Sunday 19 February 2012

Cornerhouse Manchester

Yesterday I visited Cornerhouse, a arts funded exhibition space and independant cinema in Manchester. There current exhibition is 'Lost is Found,' which showcases work by nine northern based artisted who explore found 'beauty in the redundant and discarded, delving into past lives, finding new stories in transformations and fleeting identities.'  I always find exhibitions at Cornerhouse to be often too conceptual for my simple tastes, I much prefer a good old design or print exhibition, but saying that I did like this show. The idea behind the exhibition is simple and easy to relate to with ideas of past and personal experiences. Emily Speeds' piece, which is pictured, explores the idea of the physical place, the home, which is shaped and tied to the memories and lives lived by the occupiers. The pieces are like small little memories you can carry with you, but they have an eerier feel, a feeling of coldness presented by the stark whiteness of the pieces.

After viewing the show me and my companion had a swift couple of bevies in the very trendy and buzzing bar at Cornerhouse. I enjoy drinking and socialising here, even though it is often difficult to find seats due to the popularity of the venue, which isn't surprising since the atmosphere is so nice. The only downside is the expensive prices, but to be fair these are standard for the city centre. The venue also contains a cinema showcasing art house films, and has a much more personal & relaxed atmosphere compared to the big cinema complexes.  

Before leaving Cornerhouse I picked up one of their programmes, and inside I found a section called 'Creative Industries,' which included several Digital Skills workshops. The workshops are aimed at the creative industries, showcasing how social media can be used within the sector. Most of the workshops are targeting social media novices, and as a previous Social Media Specialist I imagine they would cover most of the areas I already have knowledge of. However the next workshop taking place is called 'Tools & Trends on the Horizon,' and is presented by The Next Web’s European Editor, Martin Bryant, whose name I recognised through my engagement with Twitter and digital events within Manchester.  The workshop looks at new tools, such as apps and devices, which can help to improve the way we work. The workshop takes place on 20th March and cost £4/£3 Concs. If you are interested in doing other creative courses, and gaining some new skills then you should look at the many projects Cornerhouse has to offer on their website

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Museum Meets: After Hours

Last Thursday I attended my second Museum Meets: After Hours event at Manchester Museum. This time the event took place in the Ancient Egypt, Unearthed Egypt galleries and The Tales of the Nubians exhibition. We came a little late to the proceedings and quickly joined the advertsied 'candlelit' (torchlit) tour of the Ancient Egyptian section, which was more than a little over perscribed. Unlike the previous After Hours event this was over flowing with attendees, so at first it was impossible to even hear the tour guide and later we discovered that there had been over a 100 people on the tour, much more then they had expected. Obviously word it getting around about these little events. Word had also gotten out further and reached the families of Manchester, and I was a little disapointed to find quite a few children at the event, which spoilt the 'adult only' aspect that made the previous event so alering for the single twenty-something like myself, and therefore made it feel more like a standard visit to the museum.

To be honest this second event had a lot to live up to, compared to November's I was a little unimpressed.  There was no obvious bar area and coat stand as you walked in and there was a lack of workshops to take part in. The events are free so I shouldn't really complain, and I also will most likely attend the next event in March, but I hope this time the event is more strict on it's 'adult' aspect and also has more interactive elements.