t miss Jackie’s weekly series of online literary and musical performances. ‘Makar to Makar’ will showcase a line-up of established talent and emerging voices from Scotland and around the world. Read more about ‘Makar to Makar’ here.
Follow Jackie on Twitter @JackieKayPoet to hear a new poem every Sunday.
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Professor Jackie Kay CBE, University Chancellor and Scots Makar, is sharing a series of poems with colleagues, students and members of the public, reflecting on the current period of uncertainty that we are in.
This week, we are sharing Jackie’s poem ‘A Banquet for the Boys’.
‘A Banquet For the Boys’
(For MK, Andy, Phazey, B-man and Bailout)
When your foot was stood on and you couldn’t stand
And you couldn’t cook for Phazey or B-man,
I ordered you a feast to lend a helping hand:
For your benevolence, some baba ghanousk
And for your fidelity, your empathy -fattoush,
For your brotherly ways, some moujaddara set al beit.
For Black Lives Matter some barnia bel zeit
Tabbouleh since you’re all trans-affirming bros.
Halloumi to hail the halo round your afro.
Zucchini since you’re so queer affirming,
Makdous, moutabal for loving diversity and the mandem.
Restorative justice in a Vegan Lovers’ Platter.
For love, for the love of protest – pickles, bread.
For keeping your head, boys, for knowing what matters.
Copyright Jackie Kay. Reprinted with kind permission from the author.
Don’t miss Jackie’s weekly series of online literary and musical performances. ‘Makar to Makar’ will showcase a line-up of established talent and emerging voices from Scotland and around the world. Read more about ‘Makar to Makar’ here.
Follow Jackie on Twitter @JackieKayPoet to hear a new poem every Sunday.
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We are pleased to announce the online launch of Everything I Have is Yours by Eileen Simpson and Ben White (Open Music Archive), an ambitious film and sound work that looks back to the first decade of the UK pop charts (1952-62).
The film – released almost exactly a year on from when we premiered the film at Salford Museum and Art Gallery in 2019 – is distributed under a Creative Commons (CC by 4.0) license: meaning you can watch online, as well as download, keep, share, or even reuse and remix.
We are delighted to announce that we have awarded 6 Graduate Scholarships to students from the School of Arts and Media. The Graduate Scholarship Programme is run by the Art Collection in collaboration with Castlefield Gallery. It provides a bespoke programme of professional development for a small number of students in the first year after graduation. As we enter the 7th year of the programme we are also offering one place to an MA student. Following a competitive application process, including online interviews, we can reveal the successful artists are:
Jack Jameson, BA Media and Performance (Islington Mill) Rachel Mason, MA Socially Engaged Photography Kate Oakes, BA Photography (Redeye, The Photography Network) Barbara Smith, BA Fine Art (Paradise Works) Chelsea Smith, BA Fashion Image Making and Styling (Islington Mill) Mimi Waddington, BA Fine Art (Hot Bed Press)
Each artist will receive support tailored to their individual needs and aspirations by Castlefield Gallery including: a bursary of £1000 to spend on materials or travel, studio space or place on a programme with one of our industry partners (in brackets above), and a 12 month programme of coaching, mentoring, professional development sessions, local and national trips and 12 month honorary membership of Castlefield Gallery Associates, providing further opportunities for professional development and training. Although sadly the 2019/20 cohort have been unable to access their studios for several months, they have remained busy. The professional development programme moved online and we will update on progress in our next newsletter.
“Receiving a scholarship has given me a platform for the next year. Despite the uncertain times I have been able to focus my planning and begin talking to other artists and researchers online with the knowledge I will have a studio and support to make new work.” – Barbara Smith, BA Fine Art
July 2020
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Professor Jackie Kay CBE, University Chancellor and Scots Makar, is sharing a series of poems with colleagues, students and members of the public, reflecting on the current period of uncertainty that we are in.
Jackie’s poem ‘Mirror’ considers that for many people living alone in lockdown, the only company that they might have had during this time is a mirror. The poem also sees Jackie reflect on the fact that we might not want to go back to certain things from our ‘old lives’ once lockdown ends.
‘Mirror’
I am not going back, I said to myself
One day of the days last week,
Which day I can’t say for sure.
I said it out loud to the lone mirror,
The mirror that’s been my listening ear.
Not going back; this time a whisper in my ear
These days have held up a strange mirror.
I can’t: this much I know for sure,
As sure as the day slides into a week.
I’ll find a way, I promise myself.
Copyright Jackie Kay. Reprinted with kind permission from the author.
