Elsecar Iron Man

Today I have been working with Fabric Lenny at Elsecar Heritage Centre, helping nearly 30 children from Barnsley make an Iron Man out of cardboard. Fantastic!

Their inital Iron Man designs were great too...!

Pictures and Words: 154 and Barnsley Uplift

A few weeks ago I delivered a two day workshop alongside fellow 154 Collective artist Dan Mallaghan at The Cooper Gallery in Barnsley, with members of the Barnsley Uplift group. The workshop was based on Pictures and Words and introduced the group to capturing creative images on digital cameras and mobile devices, processing their photographs through various apps on iPads, printing them out and then producing a piece of creative writing based on their images. 

The first day was focused around being creative with cameras and we explored Barnsley Town Centre, looking for interesting shots from all kinds of unusual angles.

The second day was focused around processing images using photography apps on the iPad and then producing a piece of creative writing based on a chosen image.

The two days were really great and I was very impressed by the images that the group produced. Everyone was great fun and worked really hard! Their images were so super that each person submitted two of their photographs into the Barnsley Photographic Society Photography Competition....so fingers crossed! Best of luck everyone!

Here are a few images that were produced during the workshop...

Thanks to everyone who took part in this workshop - we had a wonderful time!

154 Pictures and Words Workshop

Last weekend myself and Dan Mallaghan, a fellow 154 Collective artist, delivered a Pictures and Words workshop as part of the 154 Exhibition at The Cooper Gallery in Barnsley. The workshop was based around our "Pictures and Words" collaboration and shared ways in which they could capture and process interesting images using mobile devices such as iPod Touchs, iPhones and iPads and use them as inspiration for creative writing. 

As a focus for the workshop we based all photography and creative writing around our next 154 Collective Show - Routes North and asked the group to work with us to capture images of Dan, in character, to be used as promotional and publicity material. The group were fantastic and produced some super images which contributed to the final publicity image, captured by Richard Hanson and further developed by Fabric Lenny.

More information on this workshop can be found on the 154 Collective Blog.

154 iPhoneography Prints for Exhibition

Since January this year I have been creating work as part of the 154 Collective and the launch of our Exhibition is now drawing near....2nd June at the Cooper Gallery, Barnsley. My work has been developed through iPhoneography using still and moving image to celebrate the similarities between the communities of Barnsley and Newham, whose Town Halls are 154 miles apart as the crow flies. My exhibited work will comprise of a series of portraits of children from Barnsley and Newham, framed giclee prints capturing daily life within the two boroughs and a selection of short films. Here is a close up of one of the giclee prints presented as a montage of 35 images from Barnsley and Newham. Come along to the exhibition to see the full print and much more work created by the 154 Collective.

154 Exhibition Launch

It is less than two weeks until the Launch of the 154 Exhibition on the 2nd June and everything is starting to come together. It is all very exciting! The Exhibition is promising to be a visual delight full of work inspired by and created collaboratively with people from the boroughs of Barnsley and Newham. Alongside the Exhibition will be a series of workshops delivered by the 154 Collective artists, providing the opportunity for people to work with the artists and contribute their own artwork to the exhibition. The poster image is from German Artist Benjamin Rabe who will be attending the launch and running a workshop with local children. Feel free to come along....It would be great to see you there! Please visit the 154 Collective Blog for more information.

154 Portraits

I have just completed a series of portraits of children from Barnsley and Newham which will form part of the 154 Exhibition beginning on the 2nd June at the Cooper Gallery, Barnsley. Each portrait was captured on the iPhone and processed on the iPad. The children from both Boroughs were fantastic and I had great fun capturing these images. They are all printed and waiting to be exhibited in two weeks time. For more information and updates on the 154 Collective please visit the 154 blog.

154 at Birdwell Primary School, Barnsley

I have recently had the pleasure of being part of a 154 workshop delivered by Fabric Lenny at Birdwell Primary School, Barnsley. During the workshop the children were involved in drawing and painting with traditional materials and with mobile technology including iPads. I visited the workshop to catch the children at work and I took lots of documentary images for the 154 project. Here are a few of them. For more updates on 154 please visit the 154 blog.

