leftbankadvent

show's over.

2009-12-22T12:58:00.003Z

the advent exhibition closed on sunday evening.

it's been completely and utterly brilliant.

thanks to all our contributing artists, to the volunteers who helped set up and staff the show, and to everyone who visited the exhibition and the associated events in left bank over the past four or five weeks [almost 1,000 of you! such a fantastic turnout...!]

we hope that you've enjoyed it as much as we have...

we're off for a well-earned rest now, but in the meantime feel free to use the blog here to let us know what you thought of the exhibition...
happy christmas!

new leads

2009-12-18T12:32:00.005Z

new leads is an acoustic music event that gav mart and friends started at the greenbelt festival this year. last weekend new leads came home to left bank; and in the context of the architecture and the art, fuelled by the mart family's mulled wine, it all made for a pretty wonderful evening...

Dan Wilde 'Beeswing' Live [New Leads @ Left Bank, Leeds] from Barnaby Aldrick on Vimeo.

you can read more about the evening here on barnaby's blog and you can get gav's take on the evening here...

another favourable blog review...

2009-12-16T08:10:00.002Z

ian braithewaite's blog.

25. Jesus - Gavin Mart

2009-12-15T11:00:00.006Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

these pieces is not for sale.

24. Manger - Jane Kay

2009-12-14T09:00:00.005Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

these pieces are for sale for between £60 and £120.

23. Herod - Dan Ingram Brown and Simon Brewis

2009-12-14T08:56:00.007Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is a sound installation played on portable cd players, and is not for sale.

22. Jerusalem ['Society'] - Imy Afzal

2009-12-14T08:52:00.005Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is for sale @ £2,000

21. Myrrh ['Bitter Perfume'] - Si Smith

2009-12-14T08:48:00.004Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is for sale @ £300

20. Magi - ['Three Cloaks for the Wise Men'] - Burley St Matthias CofE School

2009-12-13T21:06:00.002Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is for not for sale.

19. Frankincense - Derek Hill

2009-12-13T16:03:00.004Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this ceramic vessel is for sale @ £130 [the plinth is NFS]

18. Magi ['Following the Light'] - Jay Gadhia

2009-12-13T15:55:00.004Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is for not for sale.

17. Gold - Paul Airy

2009-12-13T15:51:00.004Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is for sale @ £695

16. Magi ['Horse and Rider'] - Bukkie Dos Santos

2009-12-13T15:42:00.007Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is for sale @ £250 [framed] £175 [unframed]

15. Lamb - Sally Baker

2009-12-11T21:56:00.002Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is not for sale.

14. The Angelic Choir ['Gloria in Excelsis Deo'] - Michael Hannaford

2009-12-11T21:46:00.008Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is for sale @ £350

13. Shepherds ['Shepherd Chip and Shepherd Bean] - Simone Lia

2009-12-11T10:42:00.004Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this work is **SOLD**

12. Stable - Jane Kay

2009-12-11T10:32:00.003Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

the individual panels from this piece are for sale @ £60 each.

11. Innkeeper ['An Innkeeper's Advent'] - Martin Wilson

2009-12-11T10:21:00.004Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

framed prints £200
unframed £100

10. Bethlehem ['21st Century Magi'] - Nick Davies

2009-12-11T09:44:00.004Z

[photos by nick davies and barnaby aldrick]

this piece is not for sale.

9. Donkey - Mr Penfold

2009-12-10T10:37:00.005Z

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

this piece is not for sale.

8. Joseph - Dave Nevard

2009-12-10T10:33:00.006Z

this piece is not for sale.

[photos by dave nevard and barnaby aldrick]

7. The Angel Gabriel ['Annunciation'] - James Kessell

2009-12-10T10:29:00.001Z

price on application.

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

6. Mary ['Immaculate'] - Shaeron Caton-Rose

2009-12-09T09:36:00.003Z

this piece is not for sale.

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

5. Elizabeth ['Habitually Fails To Fruit'] - Emmy Twigge

2009-12-09T09:31:00.009Z

this piece is for sale @ £131

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

4. Zechariah - Carla Moss

2009-12-09T09:24:00.007Z

this piece is for sale @ £400

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

3. Star - Kip Gresham

2009-12-08T12:32:00.005Z

this work is for sale @ £1,000

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

advent meditations...

