Eden Magazine by Lucy B

1/4/2014

Eden.

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 £3.00

A WEEK IN EDEN...

Front cover and The Brink, Liverpool by Ricky Narito. The city’s first dry bar. See more of his work on page 12. www.dryicons.com

CONTENTS NEWS...

FEATURES AND PHOTOGRAPHY...

Biennial’s back .............................................. 4 John Moores Painting Prize.............................5 World Photography Show...............................6 What’s on?.....................................................7

Start spreading the news... Meet the Birkenhead photographer who’s been documenting a different side to the Big Apple...........................................8 Liverpool through the lens... Work by Ricky Narito..........................................................12 New Brighton in the 21st Century... Work by Corey Bartle-Sanderson.......................16

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Greet the brand new day

Walker Design Co. www.dryicons.com www.dryicons.com

IN THE NEWS http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

The 2008 Biennial featured urban art project Visible Virals. © Tedbassman/@Flickr

Liverpool Biennial arts festival is backso what’s new this year?

he programme for the Liverpool Biennial 2014 has been released. The arts festival is set to hit Liverpool on the 5th July and will continue until 26th October. The 8th Biennial will feature the exhibition A Needle Walks into a Haystack, curated by Mai Abu ElDahab and Anthony Huberman. The exhibition will explore the theme of habits and the way we experience them. It will revolve around a group show at the Former Trade Union building on Hardman Street with work by international talents such as Uri Aran, Josef Strau, Judith Hopf and others. Other venues such as the Bluecoat, FACT cinema and Tate Liverpool will be home to exhibitions over the course of the festival. The Bluecoat will be incorporating the work of James McNeill Whistler, celebrated American artist most notable for his painting Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1, usually referred to as ‘Whistler’s Mother’. The display at the Bluecoat will also be presenting a recreation of his renowned ‘Peacock Room’ painted between 1876 and 1897. This famous piece of interior artwork came about after Liverpool ship owner Frederick Richards Leyland commissioned-

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Whistler to redecorate his London home after the original architect fell ill. Leyland agreed to minor alterations. However, once Leyland had returned to Liverpool and Whistler was left to his own devices, his imagination ran wild. As part of his ‘improvements’, he painted two fighting peacocks, representing himself and Leyland. Leyland was furious when he discovered Whistler’s changes and terminated their relationship. Although this damaged Whistler’s livelihood (he became bankrupt two years later), the piece is considered one of the greatest interior artworks still in existence. In his time as a working artist, Whistler challenged the conventions and habits of art in his day. He is just one of the several artists chosen for the exhibition. Every two years, the festival lays out numerous events throughout the city with an extensive range of art projects. They involve artists past and present, with projects involving the community as well as public displays around Liverpool. The festival has proven in the past to be hugely successful. On average, around 60,000 people attend over the 10 weeks and in 2010 alone it is believed to have made £27m for the city.

Celebrating 15 years of the Liverpool Biennial: A look back at some of the festival’s most memorable moments It’s been 15 years since the first Liverpool Biennial. Fifteen whole years- that’s longer a dog’s average lifespan. To honour this landmark, it seems only fitting to look back at some of the famous fest’s best moments. Cue emotional yet humorous film reel. • The festival was met with controversy in 2004. Yoko Ono, avant-garde artist and widow of John Lennon, exhibited a series of photographs of a woman’s breast and crotch around the city centre in a piece entitled ‘My mummy was beautiful’. Needless to say, this caused some outrage. But I’m sure Yoko can now be forgiven. After all, this little incident was 10 years ago. How old do you feel now...?

• In 2008, a series of graffiti-like text appeared on blank walls across the city (an example can be seen opposite) entitled Visible Virals. The theme that year was ‘Made Up’- the city was clearly in a state of euphoric creativity after winning European Capital of Culture. The work asks rhetorical questions, provoking the reader into rethinking their belief system and behavioural patterns. Fascinating stuff. • Doug Aitken took part in the 2012 Biennial as part of the Sky Arts Ignition Series. The acclaimed US artist was commissioned to design a pavilion entitled “The Source” in an effort to explore the nature of creativity in conversation. Artists involved included Tilda Swinton and Jack White. Too cool.

