Friday, October 28, 2016

Chesterfield College Week 6 - Manchester Trip

    On Monday 17th October 2016, I went on an excursion with Chesterfield College.
The Art & Design groups had an educational trip going to Manchester. The two venues to attend was the Manchester Art Gallery and then move onto Whitworth Gallery.
Manchester Art Galley was having a special event due to the 100 years of Vogue; with that knowledge I thought of Madonna doing the Vogue move that she done to the dance-pop song in 1990.
I was only 27years young then and great memories sprung about with the beauty of glamour, fashion, clothes, shoes, handbags, perfect skin, luscious lips and striking eyeliner with very long lashes. These thoughts took me back to another world and what great memories to remember!

We got on the bus outside college at 9:30am and that's when the journey started with a group selfie.
We arrived in Manchester about 11:15 and got parked just a few streets away from the gallery. We got off the bus and took our bearings of where we were parked as we should be back at this spot by 1pm.


 We all got into a walking group as we followed the tutor to the destination, it only took about 10/15 minutes from leaving the bus. We had crossed the first set of traffic lights then another side street which took you up to Manchester's China Town area. It had colourful shop banners that hung down the outside of the buildings and then I seen the yellow theatrical roof which is usually used for imperial buildings and palaces. Obviously; I had no time to wander but I'll remember about that for my next visit.

We reached the first destination and I noticed that the building had a mixture of traditional stonework and the modern architecture on the upper floors with glass; lots and lots of glass. Entering the building I took the lift to the top floor as it would be easier to walk down instead of walking up!
That's when the butterflies started as the walls and roof of the lift were all glass; it was pretty awesome but still a bit scary when your off the ground. When the lift stopped I thought it would be fine when my feet were on terra fina (firm or solid earth) but here the flooring was filled up with every other square of toughened glass Yikes! My legs did quiver at standing on all this glass and then I held onto the railing to feel more secure. It didn't help when when I seen the Iron shape of a man hanging down from the top of the building on a single wire as if he would fall flat on his face.....

I wandered around the Vogue area and when I looked at the pieces, some of them triggered the names and scenes of movies and songs. Next room I seen some wonderful bizarre lighting that would probably be used in large function rooms; statement pieces. I then seen some lovely pieces of stylish stools made up with bent plywood. I was astounded with their shapes and even the strength of these pieces to hold the weight of a body when seated.

The next area I entered was of paintings; and as I looked at the first picture I glanced down the room and noticed that they were all the same style of paintings and done by the same painter LS Lowry.
I knew that I'd seen quite a few of these pictures many years ago but I couldn't put my finger on where and when I'd seen them and the name Lowry was easy on the ear that I'd heard before too! I thought that it will all come back to me in it's own time. As I looked at the paintings I started to hum and sing to myself of the little matchstick cats and dogs. I still couldn't think of where I'd seen these before but it was only 2 days later as I looked on the internet because this song was still in my mind so I looked up "Matchstick Men and Matchstick Cats & Dogs" and low-and-behold it was the song from 1978 and I was 15 years old and would have seen it on Top of the Pops! I watched the video again and seen all the pictures that was in front of me at the Manchester Gallery. Brian and Michael were the one-hit-wonders with this musical piece and when I looked on the internet page for TATE gallery there was the heading of:

"Lowry painted my life, so I sang about his"

How life has changed so much with technology.



Next level down I looked at so many varieties of scenes and styles of paintings and then I noticed this piece and I had to rub my eyes quite a few times and thought out loud........"No..... Way!"


I was totally Gobsmacked when I seen that "BANKSY" Oh Yes...Banksy a street graffiti artist had a piece on the wall in the Manchester Art Gallery. I was very impressed that this piece was on the wall of an art gallery.


























The wording to this piece is rather blurred so I shall type the words written on the block.

Love is in the Air 2000
Banksy b 19747
Household emulsion and stencilled spray paint on plywood.

This is an early version of what was to become one of enigmatic graffiti artist, Banksy's most famous images.
The owner of the work, DJ Mary Anne Hobbs tells it's story.

"Banksy gave me this picture as a birthday gift in May 2000
It was delivered to me live on-air at BBC Radio 1 by Stuart Price of Les Rhythm Digitales
(who went on to become Madonna's musical director).
Stuart came to the studios with a mob of musicians from the Wall Of Sound record label to celebrate my birthday.
Banksy was then relatively unknown outside of the world of street art. He was actually doing a little graphic design for Wall of Sounds's sister label We Love You.
This image, a prototype of what went on to become one of his most iconic designs was actually used on the cover of We Love you...so Love us, the record label's first compilation album in 2000.
It's a dream for me to have it displayed in Manchester Art Gallery in my new home city.
I hope it will inspire all who see it."

What a lovely gift she received for her birthday, and it was nice to see that she has displayed it in Manchester Art Gallery. I'm so pleased that I got the chance to see this piece, there's been so many pieces of street graffiti that I have seen when I'm walking round town and when I look at some of them it puts a big smile on my face..........it cost's nothing!
Art is in the eye of the beholder!

It was time to leave Manchester Art Gallery and head off to the next destination of the Whitworth Art Gallery. By the time we got to Whitworth; I was absolutely exhausted! I wandered around the building looking at what was on the wall but by this time nothing registered with me so I went for a cuppa-tea and made my way to the gallery gift shop and this piece of glass was rather interesting to me so I asked the assistant "what would I use this for?" and the reply was "What about pencils?
I said "SOLD!"





 What beautiful surroundings I was in; it was situated at the edge of a park with it's own garden with outside seating areas built into the building walls. Great thought from the architect who designed this building.
I sat down looking at the beauty of their garden and ate my lunch Alfresco and a very pleasant place to sit down for lunch.




CONNECT:

There is a great connection between the event for Vogue, LS Lowry & BANKSY!
All things can connect to each other without us knowing about the connections but if you look a little bit closer there is a definite connection and the answer is "MUSIC"

VOGUE - sang by Madonna
LS LOWRY - Brian and Michael - One Hit Wonders tribute to the artwork of LS Lowry
BANKSY - graphic design for Record Label/ gift for Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs/given by Stuart Price/ Madonna's Musical Director

Life is like a big circle which continues to connect everything it touches..........


To Be Continued.......


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