Hooloovoo

Hooloovoo is a show by artist Cornelia Baltes, it opens this Saturday at Aspex Gallery 2-4pm. I really would encourage you to come down, if you cant make this Saturday then the show will be on till the 15th of April so plenty of time to catch it. I have been watching Cornelia install her work this week and I love it. Its playful, cute, colourful and humorous. The gallery is awash with tree trunks and stumps, adorable paintings and Cornelia pottering around covered in neon and pastel splatters of paint.

Trav’ller In The Dark – Smile

If you’ve been to the Hard Interchange in the past six months you’ll have seen Trav’ller In The Dark by S.Mark Gubb.

It was 8am monday morning when I first saw this. Before I saw the sign I was just thinking about how much I’d love to go back to bed. Seeing it actually made me change my outlook on the day and it turned out to be quite a productive one.

The sign displays a selection of texts, drawn from suggestions made by the public. Aspex has produced cards on which members of the public can suggest what they would like the sign to say, whether it’s wishing someone a happy birthday, or quoting a favourite philosopher. These cards are available from the gallery and Visitor Information Centres around the city. Watch Aspex’s website and Facebook page for image updates of the sign’s different messages.

Learn more about Trav’ller In The Dark click here.

Picture taken on instagram by myself @mr_stu

Your Twenty Four No.11 : Lou Bush

I realised I had done one of these over a year ago, and although the day was very different it was kinda similar. Spending the day doing art education and outreach stuff, good food, good friends and the seaside.

‘I started the day heading down to Aspex at Gunwharf where I work in learning and participation. I had to finish off editing some films made with kids during half-term inspired by Japanese Monster B-Movies, I’m a pretty rubbish with tech. I learnt how to upload to Vimeo (dont laugh). I then when to lunch and ate Gyoza Dumplings, with loads of chili oil on rice, getting fuelled up for Sugarcubes. Sugarcubes is an afterschool club we run with St Georges in Portsea, the kids come over to Aspex once a week. Some of the kids have never been outside of Portsmouth, had a holiday etc. I heard one lad say that he loved being with us in the gallery and didn’t want to leave! I get plenty of hugs, sit and draw and talk about art with them. After work I cooked dinner, then went out to the One Eyed Dog to enjoy listening to some quality tunes from Pet Sounds, shooting pool and having a few shants. We then swung by the seafront to the luminous Golden Horseshoe, if only I’d had some two pences on me!’

You can see all the past Your Twenty Four posts HERE.

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Dead Wrestlers Society Exhibition – Video

Love Southsea TV attend the recent opening evening of Aspex Gallery & ‘ilovedust’ collaboration exhibition named ‘Dead Wrestlers Society’.

Teen Art Club at Aspex

This summer Aspex is launching a new series of Teen Art Workshops. They are inviting 13-19 year olds to work alongside local artists and learn some amazing new skills!

Book-binding for teens

Two day workshop for teenagers – learn how to bind your own books with Ashley John and Amy Lloyd.

5th – 6th August, 11am-3pm. 13-19 year olds, £45 per person.

Graphic Art Workshops for teens

Work with Arran Mackintosh and Wendy Middleditch to create your own graphic masterpiece.

12th – 13th August, 11am-3pm. 13-19 year olds, £45 per person.

Surviving in the Wilderness!

Join artist Roy Brown in a survival extravaganza. Create shelters, lash together furniture and learn those all important knot tieing techniques.

19th – 20th August, 11am-3pm. 13-19 year olds, £45 per person.

Sculpture Workshop for teens

Artists Jo Willoughby and Abi Gilchrist will lead teenagers on a sculptural adventure.

30th – 31th August, 11am-3pm. 13-19 year olds, £45 per person.

Call the gallery now on 02392 778080 or email info@aspex.org.uk to reserve your place!

Quote ‘SPOK’ when booking and receive £15 discount on teen workshops!! Call aspex now on 02392 778080 for this amazing deal!

Creative Portsmouth on The BBC

On Sunday’s The Politics Show on BBC1 (in the South region) they televised a very interesting 5 minute long segment about Portsmouth and it’s ever growing art’s scene plus the issues related to public funding in the current times. The article features our very own Claire Sambrook talking about her Creative Portsmouth book plus interviews with David Evans and coverage of Aspex, Albert Road and The Round Tower too. Well worth a watch over on the iPlayer, it’s available until Sunday.

Watch it HERE (it starts 35 minutes in).

The Instant Exhibition at Aspex

In conjunction with Museums At Night (which we mentioned yesterday) Aspex Gallery is planning to stage its first ever Instant Exhibition on Saturday 14th May where the gallery will be open late, from 6.30 to 10pm. With your help Aspex hope to create an Instant Exhibition, using cameras to capture unusual light effects with glow sticks, torches and other illuminating items.

The exhibition/workshop is free and families are very welcome.

Trav’ller In The Dark

Last Thursday aspex launched a new off-site light sculpture designed by S. Mark Gubb on top of the Hard Interchange in Portsea. This special commission is composed of brightly coloured neon balloons and a sword, which refers to the Greek tale of Damocles, a fable which cautions ‘be careful what you wish for’ and ‘with great power comes responsibility’. The title of the sculpture, ‘Trav’ller in the Dark’ is taken from the 18th Century poem ‘The Star’ by Jane Taylor. The opening stanza is widely known as the first verse of the nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’.