John Moores Painting Prize: Longlist announced

ommissioners of the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize have now revealed which artists have made the longlist. Over 2,500 artists entered the competition and 52 have now made it through to the next stage of judging. The contest is the largest of its sort in the UK and the winner receives a prize of £25,000. The four runners-up will also be awarded a prize of £2,500 each. The competition is run biennially by the Walker Art Galllery. Judges include broadcaster and art historian Tim Marlow and Turner Prize nominee Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. The award aims to honour the best in contemporary painting and submission is open to everyone. The prize is named after its creator, the famous Liverpool businessman John Moores. The founder of Littlewoods moved to Liverpool in 1922 where he built a business empire. He founded his namesake painting prize in 1957 as a one-off award. However, its success led to it becoming a biennial event. In 1992, Liverpool Polytechnic was granted university status and so decided to change their name to Liverpool John Moores University in his honour. He remained in Liverpool the rest of his life and died in 1993, aged 97. There will be an exhibition of all the longlisted entries on 5 July this summer at the Walker Art Gallery to coincide with the Liverpool Biennial 2014. The shortlist will then be announced. The overall winner will be announced in September 2014.

THE PLACE FOR ART IN THE CAPITAL OF CULTURE

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The World Photography Organisation show is coming to Liverpool Boutique hotel Indigo will host the show © Hotel Indigo

iverpool is set to host the World Photography Organisation show. Manchester student Jemma Wilcock won the prize for Liverpool for her work inspired by stories from Liverpool. Currently studying at Manchester School of Arts, she entered photographs of her work which echoed the historical links to Liverpool’s role in the cotton trade and how the city’s diversity is reflected in its bustling arts scene. Jemma’s photography, as well as work honouring other cities, will be showcased at the touring exhibition in Liverpool at the boutique hotel, Hotel Indigo on Chapel Street, from the 15th April until the 19th. The World Photography Organisation teamed up with Hotel Indigo appealing to photography students across the UK to enter the competition. The theme was ‘neighbourhoods’ and the work had to encompass the history and culture of one of 9 major British cities. In addition to having her work as the centrepiece for a touring exhibition, she has been commissioned by Hotel Indigo to be the official photographer for the latest Hotel Indigo opening in Rome. Representatives at Hotel Indigo said Jemma had managed to ‘capture the essence’ of Liverpool’s historical culture in her work. Check the WPO website for more information about the competition: www.worldphoto.org

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Your monthly stop for all things bright and photographical in and around Liverpool.

Breaking the Code of Silence: Letizia Battaglia’s exhibition documenting real-life Mafia crimes will leave you shaken Open Eye Gallery will be the first place in UK to present the work of Sicilian photographer Letizia Battaglia- and you’d be a fool to miss it. Letizia has covered many aspects of Sicilian life in her career as a photographer and photojournalist- but none as memorable as her work covering the crimes of the Sicilian mafia. Her exhibition, entitled ‘Breaking the Code of Silence’, showcases black-and-white stills of a very bleak period for the region of Sicily. Letizia became a photographer in the 1970s whilst working for a newspaper. She captured around 600,000 images in that time, encapsulating the realities of Sicilian life during that time. Much of her photography features dead people her work became synonymous with the crimes of the mafia. Her fearlessness in photographing these scenes and bringing a sense of reality to the violence that existed earned Letizia critical acclaim. The exhibition at Open Eye Gallery features a selection of these images to document the ferocity in Letizia’s attempts to convey the tragedies that occurred in her country. Breaking the Code of Silence will make you uncomfortable, even

Letizia’s work documents the impact of Mafia life and crime © Barakkassar/@Flickr nauseated- but it brings life to something you thought existed only in Hollywood films. Mafia crimes aren’t just fiction that you see parodied or replicated for entertainment, they’re a reality. Letizia Battaglia: Breaking the Code of Silence runs from 22nd February- 4th May.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 8th April: Michael Mackenzie: Valley of Light- See photographer Michael Mackenzie in a talk exploring how his mother grew up in Italy at the Open Eye Gallery. 16th May: Light Night- There’s a whole host of delightful events on for Liverpool’s Light Night. Plan your route and be sure you’re carrying a camera. 23rd-26th May: Liverpool Art Fair- Have a gander at a wide range of affordable art at The Gallery in the Baltic Triangle and you’ll be sure to go home with a souvenir of the city’s art scene. Now- 7th December: April Ashley: Portrait of

a Lady- See the unseen archive of one of the most remarkable transgender individuals at the Tate. April was one of the first to undergo the transgender operation and was revolutionary in her role as a transgender model. 17th May- 10th September: The Vanity of Small Differences- The Walker Art Gallery has the pleasure of exhibiting Grayson Perry’s lovely tapestries as part of the Liverpool Biennial. www.publicdomainpictures.net

