Spark Artists Network

Posted • Further info + stills for screening I've assembled for this Sat Dec 16, 4 - 6pm for .

🔗 in bio for free 🎟️ (Eventbrite is limited, so if you try to register and it says ‘sold out’ please email [email protected] to reserve a place)

Film programme notes:

The ‘Observed Ecologies’ programme of short films explore the interconnections between human activity and the natural environment, and have been selected from by the festival's curator & SPARK exhibiting artist Nick Jordan.

Damp Moss, Christopher Thompson, 2023, 4:22
“It’s 9am. You wake up on the forest floor. Gentle rain taps your skin. You are sinking into mud. Bugs begin to crawl over your body…”

Some Things We Tended, dir Mars Saude, 2023, 10:00
The future of food production in a changing climate, through 16mm documentation of two sites in mid Wales: an automated research greenhouse and a small-scale organic market garden.   

The Wool Aliens, dir Julia Parks, 2023, 27:45
A journey into the social, ecological and tactile entanglements between sheep’s wool, migrant plants and the River Tweed. Made during Julia Parks' residency at

**INTERMISSION**

Exoskeletons, dir Mariana Castiñeiras, 2022, 17:49
A filmmaker who struggles with her fear of insects meets a neurologist with a peculiar obsession for beetles.

Guadiana in Four Movements, dir Pedro F Neto & Burak Korkmaz, 2022, 13:45
Explores the present and future of the estuary of the transboundary Guadiana River on the Iberian Peninsula, with data sonification based on current climate models.

Endling, dir Caroline Vitzthum, 2021, 8:44
A portrait of the cultivation and ecological impact of flax, and its symbiotic interconnectedness with many species of insects under threat of extinction.

Programmed to accompany group exhibition:
SPARK: Artist Interventions in a Time of Crisis
Rogue Project Space
2-6 Barrass St, Manchester, M11 1WP

, , , , , , , ,  , ,

Message from SPARK Val Murray:

Hi All

Friends of Carr Wood in Bramhall (of which I am a member) are holding a Bioblitz on 29th April as part of City Nature Challenge. Everyone is welcome to observe, identify, upload what they find. You’d all be very welcome to join in. See poster. I can also give you a guided tour of the woods if you are interested.
Carr Wood is 10 minute walk from Bramhall Station. We’ll be at the far end.

All the best

Val

Spark #9
Amazing moss walk with from Oxford Rd station down to Manchester Museum where we made terrariums. Thanks Tony for the session and thanks to for hosting us. We looked at mosses and their micro-ecosystems in the urban environment. We had a great turnout of people, all of who want to engage with and intervene in the climate crisis. Thanks so much for coming all of you, our little movement is growing 🙌 🙌 🙌
For some amazing photos of the day head over to 😍

Posted • Keeping with the theme of , after an introduction to my artwork on and the , the group did a session particularly thinking about where could by or . Being a group concerned with , most use where possible. There was general frustration that often have to order stuff to be delivered and lack of control in . The admin side was harder to with essentials like pens and tech stuff. Another frustration was sending work to in or but then returned in excessive amounts of brand new bubble wrap and tape. It was great to spend time considering and sharing possible . Thanks to for hosting this month.

Posted • Before this month's meeting, some of the group visited the . I always love seeing her work and enjoyed introducing some members to her work who had not encountered it before.

, SPARK #8 is a seventh in person meeting for Greater Manchester/North West-based artists who want to intervene in the trajectory towards climate breakdown, and is an opportunity to meet other artists and to share information and ideas.
Saturday 4th February 2023

10:00-11:00: Visit to Our Plastic Ocean – meet in Our Plastic Ocean gallery at 10
11:00-13:00: Plastic in my Practice – meet in Our Plastic Ocean gallery at 11

Please register to attend on Eventbrite (linktree in bio)

Photos: Spark flyer; Mandy Barker, SOUP : Bird's Nest; Nerissa Cargill Thompson, Mapping The Issue

Hosted by artist Nerissa Cargill Thompson , SPARK #8 will focus on our relationship with plastic. The session will start with an (optional) visit to Mandy Barker’s exhibition Our Plastic Ocean at Gallery Oldham and be followed by a non judgemental Plastic in my Practice session looking at plastic in our practice: where we can reduce or reuse, substitutions and where it is the only thing for the job.

