Category Archives: News

The Unicorn Union goes to KunstVlaii Art Fair in Amsterdam, 23 November-2 December

I will be representing Hotel Maria Kapel at the KunstValaii Art Fair in Amsterdam! Join us in this former lyceum for 10 days of art! I will be creating an evolving installation of personalized safety devices in response to participants’ fears.

If you can’t make it to Amsterdam, you can submit your fears on the HMK website or via our Twitter feed and I’ll make selected devices!

http://www.kunstvlaai.nl/2012/

@theunicornunion

http://www.hotelmariakapel.nl

Mellor Management:SweatSHOP as part of Abandon Normal Devices Festival, Manchester, August 30-September 1

 

If you are in Manchester this weekend, stop by to cheer me on as I perform Mellor Management:SweatSHOP as part of the Abandon Normal Devices Festival.

Mellor Management: SweatSHOP is an interactive, performative installation using humour and play to critique and subvert corporate practices. Using a local business as the temporary Mellor Management headquarters and under the guise of a corporate consultant, Mellor will attempt a test of endurance, cycling on a bicycle attached to a small generator powering a LED “SHOP” sign.

After the athletic feats accomplished at the Olympics, SweatSHOP aims to sensitise us to the corporatisation of sport and the failure of many companies’ labour policies through the artist’s own physical trials.

I will be performing the following times at Ferrious, a beautiful and comprehensive furniture showroom in the UK. They are an innovative, well respected and forward thinking multidisciplinary design team offering visitors and clients the finest furniture, kitchens, lighting and accessories from the best designers from across the world. Set under a railway arch and situated over two floors with a fully working Acheo kitchen and hidden garden space overlooking the River Medlock, they are truly one of the gems of Manchester. They hold regular events, exhibitions and demonstrations that add a new and unique flavour to the cultural map of Manchester and the North West.

Cycling times:

Thursday 11-5:30

Friday 9:30-5:30

Saturday 10-5

Ferrious is located on Whitworth St West (M1 5WQ) in Manchester city centre, less than a minute’s walk from Cornerhouse and Manchester Oxford Road railway station.

Sitting on my doorstep

It’s a rainy Sunday and I’m taking advantage of the weather to catch up on recording some great moments from the past week.

I met with several people this week to talk about places and experiences that have somehow marked them during their time in Fengersfors. Although I didn’t have any particular agenda or expectations about the places or the significance of the places people would select, I have been so surprised to see a common thread throughout all of the locations. Whether it is a particular view from a favorite chair in the kitchen, a doorstep, or a floor built upon the remains of an old workshop in the forest, all of the people I spoke with this week expressed the desire to find a place in which they could really be themselves; a place that allows us to connect to that central part of ourselves that so often gets ignored in the daily grind.

While talking with fellow Not Quite visiting artist, Elie Bauduin, we happened to hear some beautiful sounds of a flute coming from the installation upstairs in the factory building. We followed the music, and found Benkt Diehl, a photographer who had been to Not Quite to photograph remnants of the factory. He brought his flute into the Ulla Vioti installation and played in reaction to the artwork, and in collaboration with the acoustics of the space. It was really quite incredible and such a special moment to stumble upon!

Following these interviews and experiences with the Midsommar celebration was quite timely. There is something about a traditional celebration that offers us a moment to step back from our normal routines, to connect with friends, family, and new friends, and to consider what is important to us. It was so wonderful to celebrate my first Midsommar with the Fengersfors community! I assisted in decorating the stäng with flowers, joined in on the traditional dances, and had a wonderful meal with new friends. I guess I’m creating special locations, myself, in this project!

We have begun to set up the Unicorn Union website where the interviews will be stored. Check it out as we continue to add to the stories of the community.

http://unicornunion.notquite.se

“Everything you are, I was; everything I am, you will be” – Unicorn Union in Fengersfors Continues!

“Everything you are, I was; everything I am, you will be” – Stig Clausson

Talking about what places mean to us, inevitably the conversation turns to other ways we mark experience. In a wonderful discussion of this with Johan Wijk at Not Quite, he mentioned the above quote from the author Stig Clausson, a sentiment I found really fitting and poetic. Taken from a conversation between an older man and a younger man, the quote reminds me of not only our shared experiences but the cycles of time and place that we all encounter.

This week marks the beginning of the first stage of the project collecting stories after having met with several people to explain the project. Already there are a variety of responses to the question of which places hold a sense of significance: from the first time climbing the heights of the hills to see the vista below, to an “A-ha! Moment” where the realization sinks in that you know exactly what it is you want to do. I have enjoyed participating in these reflections with people, and reflecting on and sharing significant times and places in my own life.

The weekend is the Midsummer celebration –I’m really excited to experience my first Scandinavian Midsummer! I’ll be heading down to the lake to take part in the town’s celebrations and meet more people. This community has been so warm and welcoming, and I look forward to meeting more residents!

Photos to come!

 

 

http://ateamartistsforchange.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/everything-you-are-i-was-everything-i-am-you-will-be/