2009-12-08T09:50:00.003Z

to accompany the advent exhibition, we sourced a couple of short reflective texts to give some context to the show's themes, and to provide a bit of a narrative thread...

[click images for legibility]

2. 400 years of silence - John LLoyd

2009-12-08T09:39:00.007Z

this piece is **SOLD**
[unframed prints are available - price on application]

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

1. Prophet ['Prophet - Wandering Jew'] - Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

2009-12-08T09:21:00.011Z

ernesto's piece consists of 12 paintings, originally created for a holocaust memorial, with accompanying text.
for the purposes of the advent show these play in a loop on a flat screen tv...

this work is not for sale.

[photos by barnaby aldrick]

“The variety is impressive”

2009-12-04T16:10:00.000Z

dig yorkshire review...

dig yorkshire listing

2009-12-02T11:26:00.000Z

dig yorkshire

gav blogs 'advent'...

2009-12-01T20:24:00.003Z

as well as contributing work for the show, gav mart event-managed the exhibition and did a brilliant job.
you can read all about it on his blog.

nice piece in the leeds guide...

2009-12-01T10:50:00.000Z

leeds guide.

'advent' on the greenbelt festival blog...

2009-12-01T08:01:00.000Z

greenbelt blog.

a lovely review...

2009-11-30T20:56:00.000Z

...on mark waddington's blog.

private view photos...4

2009-11-30T17:49:00.003Z

photos by barnaby aldrick

private view photos...3

2009-11-30T17:45:00.003Z

photos taken by barnaby aldrick

private view photos...2

2009-11-30T17:41:00.002Z

photos taken by barnaby aldrick

private view photos...1

2009-11-30T17:36:00.004Z

photos taken by barnaby aldrick

private view

2009-11-30T14:54:00.004Z

thanks to everyone who came along to the private view last friday.
we had an amazing evening and were really chuffed with the turnout, the response to the work and to the event itself...
it all came together remarkably well in the end :-)

we'll post photos as soon as we get them...

meantime the exhibition is open for the next three weekends, 11am-4pm...

[if you've not visited yet, bob down there and have a look...]

school visit...

2009-11-24T21:02:00.007Z

some photos from earlier this month, when si smith, emmy twigge and emily norton visited Y3 & 4 children at burley st matthias school to work on their pieces for the exhibition.

[pics by john lloyd]

setting up - progress report 3

2009-11-24T19:05:00.004Z

setting up - progress report 2

2009-11-23T07:25:00.002Z

spent a long day in left bank yesterday, but by the end we had eleven pieces installed or hung. lighting is gradually being put in place and it's starting to look like a proper exhibition...
it's really exciting to see it all coming to fruition.

good to finally meet jay and to watch his installation rise up above the altar space. called 'following the light' it's the first thing you see when you enter the building and it's a really striking, impressive piece [it's good close-up too - lovely calligraphy]

also good to see sally again, and watch her 'lamb' piece come together in the space...
constructed with carefully chosen chunks of rock from a local quarry it fits beautifully with stone of the left bank walls, and looks like it could have been living the building for years...

setting up - progress report 1

2009-11-19T19:32:00.004Z

we've been in left bank on and off all week, and preparations are going well. boards have gone up and are being painted ready to receive the work, and the place has been swept. on sunday we begin to hang things... all very exciting!

simone lia's cards and stickers

2009-11-19T19:16:00.004Z

yesterday i took delivery of simone lia's piece for the show, a digital print entitled 'Shepherd Chip and Shepherd Bean' and it 's great. you can now buy cards and stickers designed by simone online at moo.com. they're pretty great too...!

a word from our sponsors... revive seed fund

2009-11-16T16:36:00.001Z

Revive seed fund supports new and innovative projects in Leeds that reflect the commitment of revive to faith, arts and justice.

a word from our sponsors...trust greenbelt

2009-11-13T18:39:00.004Z

"Each year punters at the Greenbelt festivals donate tens of thousands of pounds at the event's Sunday morning service – and online throughout the year. Knowing that Greenbelt’s ethos and values are reflected in the projects funded is so important.