June 2020
Don’t miss Jackie’s new weekly series of online literary and musical performances. ‘Makar to Makar’ will showcase a line-up of established talent and emerging voices from Scotland and around the world.
Follow Jackie on Twitter @JackieKayPoet to hear a new poem every Sunday.
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Early in Spring 2020, the University was successful in a small grant application to The Paul Mellon Centre for the Study of British Art, for research into South African artist Albert Adams (1929 – 2006).
Adams, who was of African and Indian heritage, was denied access to formal education due to apartheid policy. He moved to the UK in the 1950s, where he continued to live, study and teach until his death in 2006. Much of his work focused on political oppression, abuse of power, and personal identity.
The University holds one of the most significant archives of Adam’s work, including prints, drawings, paintings and studio artefacts. The collection was acquired with Art Fund support in 2012 and made possible with the generosity of Adams’ surviving partner, Edward Glennon. You can read more about the collection here.
Research Fellow in Art History Dr Alice Correia, will host a study day on Adam’s work in Spring 2021 (post-poned from Summer 2020 due to Covid-19), and curate a new display in Albert Adams room – a permanent exhibition of Adam’s work, in a room renamed in his honour in 2015.
Here, Dr Correia reflects on one of Adams’ later drawings (Celebration Head, 2003, pictured) in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Albert Adams, Celebration Head, 2003, oil and charcoal on canvas, 115x140cm. (c) The artist’s estate.
One of the art works by Albert Adams held in the University of Salford Art Collection is titled, Celebration Head, 2003. It is a large oil and charcoal drawing on canvas and depicts the head and shoulders of a male figure. Despite its title, the drawing is a mediation on suffering and pain. It is a powerful work, and looking at it in the summer of 2020, at a moment of global anti-racism protests, its relevance to current conversations about blackness and discrimination is considerable.
As part of his Celebration series, 2000-2002, Adams’ drawing can be placed within a larger body of work that addressed the subjugation of the black body in South African culture. Marilyn Martin (Director of Art Collections, Iziko Museums of Cape Town) explained that the Celebration series “referred to post-apartheid South Africa and the challenges, dangers and threats that came with political change”.i Although Adams had left his native South Africa to study at the Slade School of Art in 1953, and settled in Britain permanently in the early 1960s, the country and particularly the ways that it oppressed its black population through its apartheid laws, remained central to his work. A year before his death, in 2006, he wrote “My work is based on my experience of South Africa as a vast and terrifying prison, an experience which even now, after a decade of democracy, still haunts me”.ii In this context, Celebration Head seems to caution against too much celebration in the post-apartheid era. His work reminds us that the deep wounds and traumas experienced by generations cannot simply be celebrated away, that past atrocities continue to affect the present.
In Celebration Head, the man’s head angled in a jarring expression of pain. Although his facial features are smudged and obscured, it is clear that he is presented with two mouths, both of which are grinning in anguish, teeth bared. Around his neck is a plaque, with the number 7867. The number is reminiscent of prisoner numbers included in police mugshots, and as such becomes a sign of criminality, reinforcing a stereotype that casts black male bodies as threatening. In the disparity between the man’s suffering and his identification as criminal threat, as audience members we are asked to question our own prejudices. Although Adams’ drawing was created in response to a South African context, it could just as easily refer to black experiences closer to home: from the systemic anti-blackness found within our institutions including the police and government; the historic and continued framing of black people as criminal in the press; to the racist micro-aggressions that impact the daily lives of black people in Britain.
In March 1945 Pablo Picasso stated that, “painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war for attack and defence against the enemy”.iii Adams, it seems, was well aware of Picasso’s words,iv and Celebration Head is exemplary of his life-long commitment to engage with the painful inequalities and injustices at work in our global societies.
Dr Alice Correia, June 2020.
Albert Adams (b. 1929 Johannesburg, d. 2006 London) was painter and printmaker of mixed-raced (African/Indian) heritage. His triptych, South Africa, 1959, is considered by many to be one of the most important paintings in the history of twentieth century South African art. A selection of Adams’ work is on permanent display in the Albert Adams Room in The Old Fire Station, University of Salford.
A study day examining the work of Albert Adams will take place in Spring 2021, funded by The Paul Mellon Centre for the Study of British Art.
ii Albert Adams, as cited in Albert Adams 1930-2006; Press Release, Northumbria University Gallery, 2015.
iii Pablo Picasso, statement March 1945, in Herschel B. Chipp, Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics, Berkeley: Universityof California Press, 1968, p.487.
iv See Lorna and Graham de Smidtin Albert Adams 23/6/1929-31/12/2006: A Tribute, p.3, as above.
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