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From Birkenhead to the Big Apple... Meet the Merseyside photographer who has been photographing the prosperous and the poor of New York City Anton has been documenting the harsh realities of New York’s homeless problem

Anton’s photography captures the helplessness and lonliness of New York’s homeless © Anton Brookes

ew York City is the second most prosperous city in the world. People flock from all corners of the globe to see if life there is just like what they see in the movies. There to greet the city’s wonderstruck visitors is the Statue of Liberty: the vision of grace and freedom and all that represents the great Empire State and the American dream. But there’s a darkness that’s growing in New York- an issue yet to be properly addressed. Anton Brookes is a photographer who’s been capturing this darkness on camera. Anton was born in Birkenhead and had worked behind various desks in London for 10 years before he got an itch he just couldn’t quite scratch. He was working a steady job as a director of a theatrical agency in England’s capital. However, this wasn’t a particularly stimulating venture. As Anton says, “I was bored, bored, bored.” But eventually he was faced with a life-altering decision. His girlfriend (now wife), who was

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working as a producer for US news channel CNN, was set to move to London until their plan fell apart and they needed another. So Anton said his final goodbyes to the desk and moved stateside. All of a sudden, he was starting with a blank state in the ultimate land of opportunity. “I found myself living in Manhattan with no career and not a clue what I wanted to do.” Without a job and consequently nothing to hold him back, Anton pursued a hobby he’d always enjoyed but never had an outlet for. “Photography had always been an important part of my life but now I had the opportunity to explore the possibility of making it my profession. So I did.” With nothing to lose, he started trying to make a living as a professional photographer. The Big Apple may be a far cry from humble beginnings in Birkenhead, but Anton’s roots are still very important to him. He comes back to Liverpool every 3 months and visits his

Sleeping rough: A man rests outside a local church

Stars and stripes: A man reads while he begs

Worlds apart: Anton works as a fashion photographer family who still live in Birkenhead. Speaking about the switch from England to the US, Anton said: “It was a culture shock at first to move so suddenly, the biggest surprise was the noise. NYC is a very loud city, very vertical in its architecture and the streets are rarely empty. It took some adjusting but my years in London before that made the transition a little easier.” But how does Liverpool compare to a city like New York? “Liverpool is a magnificent city; I am thrilled that it has a new vibrancy and strength that provides an energy on the streets that I thrive on.” Back when he was living in Merseyside in the 1980s, Anton played in various punk bands and compared the city’s energy to that of his day: “There is a similar feeling of hope and change for the better.” When it comes to capturing the streets of New York, there’s more freedom in a city so hectic. New York is so preoccupied, photographers can go unnoticed. “I photograph what is around me. If I lived in

Wyoming I would be photographing sheep, hills and trees, but this is NYC so I think the main difference is I can feel almost invisible in NYC where I can mingle in with the tourists (who obviously all have cameras) and get on with finding the shots I want. In Liverpool I am a great deal more self-conscious with my camera and I think that makes a difference to what images I get on the street.” Anton has now carved himself a successful career as fashion photographer, an achievement he can be proud of. He even had his photography featured on the Al Jazeera America News Network in piece about the plight of the homeless in the US (he was the photographer chosen to represent New York City). The reaction to his work has been immensely positive and, as a result, has been invited to do interviews all around the world. He also has the pleasure of working with some of the city’s leading designers and PR companies. However, something All images © Anton Brookes