Greenbelt and the efforts of Trust Greenbelt are synonymous - a holistic response that ensures we continue to use the arts to liberate creativity in face of exclusion, exploitation and injustice.

Recognising the potential to be groundbreaking and life-changing Trust Greenbelt supports quirky, entrepreneurial and risky ideas. Many come from modest community focussed projects where a seemingly insignificant amount of funding can have an immeasurable impact. Trust Greenbelt gets ideas off the ground and gives voice to the marginalised often supporting initiatives that wouldn't make it in to traditional funding reviews.

'Trust people and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greenbelt continues to hold true to Emerson's words, trusting some amazing people with your money, trying where others may not be able to, to help them to do great things. We can only do this if you continue to Trust Greenbelt too - trust us to find those special projects and people that need someone to trust their special vision..."

Trust Greenbelt.

a word from our sponsors...LCCT

2009-11-13T18:19:00.005Z

'Advent' has been funded by several organisations, to whom we are very grateful. We'd like to tell you a little more about them, beginning with Leeds Christian Community Trust.

"LCCT is here to enable, encourage and support Christians, working in unity and in mission, to pursue their dreams and visions and make a positive difference in Leeds.

We do this by providing a legal and support structure to allow projects to focus on what they're passionate about, without forcing them to deal with the bureaucratic pressures normally associated with setting up a new initiative. In addition to this we are able to provide 'seed funding' and development support to help those with the vision and initiative to do what they need to do to transform the city..."

You can visit the LCCT website here.

'Advent' on the bbc website...

2009-11-10T17:42:00.001Z

...read all about it here

introducing work in progress... michael hannaford

2009-11-09T10:09:00.004Z

"How does one portray something that cannot be described or fully comprehended? This is a question I have asked myself when choosing to take the theme of angels. It is both exciting and challenging at the same time.

My artwork over the last year has all been centred on prophetic imagery and visions within the bible. I have been trying to make sense of all the vivid imagery described and working out what they mean and how I can take this imagery and bring it forward to a modern audience.

We are in danger of loosing touch with our imagination in modern life, with everything being spoon-fed to us via different media, cinema, the internet and television, etc. Yet our imagination is one of the greatest gifts we have. Exploring the world of visual storytelling found within the bible opens up the imagination.

During this exploration I have centred previous work on trying to use my imagination and the imagery found in the bible to draw images of heaven and hell. In that work I used both my own imagination and the imaginations of others. You’d be surprised how exciting and interesting it is too see people’s different interpretations of texts plucked from the bible describing and heaven and hell; texts such as “an enormous red dragon with seven heads, and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” taken from Revelation 12 verse 3, which is a description by John of Satan/The Devil.

For my angel it seemed only natural that if I wanted to find out what they look like I needed to see how the bible describes them. The bible describes several types of angels including Seraphim, Cherubim and Archangels.

There are various descriptions including Isaiah 6 verse 2: “Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” This is the text I have taken as inspiration for my painting. All of the texts in the bible are very clear that the angels reflected God’s glory and one of God’s many characteristics is that He is Light. Take Luke, when he tells us about the shepherds in the fields: “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.”

To me this seemed a very important quality to capture in my painting. This is why I decided to paint using fluorescent colours and use optical illusions as the bible also tells us that God’s glory is far too bright for us to look at easily. So I hope the optical illusions make it difficult for the viewer to look at my angel.

When taking the above verse from Isaiah 6 I looked back at how artists have interpreted it in the past. I found that there was a design made by the early church for a Seraph that can be found particularly in icons. I decided to use this traditional design but with my bright colours and optical illusions. I like fusing the contemporary - florescent colours, optical illusions - with old and traditional things such as the texts of the bible and this iconic design.

This image here is a mock-up for my final painting..."

work in progress... john lloyd

2009-11-04T17:12:00.003Z

slightly off topic...

2009-11-03T09:09:00.003Z

friends of friends of the exhibition have produced a beach-hut advent calendar based on an event that they ran last year down on the sea front in brighton... it looks great, only costs a fiver [plus p&p] and you can get a copy from them here.