The artwork features a changeable sign, similar to those seen outside cinemas, which will display a selection of texts, drawn from suggestions made by the public. aspex has produced cards on which members of the public can suggest what they would like the sign to say in this busy area of the city, whether it’s wishing someone a happy birthday, or quoting a favourite philosopher. These cards are available from the gallery and Visitor Information Centres around the city. Watch aspex’s website and Facebook page for image updates of the sign’s different messages.

Aspex project up for award

Aspex Aiming High workshops are led by professional artists and are designed to provide a supported play-space for disabled children and their families. No age-limit is placed on the participants and siblings and parents are also welcome to take part in the sessions. As opposed to offering provision in a specialist environment, or sessions with specific developmental objectives (for instance art therapy), the project represents one of the few opportunities for these children to take part in social activities with their families outside of more specialist environments.

The clearest evidence of the project’s importance is parental testimonials, and we have permission to reproduce the following: “I have never ever seen Joel sit for that long. The longest I have seen him concentrate sitting at a table is maybe 5-10 mins not a whole hour!!! It was a truly remarkable achievement and proves that children with a disability, especially profound learning and communication difficulties can benefit hugely from workshops like yours. An even greater gift is that which you give parents like myself, I have been told by specialists that my son has no imagination because of the severity of his condition. This does not mean however that he shouldn’t be provided with an opportunity to express himself. Aspex gallery is a beautiful, open and calm environment with kind and caring staff. Children like Joel can come here, feel welcomed and explore the space”

How will the £5k be spent? The money will pay for additional staff time to develop the project’s ability to reach out to new communities, working through local organisations to ensure that everyone who could benefit, does.

Who will benefit? There are families in the city who would love to access sessions, but still do not know we are here because of language or other barriers. This money will enable us to reach them for the first time.

Sign up to vote HERE

Arran Mackintosh at aspex

The talented illustrator Arran Mackintosh has his first show at aspex this Wednesday evening 9th February.

“Addressing themes of civilisation and visual identity, Illustrious Nation showcases new and recent work by the winner of the 2010 Graduate Award.

Arran Mackintosh studied BSc Illustration at the University of Portsmouth and since graduating has gained recognition for his imaginative and innovative drawing-based digital and handmade work. In 2010 Arran’s painstakingly-produced The Scroll of Britain was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize for children’s books.”

10 February – 20 March 2011
Preview: Wednesday 9 February, 6 – 8pm

PRIMARY – A Phoneography Exhibition by Strong Island – Call for entries

This coming new year we will be proud to announce our latest exhibition PRIMARY, a Phoneography exhibition by Strong Island and we are even happier to announce that it’s open to you, the readers.

With the continuing increase in impressive camera technology in mobile phones and the ability to alter, tweak, post process and upload the photos to social media networks and websites like Instagram, the popularity of Phoneography has never been greater.

The ‘of the moment’ ability to take a photo at almost any time and any place by most people has really driven the fact that the camera does not make the photographer. By which I mean, you don’t need an expensive camera to take outstanding photos.

Agreed, the quality of the physical image may not stand up to the big guns, but new learnings in composition, style and aesthetic by a new generation of camera users via online media has really driven this popularity, and encourage people to go beyond a ‘quick shot’.

PRIMARY invites you to get out and about around Portsea with your mobile phone camera and take photos of anything and everything based around the three primary colours red, yellow and blue. What you photograph is entirely up to you, but submissions will only be accepted if they stick to the theme.

The call for entires has now begun and the deadline is the 31st of January 2012 with the exhibition being held in March of 2012. Photos can be taken on any mobile phone model and we ask that a maximum of 3 photos per applicant are sent in to primary@strong-island.co.uk.

Please submit along with your photographs your name, photo title, phone model, location of photo on the island and any post process apps you used, if any, to achieve the final shot.

We look forward to seeing all the entries, and the final installation will be something special using every photo submitted in a slightly different fashion from your average photographic exhibition. CLICK HERE TO PRINT YOUR OWN POSTER

Poster by Tristan Savage & Photo by Paul Gonella

It’s going to be a Strong Movember – Closed at £725

Righto chaps, it’s time to clean shave your boat race and get that mighty moustache on the grow in support of Movember for The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research. For 30 days of November you can help support and raise awareness through selflessly parading your top lip for charity.

You can sign up yourself, as I’m sure many of you already have, or you can join the Strong Island team and seek out sponsorship as a team. Through the Strong Island Movember page you can ask people to join the group, make donations, upload photos and post updates via the MoSpace page, Facebook and Twitter.

Head over to www.mobro.co/StrongIsland if you would like to get involved and grow a Strong Moustache to help raise awareness, or simply head over to www.uk.movember.com and sign up to personally raise money.

The funds raised in the UK support the number one and two male specific cancers – prostate and testicular cancer. The funds raised are directed to programmes run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together, these channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programmes in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.

Poster: Tristan Savage