Our Plastic Ocean spans a decade of Mandy Barker’s work including the series Soup, meticulously detailed composite images of discarded plastic objects; Albatross revealing 276 pieces of plastic found inside the stomach of a 90-day old albatross chick; and Beyond Drifting, which sees Barker trace the footsteps of 19th Century botanist John Vaughan Thompson who collected plankton specimens, the ocean’s most basic life-form.

SPARK #8 follows on from Castlefield Gallery’s SUSTAIN programme focussed on low carbon artmaking and from our first seven SPARK sessions at Manchester Art Gallery, Rogue, The Birley (Preston) and Eccles Friends Meeting House. The SPARK sessions are to help seed a new Greater Manchester/North West-based network of artists with low carbon practices.
SPARK #8 is supported by Castlefield Gallery and Gallery Oldham.

SPARK #7 saw us in Eccles, taking a walk around Alder Forest led by

A wide strip of damage along the brook has been caused by over-enthusiastic drainage maintenance by the Highways Agency (they apologised). The bare soil could do with coverage to prevent invasive Himalayan Balsam from taking hold, and the trees cut down here have left residents and visitors dealing with massively increased noise from the adjoining motorway.

Spark brought along 11 alder saplings, collected and potted from his allotment and we set about another piece of : Alder Line. This art/ecology/activism/work can take advantage of a still-in-place mycelial network left by the felled trees which recently populated the site.

We will be returning to seed the bank with a mix of annual and perennial native wildflowers, selected to thrive in wet and waterside conditions to cover the soil while the trees grow. This should give a boost to the biodiversity of this area of ancient woodland.

The Alder Forest is ‘s muse and studio. The land ownership is ambiguous and local residents are in the process of trying to get the space recognised as of community and environmental importance. Our meeting after the artmaking involved discussion of ways to do this and how we as a group can continue to participate.

It was great to see so many new faces; Spark Artists Network is growing by the month.

I really enjoy connecting with others . In 2022 I became part of of in the north west. We've had some great meet ups and discussions and I've met some wonderful interesting creative people. We meet on the first Saturday of each month so that's next Saturday. Do join us if are your thing.

Spark Network] with .repost
• • • • • •
Our first meet-up of 2023 is on Saturday 7th January at Eccles Friend's Meeting House, 13 The Polygon, Wellington Rd, M30 0DS.

We'll be focussing on forest ownership and management and on using art activism to challenge local .

Meet at 9 to Walk and Talk; or join us from 11 to 1 for the Tea and Talk session.

Eventbrite link in Linktree (in Spark Network] bio). It'd be grand to see you there!

Image is from a modified photo by Lisa McCarty, used under a Creative Commons 0 license

Recommendation!

At .city introduced us to and particularly talking about Episode 64 as soil microbiologist Walter Jehne of shares how restoring hydrological cycles is vital in mitigating the climate crisis and how the soil carbon sponge is core to that: https://www.instagram.com/p/CM_0n89HCPL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Spark #6 started with a Preston Soundwalk led by . Thanks Rob for opening our ears to our multisensory relationship with our environs, and leading an open discussion later back at . New Spark attendees gave valuable contributions. Thanks to for showing us your Xmas cards. Thanks to .city for introducing us to and we're looking forward to a visit to the at to see climate resilience in action. We look forward to in January in Eccles, will be taking us to their local forest to talk about amenity, ownership and use. We finished off with delicious soup and a trip to the iconic Preston Bus Station with

#6

Photo credits to

Spark #5 meeting; we were joined by Chloe Jeffries from and James Vanderventer from Steady State who talked to us about the concept of Degrowth, and how we need to live in an economically and environmentally sustainable way. supplied waste materials rescued from landfill to busy our hands as we chatted, and introduced the genius idea of tiny placards. Easy on materials, the idea is to create many of these and place them around to seep into people's unconscious minds.