[ht to jonny baker]

introducing... jay gadhia

2009-11-02T22:43:00.005Z

Following the Light...

Leeds-based artist Jay Gadhia tells us a bit about the work that he is creating for the exhibition...

"The wise men are often reffered to as the Magi ....sorcerers, magicians, kings. The installation will have a mystical and etherial feel to it. The footprints are to represent the journey the wise men made as well as the light source representing not only the star which led the magi but also as a physical representation of the illuniation of the world beggining with the birth of a new king...
The footsteps leading to the light will be hand painted in henna...the magi were of Persian origin so henna is the natural choice of deeply significant material. The strips of paper leading towards the light have the scripture written in expressive cursive so that although it is English, echoes the 'look' of both arabic / aramaic script in dark ink."

You can visit jay's website here...

some other leftbank events...

2009-11-02T18:43:00.002Z

here's a few other things that'll be happening during advent in left bank, alongside the exhibition.

29th november 5pm - a reflective advent service
12th december 8.30pm - new leads - a candlelit acoustic evening
13th december 3pm - a traditional carol service with the heritage singers and masterworks chorale
20th december 4pm - an informal christingle service

for more info click here...

work in progress... derek hill

2009-10-28T18:18:00.008Z

a sneaky peek at some of the things that derek hill's been working on for the advent show...

introducing... bukkie dos santos

2009-10-27T15:03:00.003Z

Bukkie is an internationally exhibited and award winning photographer with a striking portfolio of work. Her style of photography is built on a dynamic approach to the world around us and is a tribute to her creative talents.

Bukkie has always been interested in culture and Cultural diversity. Paying particular attention to our rituals as individuals and as communities. “I believe that man defines himself by ritual” It is this line of thinking that has strengthened her interest in documentary photography which is area of photography that she currently does most of her work.

ARTIST STATEMENT: I love working with people, they make excellent subjects. An expression is all it takes to tell a life’s story. We are creatures of habit, we respond to the spaces around us, our presence or absence from a space evokes a response of some kind, and it is this response that creates stories that can be recorded visually. I feel like I’m a story teller, with my photographs I hope I can bring millions of stories to life.

[Bukkie's website]

introducing... paul airy

2009-10-27T09:13:00.005Z

"Long ago, pearl fishermen swam deep underwater to find their treasures from the ocean. From there, they brought them to the surface for all to see, and some to own.

As someone who has been described as deep, I too go below the surface – in thought, observation and reflection, on an adventure into both the seen and unseen worlds, discovering, uncovering and bringing what I’ve found to the surface, and revealing it for all to see in graphic art form.

Not unlike the outward appearance of a pearl, my work is clean and graphic, simple though not simplistic. It often features motifs, metaphors, symbols and structure, drawing on natural elements such as trees, fish and water, and man-made elements such as aircraft, digital clocks and buildings.

However, it’s only when you take a closer at my work, that you find that there is more to discover, and that what at first seems ordinary, has contained within it something special."

Visit Paul's website here.

introducing... imy afzal

2009-10-24T18:48:00.008+01:00

‘To us art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks.’
Mark Rothko

Imi Afzal’s continuous work entitled Paradigm Episteme is the exploration of social concerns. The project consists of six themes, Society, Religion/Belief, Globalisation, Conflict (Palestine /Israel), Dasein and Time/Space/Evolution. Paradigm Episteme is a complex, sculptural installation which attempts to explore human nature. The installation consists of six individual sculptures which are interconnected to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Paradigm Episteme purpose is to stimulate an individual's thoughts, emotions, beliefs and ideas through the senses with a sophisticated and imaginative approach.

Imi Afzal is a conceptual artist who recently graduated from Bradford School of Arts in Fine Art. He is engaged and intrigued in art, design, science, and philosophy.

introducing... martin wilson

2009-10-23T18:24:00.005+01:00

"My pictures are painstakingly created frame by frame on 35mm film. I get the whole film developed, scan it, then piece the final image together on the computer, making a large contact sheet. It's only when the completed film strips are laid out side by side in the contact sheets that the final image appear.

