Barnaby 2013, Macclesfield
Date uploaded: June 5, 2013
Barnaby 2013 presents a contemporary visual arts programme including new site specific commissions by Brass Art, Rachel Goodyear and Liz West.
Three new contemporary art commissions have been produced for Barnaby 2013, funded by Arts Council England, featuring Brass Art, Rachel Goodyear, and Liz West as part of an exciting and packed programme for this year’s Festival in the heart of Macclesfield. Working in heritage buildings and an empty shop unit the artists reference the historic town of Macclesfield and explore themes of metamorphosis. This year has built upon the quality programming from preceding years, which has previously shown work by internationally acclaimed artists such as; David Shrigley, Ian Davenport, Ian Rawlinson and Nick Crowe.
BRASS ART will exhibit The Air Which Held Them, three gigantic, inflatable winged heads which reflect the precise measurements of the artists’ heads taken from biomedical facial scans. Installed in historic Christ Church above fixed boxed wooden pews their gradual inflation and deflation offers the impression of an animated presence in a religious space that is frozen in time and without
congregation. The scale of the forms recasts the viewer in miniature, enabling them to experience the interface between the architecture, the human and the imagination. Originally commissioned as a prototype by Tatton Park Biennial, a further two of the pieces have been newly commissioned by Barnaby Festival. Brass Art are a collaborative trio of Chara Lewis Anneke Pettican and Kristin Mojsiewicz. Brass Art are represented by The International 3, Manchester and have exhibited widely across the UK and internationally. Recent exhibitions include: Flights of Fancy - Tatton Biennial; Dark Matters - Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; The Non-existence of the Un-named at The International 3, Manchester; and Siggraph 2012 in Los Angeles.
RACHEL GOODYEAR will show a collection of new drawings and a hand drawn animation. Thought Spill is a collection of intricate sketches, usually hidden away in sketchbooks and the studio, depicting peculiar scenarios both funny and macabre. They are clustered together to create an ambiguous narrative, and the setting of a small, intimate room is like a sneak peek into the artist’s mind.
Goodyear’s hand drawn animation, Woodman 2011 was originally commissioned for her solo show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Viewed in a darkened room, the strange solitary figure on the screen is given a life by subtle changes to the image and a haunting sound track of windblown leaves.
Rachel Goodyear has exhibited internationally. She is represented by The International 3 Manchester and Pippy Houldsworth, London. Recent exhibitions include: Beastly Hall, Bexley Hall, Kent; Drawing Stories: Narration in Contemporary Graphic Art, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany; and her forthcoming solo exhibition Artificial Night opens at the International 3 at the end of June.
Commissioned to work in an empty shop unit in Macclesfield’s Grosvenor Shopping Centre, LIZ WEST will use clear/transparent object to create her largest site-specific installation to date, positioning found/disguarded/recycled objects on top of red, yellow and blue light boxes, encased within a Perspex museum-like case. West is influenced by the process of collecting, and her work
specifically relates to the desire to gather and assemble objects, using colour and light to transform everyday things into new sculptural forms.
Liz West graduated from the Glasgow School of Art 2007 and is based at Rogue Artists Studios in Manchester. Liz had her first major Arts Council England funded solo exhibition in July 2012 at BLANKSPACE, Manchester and has recently (May 2013) been awarded Arts Council England funding for the research and development of new work. In January 2013 West was commissioned to make a new work to exhibit at Cornerhouse, Manchester in FOUR exhibition.
The Grants for the Arts award will also fund new commissions for Barnaby Festival 2014, including proposed work by The Owl Project, ceramicist Tom Barnett and contemporary sculptor Laura Ellen Bacon, and artist Hilary Jack as well as opportunities for the public to engage with artists at both festivals.
Anna Riordan, Barnaby Visual Arts Director, says: “The Grants for the Arts award represents a significant development for Macclesfield Barnaby Festival in terms of impact, ambition and public engagement. It will enable us to secure more nationally recognised artists and to form partnerships with other commissioning bodies for 2014. By engaging with the community, building partnerships and drawing on a regional audience we hope it will contribute to a cultural renaissance in Macclesfield.”
The town’s historic buildings, including Christ Church and Charles Roe House will be transformed by the commissions and an art trail of over 100 participating artists from the area during this year’s extended Barnaby Festival from 14-30 June 2013. Contemporary art will also be brought into the heart of the town's busy retail area, using an empty shop on the town’s main thoroughfare, Churchill Way where local young artists from the Magpie Thunder Bureau project will create a pop-up print workshop and gallery.
Rachel Goodyear: Thought Spill - 15th - 30th June, Charles Roe House, Chestergate, Macclesfield - FREE
Brass Art: The Air Which Held Them - 15th - 20th June and 25th - 30th June, Christ Church, Bridge Street, Macclesfield - FREE
Liz West: Consumed - 15th - 30th June, Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Macclesfield - FREE
