Exhibitions Portfolio
Blank Media Collective Exhibitions team
The Blank Media Collective Exhibitions team is responsible for the content and programming of all current and future exhibitions. This includes the following stages: • Devising exhibition concepts • Liaising with venue management • Mentoring and support for selected artists • Art-handling and exhibition installation As a curatorial team, we share a wide range of cultural and artistic influences, enabling us to be responsive and respectful to differing works and practitioners. We enjoy responding to different venues and environments, helping to build dialogues between the space, artwork and participant. In response to Blank Media Collective’s exhibition, Seeing and Being Seen, the Exhibitions team were invited to lead the Exhibitions Programme at greenroom [BMC @ greenroom] for two years starting in Autumn 2010. This has enabled the organisation to increase its visual presence within Manchester and highlight the practices of a greater number of emerging practitioners. The Blank Media Collective Exhibitions team is: Mark Devereux [BMC Director], Jamie Hyde, Marcelle Holt, Claire Curtin, Rachael Farmer & Taneesha Ahmed The following pages outline Blank Media Collective’s exhibition portfolio from January 2010 to present. Photogrpah Courtesy Guy Tavenor
Established in 2006, Blank Media Collective champions emerging artists, writers, musicians and practitioners through exhibitions, performance, free portfolio hosting on our website and via our online magazine, blankpages. Under Director Mark Devereux, the organisation has gained an excellent reputation, particularly within Manchester and the North West. Blank Media Collective are actively involved in a range of other projects which can be found on our website. Blank Media Collective was formed in November 2006 and is currently an unincorporated not-for-profit organisation.
4-5 Neck of the Woods Nexus Art Cafe, Manchester 6-7 Unbuilt easaHQ, Manchester BMC @ greenroom 8 Seeing and Being Seen 9 Raggaphoto
For further information about Blank Media Collective’s Exhibitions Programme please visit: www.blankmediacollective.org/events or email us at: exhibitions@blankmediacollective.org
Neck of the Woods
Rhiannon Hunter | Productofboy | Ima-Abasi Okon | Fivethreefive Project | Branka Vidovic-Butler | John Leyland & Commun-I-ty, Rhiannon Hunter
Neck of the Woods was a group exhibition investigating artists’ responses into the concept of community and how this is evolving. Artists and practitioners joined from throughout the UK and Internationally to challenge the audience’s preconceptions of community and how this can be explored within their own personal artistic practice.
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Blank Media Collective has excelled itself with their latest exhibition based at the Nexus Art Cafe. Combining multimedia installations, interactive puppet wizardry, spoken word and music, there is something for everyone at this event.
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Congrats on the show.The range of work was interesting. I enjoyed the video piece and the window space work had a great impact. Daniel Staincliffe, visitor, Manchester
Elaine Wilson, Independant Reviewer, Liverpool
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Denmasons, Taneesha Ahmed & Alex Moore
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Who hasn’t sat in the pub with friends and put the world to rights?
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Elaine Wilson, Independant Reviewer, Liverpool
Neck of the Woods Public Preview
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All members of BLANK MEDIA COLLECTIVE were incredibly supportive and engaged with the all artists and audience members. I felt that NECK OF THE WOODS was of the one of best exhibitions I have ever been involved with for exactly this reason.The energy of BMC as a collective meant that many people including artists and spectators wanted to converse with them and this really promoted engagement and participation. Taneesha Ahmed, Artist, Manchester
Photogrpahs Courtesy Gareth Hacking www.garethhacking.co.uk
11 February - 11 April 2010 Nexus Art Cafe, Manchester
Taneesha Ahmed & Alex Moore | Renee Rhodes | Lynne Heller | Ryan Campbell | Edwyn Butler | Annette Cookson
Unbuilt Public Preview
Unbuilt
Part of:
Almost a decade ago, undergraduates commenced architecture degrees amid a booming economic climate. Now, as these students graduate into a recession, and as architecture takes the biggest hit of any professional group, Blank Media Collective believe this is an exciting opportunity to showcase their work. Unbuilt was an exhibition that fit with the stride of our times, recognising that emerging architectural talent was struggling to find a place within the industry. Each year produces a batch of recent graduates with fresh ideas and new portfolios. This exhibition championed a selection of these architects as they explored elements of their creativity and renewed their passions. Unbuilt was an exhibition highlighting the work of non-practicing architecture graduates and was developed to utilise the significance of easaHQ (European Architecture Student Assembly) and promote the shared objectives of the respective organisations.