Each work usually takes months to complete, as each frame is obsessively taken in sequence. No pasting together after the event, no cheating in Photoshop!
If I make a mistake or take a frame out of place I start the film again from the beginning.

The works are all records of real journeys, the visual remnants of hours walking or cycling round town, bringing to life the unheard voices of the city..."

See more at martin's website.

introducing... burley st. matthias C of E primary school

2009-10-23T09:47:00.003+01:00

"Burley St Matthias is a 210-place Church of England Primary School, one mile from the city centre in North West Leeds. Overlooking the rich industrial landscape of the Kirkstall Valley, we are within walking distance of a Nature Reserve, Kirkstall Abbey, Armley Mills Industrial Museum, Burley Park, the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

The school serves a very diverse population and we are proud of the fact that you can meet people here from all walks of life and from all around the world. The globe on our school logo helps to sum that up and the thumbprint on it shows how we value each and every person’s uniqueness – “Everyone Is Special”.

With our very high standards, our inclusive approach to special needs, our broad range of extra curricular opportunities and wrap around care, a very committed and caring staff and our superb outdoor space, Burley St Matthias offers a wonderful learning environment for everyone who comes here."

Children from years three and four have been working with visiting artists to produce work for the Advent exhibition, and you can visit the school's webiste here

introducing... jane kay

2009-10-23T09:08:00.003+01:00

" I used to dream in lists - now I just write them - things to do, buy; lists on scraps of paper, in notebooks. Sadly I have been known to get up with Sidney ( the cat) at 3am to scribble something in case I've forgotten by the morning (actually I'm just getting up to let him out but didn't want anyone to think that the cat(s) have taken over). I have been known to make my lists into art work but will try not to do this for Left Bank ...what I am doing for Advent is still a bit of a mystery to me - it may be weave or print or writing or a combination of all of these. It will almost certainly involve the pulpit. and a bale of straw. Any ideas - let me know - quickly."

introducing... james kessell

2009-10-22T09:02:00.003+01:00

James Kessell's approach to making art employs diverse strategies and media.
Engaged in the exploration and expression of human ideas and life experience, his work at times includes drawing and painting, sculpture, digital media and projection, installation and intervention, photography and sound. His recent work expresses thoughts relating to the interplay and effect of opposing human and spiritual concepts.
James Kessell's work has been shown at various venues in the UK, the USA, The Netherlands and Jerusalem, and also seen internationally as part of a number of publishing and design projects.

Visit James' website here.

introducing... si smith

2009-10-20T12:45:00.010+01:00

For as long as he can remember Si Smith has been an avid draw-er of stuff. Maybe it's in his genes - his father paints and exhibits, his grandfather was also an artist and his brother is a graphic designer and cartoonist.

He was born in Leicester in 1966, and he's currently resident in north Leeds with his wife Sue and their sons Eddie and Jonah.
So far, during the course of his largely uneventful life Si has met Rolf Harris, been in a documentary, witnessed Gary Lineker's league debut, visited Scarborough, spent five years teaching in a primary school, agitated an alternative worship event into being, author-illustrated three books, been deservedly rebuked by a bishop, run a football team, bought a composter, created a church comedy event and co-edited a comic. He's currently curating this very exhibition and thinking about things for the Greenbelt Festival, when he probably should be working.

Si has a blog that you can see here.
(He has a website too, but it's permanently in need of updating...)

introducing... emmy twigge

2009-10-13T16:45:00.003+01:00

"Yes that's right I have a plastic seagull covered in plasters strapped to my chest. You see you never know where you'll end up if you follow an instinct...and that's how I start making work. And once I start a piece it's very process led so I never know what I'll end up with. To offer more insight into this process check out my sketchblog for Advent...

and...
http://www.emmytwigge.com/"

introducing... john lloyd

2009-10-13T13:36:00.003+01:00

John Lloyd is a freelance designer and photographer, often combining the two. Like Henry's Cat he knows bits of everything but not much of anything. He got his first iPod in 2003 (yes, years before you did) and has never been able to touch his toes.

john's website.

sign up and volunteer...