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The city that never sleeps: Anton captures people from all walks of lif

he saw made the reality of New York change: “I remember one season at Fashion Week, I was photographing runway and backstage for a West Coast design house called Libertine. It was a fantastic show and I got it spot on. It is immense pressure shooting runway for a client. You get one chance as each look comes down the runway towards you. These are the images that will go around the world and will make or break a designer so it has to be faultless. It was, luckily, the models were fantastic, full of personality and the ‘looks’, lighting and pace of the show were perfect. I was thrilled that I had done a good job and therefore kept a valuable client. Leaving the venue with a slightly inflated ego, I headed home very pleased with myself.” However, on his way back home he passed a shivering, elderly woman. In the cold February weather, she’d sheltered in a doorway and wrapped herself in newspapers in an effort to keep warm. The

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sight of it left a serious impression on him: “It was a shocking sight. To come from this grand display of ‘money no object’ where the champagne was flowing like water from a tap and pompous, preening fashionistas were air kissing and congratulating themselves on the world they live in. It was such a contrast and actually made me feel ashamed that I am, in some part, a perpetrator of this irrelevant nonsense. Feeling totally deflated and helpless I carried on home after draining what little cash I had into her obligatory Starbucks cup. It was a real defining moment for me and one I will never forget should I get a little carried away with myself and my chosen career in the future.” It is clear there is juxtaposition- it’s not easy having such a conflict between work and morality. It seems New York doesn’t treat everybody as kindly as some. The homeless problem in New York seems to be a growing epidemic. It’s a problem Anton says cannot be ignored: “There are obviously homeless people in Liverpool but nothing like on the scale of New York. Around 55,000 people are in shelters with many, many more sleeping on the streets. About 20,000 of them are children. In such an opulent society it is a scandal that is allowed to continue, but it is growing alarmingly. Anyone with at least one eye cannot help but notice the situation here, the homeless are everywhere.” But it’s not just fashionistas Anton photographs. For a long time, he’s been trying to capture the reality of the streets of New York. Talking about what inspires him most about the city, he says: “New York is a great big mix of everything. The people are so diverse and the cross culture societies produce a real rainbow of style and dynamic. There is real energy here and I think the ‘American Dream’ of achievement regardless of your

fe situation is very much alive. Hope of progress and betterment is encouraged and the belief that hard work and drive will lead to success in whatever path you choose is a genuine thing here. So, as a photographer, this vibrancy cannot fail to inspire. There is always something to photograph, always new areas to explore and capture through a lens. My aim is to give anyone who sees my work the exact feeling I got when I took the photograph, to see what I see and draw their own conclusions.” Anton also runs a blog entitled ‘Lust and Rum’, inspired by the Rupert Byron Rufus Newton poem ‘Owed to New York’. The dark nature of the poem encapsulated what life was like in New York at that time- something Anton inspires to do too. “As I read it I saw it in images and I am always looking to capture the images that go with the poem. I understand that some of the images are disturbing and generate debate, but I couldn’t wish for more. If they make people think and question that is all I could possibly ask.” With the freedom of photography and being able to make a living doing what you love, as well as document the vivid streets of New York, what is the best part about Anton’s work? “I know that after roaming the streets I get the biggest thrill from coming home and downloading the images to see what I have got. Some days I will take a thousand plus photographs and feel lucky if 1 or 2 are what I am looking for. I don’t set out with any set ideas, I have got to the point where everything I see I am ‘framing’ in my mind so it is whatever I stumble across during my travels. I work on the expectation that the next photograph will be the ‘one’.” So what’s on the horizon for the Birkenhead-born photographer? Well, he might be planning something on this side of the

Atlantic: “The future? I’m just going to carry on trying to earn a living in fashion photography and continue to document the streets here. An exhibition would be good at some point. I have looked at a few venues in Liverpool, so maybe next year? I am just enjoying the journey and long may it continue.” You can visit Anton’s website here at www.mockturtlemoon.com

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PHOTOGRAPHY RICKY NARITO

WEBSITE: www.rogelionarito.com

Leaf, Bold Streeet. All images ÂŠ Ricky Narito

Above: St George’s Hall, Below: Liverpool’s Business District

The Brink, Parr Street. All images ÂŠ Ricky Narito

COREY BARTLE-SANDERSON

WEBSITE: www. coreybartlesanderson.co.uk

New Brighton. All images ÂŠ Corey Bartle-Sanderson

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