A 154 Collaboration Begins: Pictures and Words

Myself and Dan Mallaghan have just begun work on a new 154 Collective Collaborative Project: Pictures and Words. This collaboration is based on the sharing and creative responses to each others work - writing and photography. Our first piece is titled: Through a Window and began by Dan sending me an amazing piece of writing which I then had to respond to through photography. I have loved working on this piece although I found it extremely challenging. Follow 154 Collective's Blog to find out what else we are working on. Here is mine and Dan's first collaboration:

Through a window.

You don’t need to see the weather today to know what it’s like you just need to see the people; the hardy ones; the ones that pass the window.  The shapes of their bodies tell you all you need to know.

A couple pass, their bodies contorted, lean heavily ahead of their feet as though they are slowly making their way up a mountain.  The woman, identified only by the heels she is wearing with her black suit trousers, is almost entirely smothered in an enormous silver coat. Insulation rings her body like Michelin tyres from her shoulders to her knees; disguising any body shape that may lie beneath.  Her hood, complete with brown faux fur lining, is pulled tightly over her head; her left hand gripping it across her face so that her eyes alone are revealed to the outside world.  From her right shoulder hangs a brown handbag tucked securely beneath her elbow and held firmly in place by the vice like grip of her blue tinged fingers.

And then there’s her partner. 

Perhaps only her partner for this walk; they seem so different in every way except the direction of their journeys.

He seems more defiant to the conditions, or perhaps, upon closer inspection of his grimace, more defenceless.  Scuffed trainers pound the pavement, a slight bend at the knee with each leaden step hints at the increasing weight of his sodden blue jeans.  He looks as though he’s been walking for weeks.  His hands are stuffed tightly into the pockets of what can only be described as a green summer jacket (though shirt with pockets would also do). Dark patches around his shoulders and arms confirm the inability of this flimsy jacket to repel any water.  His shoulders are hunched, leading the rest of his body; head down, tight lipped, eyes fixed firmly on his feet. Brown messy hair holds glimmering spots that gently slide down curling pathways before freeing themselves a drop at a time around his ears.

And he seems cold, much colder than the woman is in her storm shelter of a coat. He is rigid with cold.

They pass the window one step at a time, leaning into their path as though pulling trains behind them.

You don’t need to see the weather today to know what it’s like.  You just need to see the people.

154 - Barnsley From Up High

Continuing my exploration of Barnsley through the iPhone I  found myself on the top floor of Westgate Plaza One and could not resist taking a few images to capture a view across Barnsley, possibly seen by very few Barnsley residents. I am keen to go back and capture many more images, from lots of different angles, using the changing daylight and weather patterns to influence and impact on the final images...

From Up High

Toy Town

Barnsley To Newham

As part of the 154 project I have recently been on a road trip from Barnsley to Newham, with two other artists. Armed with cameras, iPhones, iPads, tripods and sketch books we began by documenting our journey as we passed through many small Towns and Villages. On arrival at Newham we explored the borough on foot, capturing images as we went - there was so much to see...and so much to take in!! We are going back again soon but in the meantime I have begun to process some of the images I captured. Here are a few... many more to come!! To keep track of the 154 Collective please follow the 154 Blog.

Street Cleaning

Barnsley and Newham Town Halls

Early Morning at the Docks

154 work in progress

I am busy working on a series of images as part of the 154 Collective to form part of an exciting exhibition of new work in the Cooper Gallery later this year. I am currently focusing on Barnsley Town Centre, capturing daily happenings through iPhoneography and timelapse filmmaking. I am particularly interested in capturing an essence of the Town and the people through quirky, colourful and intriguing images. Here are some images which I have recently captured and edited entirely on the iPhone...many more to come!

Barnsley In The Rain!

I have been exploring photographing with my iPhone in the rain and have discovered some intriguing results. Here are a few images I have captured in Barnsley as part of the 154 Collective.

Barnsley In The Rain

Caught in the rain

A Rainy Afternoon

The 154 Collective - exciting new work!

I have recently embarked on a new and very exciting project as part of the 154 Collective which will see me producing photographic and film based work to form part of the 154 Collective Exhibition starting in June 2012, at the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley, which will run for 3 months - very exciting!!  I have already begun capturing images throughout Barnsley Town Centre as a starting point for my ideas. Here are some images I have captured along with some inital composite designs... many more to follow!!

Empty Streets - iPhone Composite

Barnsley Indoor Market - iPhone Composite

Barnsley Market Montage - Captured and processed on the iPhone

Pigeons in the Market - captured on the iPhone

Beyond The Market - iPhone Image: Test frame for a time lapse sequence