2009-10-09T13:12:00.003+01:00

we're now recruiting volunteers to help with the show - primarily that'll involve sitting in and supervising the show while it's open, handing leaflets out, smiling at punters, making sure that everything's switched on and working, that sort of stuff.

if you'd like to help with that, and can spare us two and a half hours of time one weekend in advent, then leave your email in the comments here, and we'll send you details of how you can sign up... :-)

cheers!

(apologies)

2009-10-08T15:46:00.001+01:00

apologies if you've tried to leave a comment here, but been unable to. i think that the glitch is fixed, so commenting should be possible from now on...!

poster

2009-10-08T09:16:00.003+01:00

(designed by lloydy)

introducing... derek hill

2009-09-29T22:26:00.004+01:00

Derek likes creating things physically &, latterly, digitally. By day he runs a business making custom seating for wheelchair users, the rest of the time is spent dabbling in ceramics, photography, graphic design & generally making stuff. He also heads the team booking the Visual Arts programme for Greenbelt Festival.

" I've always been interested in shape & form, lines & curves. I like to make functional objects and predominantly use natural materials. For the advent exhibition I'm creating a piece involving oak & ceramics, with possibly some felt & maybe even some gold leaf.....my ideas are still evolving. "

introducing... carla moss

2009-09-26T13:44:00.011+01:00

Carla Moss has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad and her work resides in collections such as WBS, Leeds and The Equip Trust, Kazakhstan.
Carla is a landscape painter with a very unique style. She uses mixed media to manipulate surfaces, drawing the viewer into a tranquil world of serenity and calmness. The work however has a twist; on close inspection what seems like a sumptuous and inviting scape is actually a social comment on how the world is constantly changing due to technological advances. Carla looks at how human intervention is slowly eroding and destroying the natural world.

to see more of carla's work, visit her website here

exciting...

2009-09-22T14:41:00.004+01:00

...this morning a courier arrived at the door with the first piece of artwork for the show...

nice

2009-09-22T14:39:00.003+01:00

photographer martin wilson is contributing a piece to the advent exhibition and we just noticed that he's been featured on the 'it's nice that' website...

introducing... mr penfold

2009-09-15T18:13:00.003+01:00

Mr Penfold lives and works in Cambridge, England. He is an artist who makes paintings, installations, prints and drawings. The paintings have strong linear elements. These are gracefully drawn outlines which work both with (and against) the ground. Much of the work features people he has observed in bars and pubs. He uses screenprints, woodcuts and etching to make his prints. This is a natural extension of the work he does in a professional printmaking studio where he works with many well known artists.

mr penfold's site

introducing... sally baker

2009-09-15T16:29:00.003+01:00

"My passion is to express and communicate the nature of God.

My work is clean, elegant and contains layers of meaning. Predominantly inspired by nature, the elements and our inherent spirituality, I am interested in concept, composition, pattern and decoration. My designs can be realised on any scale, in fabric, as a surface decoration, as fine art pieces or graphic design projects.

I enjoy experimental layering utilising drawings, collage and photography in order to explore the concept of hints and glimpses … seeing one thing through another..."

sally's website...

introducing... dave nevard

2009-09-10T16:00:00.003+01:00

Over the last year Dave Nevard has found himself making work from within the lust-fuelled environment of Amsterdam's Red Light District, to amongst the makeshift beds of the homeless under Hong Kong's overpasses.

Dave Nevard says: "As an artist I believe I belong in cracks, in dirty places filled with the stench of broken dreams and unfulfilled potential. In places where mediocrity suffocates and consumerism kills. Below this barren landscape lies an un-harnessed potential capable of rocking our comfortable boats. As an artist, I consider it my privilege to meet this potential head on and allow it to form delicately into a crisp, fresh voice.

"I believe everybody holds the potential for incredible beauty and creativity and art can play a part in releasing people into the fullness of this. In drawing people's portraits I have seen the powerful ability art has to transcend language, instill value, dignity and worth for victims of leprosy in South West China. I believe art can be a powerful catalyst for change; to unpick lies, unveil truth and present stories of the voiceless.