As always a delight to spend time with a supportive network

Spark #5 pre-session walk led by took in places of protest, both official and informal around the city centre. The chat ranged around permissions (to protest) and where we individually draw the line in terms of direct action and protest

Looking forward to the next session Spark #6 which will take place in Preston, led by

Spark #5 During our Places of Protest walk, the subject of scale of protest came up. There is such a wide range of non-violent actions from passive to extreme. At our session , member had brought materials to make tiny placards. Can making small, everyday and personal protests be an effective influence?

BRING IDEAS FOR A PROTEST KIT (banners? costumes?) SPARK #5 is on Saturday 5th November and takes a seasonal look at democracy. See our linktree for a link to the Eventbrite.

SPARK #5 is a fifth in person meeting for Greater Manchester/North West-based artists who want to intervene in the trajectory towards climate breakdown, and is an opportunity to meet other artists and to share information and ideas.

SPARK #5: (Local) Democracy
Saturday 5th November 11:00-13:00 : In Person Meet-up - meet in the ground floor studio at Manchester Art Gallery (accessible from the atrium)

Facilitated by artist Jackie Haynes, SPARK #5 will focus on democracy and especially on how artists can intervene in local democracy. We will spend some time in the Climate Justice Gallery on the first floor prior to our plotting and making session downstairs.

Optional Extra - city centre walk - meet at 9 am outside Manchester Art Gallery

Ahead of the session in the Gallery, Jackie Haynes will lead a city walk which will head for sites resonant with historical, contemporary, future, local, national and international democracy.

Calling all artists!!!

SPARK #5: (Local) Democracy Meet-up for Greater Manchester/North West artists who want to intervene in the trajectory towards climate breakdown.

Next Spark event, Saturday 5th November.
Either:
Meet at steps of Manchester Art Gallery at 9am for a city stroll around the sites of local democracy.
Or:
Meet at 11am in ground floor Studio at Manchester Art Gallery.

SPARK #5: (Local) Democracy Meet-up for Greater Manchester/North West artists who want to intervene in the trajectory towards climate breakdown.

Walk and Chalk ✊ Enough is Enough

SPARK #4 MATERIALS, this Saturday, 1st October.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spark-4-how-we-use-materials-tickets-416672698257?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1

9am. Meet outside Manchester Art Gallery to walk to Rogue Studios along the canal path.

WALK & CHALK
chalk messages of support along the canal towpath to protesters heading into Manchester for the Enough is Enough Day of Action. https://www.facebook.com/events/492626962682822/

11.30am – 2.30 pm at Rogue Studios.

NEW MATERIALISING in the PLAYGROUND

co-construct an outdoor sculptural installation from found and left-over materials plus anything brought or picked up along the way.
PROBLEMATISE making artwork, even from re-used materials.

UNPREDICABLE SWERVES
Suggested read: Editor Barbra Bolt introduces the ‘clinamen’ meaning an inclining, tangential movement or ‘swerve that sets things in motion and initiates new patterns and movements (Sedley 1998, 2005). It is through these material movements and productive processes of matter that the world is made.’ Applied to art and climate activism, diverse interpretations of the swerve might be useful as a discussion point and motivating concept: ‘the idea that the world is a passive resource for use by active humans is no longer sustainable. The matter of the world can no longer be a mere resource for human endeavor. What is at stake here, is the very ground on which humanism has been built and sustained.’

https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/carnal-knowledge-towards-a-new-materialism-through-the-arts/introduction-toward-a-new-materialism-through-the-arts

Further or alternative suggested listening:

Who Was Lucretius? with Thomas Nail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MX0qWKcrX8

6 Aug 2022 Thomas Nail joins the cast to give us an overview of the work of the ancient philosopher Lucretius, who is known for his generally atheistic ontology and his theory of the clinamen or "the swerve". The discussion covers the interest of 20th century philosophers in Lucretius theories, as well as the related political implications which issued forth.