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Blank Media Collective have been the most professional and organised team to exhibit at the easaHQ.The team are personally patient and understanding, and they prepared the gallery spaces with careful attention to detail sufficiently far in advance. After the exhibition the space was cleared up and returned in a very good condition within a short time.Were the gallery to continue, I would be very happy for the gallery to host another Blank Media Collective exhibition. Thomas Bennell, easaHQ, Manchester
Rob Houmoller | Katy Beinart | Eve Roberts | Matthew Pilling | Yaojen Chuang | Andrew Thomson | Emma Curtin | Eric Kwan | Andrew Cross
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Hope for the future!
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M Mahloney,Visitor, Styal
The University of the 3rd Age, Andrew Thomson
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Thank you for organizing the event and believing in our work! It’s especially been a pleasure to have been given compliments on development work never really made to be exhibited. It has been great to be involved in an architecture exhibition that has been so carefully and creatively put togetheras an exhibition rather than a collection of works that so often happens. I feel it made the work much more enjoyable to a wider audience. I found this especially good when bringing along fine artists’/sculptors and them complimenting on the exhibition set up itself! Well done! Eve Roberts, Architecture Graduate, Manchester
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Very different, unorthodox approach, definitely enjoyable! : )
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Noon Alwan,Visitor, Manchester / Bahrain
Photogrpahs Courtesy Guy Tavenor
7 - 15 May 2010 easaHQ, Manchester
Sugar House Lane Mental Health Centre and Flower Farm, Rob Houmoller
24/02/10 10/04/10
BMC @
“ Seeing and Being Seen was a collection of new photographic works by Adam Booth and collaborators Lee Deaville & Richard Turner. A common theme between Booth’s and Deaville & Turner’s works are the way in which they replicate the cinematic within beautifully lit and framed photographic images. Their works compliment each other through their exploration of traditional genres of landscape (Adam Booth) and portraiture (Lee Deaville & Richard Turner). Seeing and Being Seen highlights the photographic works by these three exciting up-and-coming practitioners selected from Blank Media Collective’s online Artist’s Portfolios.
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The overall communication with me and Blank Media was excellent. I knew exactly what I need to do and when, for the exhibition to be a success. Also taking time to meet with me and the other photographers to go through the work that would be selected was very helpful. Adam Booth, Artist, Leeds Untitled, Adam Booth
Images Courtesy Gareth Hacking & Adam Booth
Seeing and Being Seen
Seeing and Being Seen Public Preview
Cube, Raggaphoto
greenroom
14/04/10 19/06/10
Late at night, whilst Manchester is sleeping, artists Kyle Saxton & Marcus Ali (Raggaphoto) are creating their next masterpiece…
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Our work challenges the norm of conventional photography and graffiti replacing paint with light… Kyle Saxton, Artist, Manchester
Sketch of Dog 2, Raggaphoto
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The work that we make is very urban and our inspiration is gathered from the city around us, the vivid colours of our light graffiti contrasts the murky, somewhat sinister areas that we shoot
Images Courtesy Raggaphoto www.raggaphoto.co.uk
Kyle Saxton, Artist, Manchester
Raggaphoto
Working in and around Manchester, Raggaphoto like to find the darkest, grittiest locations for their take on contemporary graffiti. Leaving no remnants, needing no alter-ego’s to protect their identities, Kyle & Marcus use the medium of light to paint the city.