"It is my dream to see art weave together the worlds of rich and poor, to allow street art and gallery spaces become a home and voice for those who find themselves unheard, unwanted and forgotten and let those of us fortunate enough to enjoy health, wholeness and freedom respond with passion to these new found voices."

dave's flickr...

introducing... nick davies (interviewed at the greenbelt festival)

2009-09-10T15:32:00.005+01:00

Nick Davies talks about his work in Palestine from Greenbelt Festival on Vimeo.

Nick Davies is a keen photographer who has exhibited in Britain and sells work internationally.

Nick studied theology at the Universities of Sheffield and Edinburgh before working for seventeen years in communications and fundraising for Christian Aid, Save the Children and Livability. He has worked and travelled in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, Nicaragua, El Salvador, India and Pakistan. He currently lives in south London and is working as a curate in the Church of England. “For me photography was a hobby that has grown to become an important part of my vocation.”

introducing // simone lia

2009-08-03T18:24:00.004+01:00

Simone Lia is an illustrator and a comic artist. She is interested in expressing authentic human relationships often through non-human characters like junk food or bunny rabbits or even furniture. She enjoys seeing how the characters relate to each other and take a life on of their own and hopes that readers enjoy that too. Simone Lia has written 'Fluffy' a graphic novel, several children's books and her comic strips have been featured in The Guardian and The Independent.

visit simone's website

introducing // gavin mart

2009-08-03T18:21:00.013+01:00

Gavin Mart is a gritty all-rounder based in Leeds. His work varies from multimedia installation, to rough film cuts, soundtrack composition, and more separately - singer songwriter. His work tries to edge away from his naturally political style, endeavouring to reach subjects unknown, whilst tending to be marred with some current affairs mellow drama. Preferring to work with commissioned subjects and in conjunction with other artists, he often finds himself in uncharted water. The product of these experiences often tends to be the work of art itself, or at least the illustration of his life's journey.

[gav's music stuff]

introducing // ernesto lozada-uzuriaga

2009-07-29T18:47:00.001+01:00

Ernesto studied art with a personal tutor at an early age in his native Peru. He won several awards in various school competitions. However in the early 80’s he put aside his plans to study fine art and embarked on studies in theology and anthropology. In 1987 due to the rising political unrest Ernesto left his country. He spent some time in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Barcelona, Spain before adopting England as his home. In the early 90’s he began painting again. Since then he has built a substantial body of work, finding a distinctive style which reveals both the richness of his native culture and the influence of western tradition.

His paintings have been exhibited in Europe and the UK, and are held in private collections in the UK, Germany and the United States, and in public collections including at the World Bank Washington DC, USA; Northern Light Gallery, Huddersfield, UK; Heathrow Airport, London, UK; The Ark-T Centre, Oxford; St Luke’s Church Oxford and All Saints, Harston, Cambridge. He has also produced backdrops and banners for Greenbelt Festival, Soul Survivor Festival and other major Christian events. He has been involved in producing visuals for emerging Christian communities such as JOY, Oxford and REVIVE, Leeds, amongst others.
Ernesto is married to Marie and they live in Milton Keynes.

[ernesto's website]

introducing // shaeron caton-rose

2009-07-29T18:36:00.002+01:00

"My practice covers traditional printmaking and painting practice and a more installation and site-specific approach, incorporating textiles, ceramics, found objects, relief, bookmaking and video.

All my work is concerned with the myths and Meta narratives that inform our society; whether these are ancient beliefs such as faith systems or fairytales; or modern day understandings about how things ‘are’ or ‘should be’. I am most interested in seeing how reality and actual experience measure up to these, or how each interweaves the other."

[visit shaeron's web site here]

ADVENT // an exhibition for the festive season

2009-06-24T14:31:00.002+01:00

ADVENT will be an exhibition at leftbank leeds on the cardigan road in leeds, open for the four weekends before christmas, 2009.

25 artists, creatives and arts groups from leeds and beyond will each be creating work relating to different elements and characters from the christmas narrative [see the list in the sidebar on the left there...]

on this blog we'll be hoping to post regular updates about how plans for the show are progressing, information about the contributing artists, and possibly some previews of the work being created for the exhibition...