More from Absolute Elsewhere James Davies and Simon Taylor’s collaborative text and image project. The latest instalment is 3 photos by Simon. Check them out and get up to speed with the rest of the project here.
Lightboxes
Manchester’s Piccadilly Metro station features a set of nine lightboxes facing the platforms which are devoted to display of artworks. Originally part of the Text Festival but delayed due to engineering works, the station has just reopened with text works selected by Tony Trehy supported by the Hamilton Project.
More.
We’re not really here
Whilst this article in The Guardian has some good points, it is a cursory glance at the Manchester ‘scene’ from a restricted view seat. The utilisation of the same handful of well-worn reference points is to be expected but remains disappointing. Partial pictures such as this are fine if acknowledged as such, but when presented in a way which suggests completness give a distorted perspective. It’s like talking about Manchester when you’ve never left the Arndale Centre.
Sophie Robinson – some links
Sophe Robinson will be reading at the next Other Room on 2nd December 2009. To get a flavour of her work, try these links.
- Sophie’s own blog.
- Two poems at HOW2.
- Film of reading at Cabaret, Cork, Ireland.
- WORKTHROUGH at Les Figues press, publishers of a, which you can buy here.
Tom Jenks and Michael Haslam
The Other Room’s Tom Jenks and Michael Haslam go head-to-head at:
Bolton Octagon
Monday 16 November 2009
8pm
£4 (£2 concessions)
Penn Sound goes old school
“Today we are pleased to announce the completion of the PENNSOUND ANTHOLOGY OF RESTORATION & 18TH-CENTURY VERSE, edited and performed by John Richetti.”
More here.
Maggie O’Sullivan – ALTO
You need this in your life:
“Maggie O’Sullivan’s new book presents work from the 1970s & ’80s: these powerfully constructed poems offer a place from which it becomes possible to exercise vital thought … rather than just to suffer life; to ride in sound and syntax the sinewy entanglement of material existence.
This publication, and all other Veer Books, will be available at the Small Publishers Fair 2009, as well as at various upcoming CPRC Birkbeck events, or by post directly from Veer. Contact Veer Books at veerbooks[at]gmail[dot]com for more information.
ISBN: 978-0-9558763-7-0
£7.50”
Via Openned. Watch Maggie’s reading for The Other Room in August 2008 here.
A Writer’s Guide to Social Media with Adrian Slatcher
Advance warning of what will no doubt be a very interesting session as part of the Chorlton Book Festival:
A Writer’s Guide to Social Media
Writer Adrian Slatcher advises arts organisations on their use of social media at Manchester Digital Development Agency. He’ll show how writers are using the web for writing, marketing and publishing their work. Whether an experienced or novice writer, published or not, this workshop will give you all the ideas you need to enhance your own online presence.
Wednesday 18 November, 7.30pm
Chorlton Library
Londonstone – out now on Knives, Forks and Spoons
Jeffrey Side interviews Kent Johnson at The Argotist Online
Check the link to see the interview:
Small Publishers’ Fair 2009
SMALL PUBLISHERS FAIR 2009
Friday/Saturday 13th/14th November, 11am to 7pm
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
Poetry presses include Colin Sackett, Coracle, Essence, Leafe/Bamboo, Moschatel, Reality Street, Shearsman, Veer & West House.
Exhibition of vintage NY mimeos curated by Les Coleman & John Janssen
Saturday afternoon readings:
1.30 Royal Holloway Poetic Practice: Sejal Chad, Becky Cremin, Ryan Ormonde, Karen Sandhu
2.00 Shearsman Books: Linda Black & John Welch
2.30 Kurt Johannesen: Everything & Nothing
3.00 Les Coleman: Written, Drawn & Stapled (NY mimeos)
3.30 Road Books: Judy Kravis
4.00 Loose Teeth Press: Joey Comeau
4.30 Reality Street: Wendy Mulford
5.00 Light-Trap Press: Angela Gardner
5.30 Veer Books & Torque Press: Will Rowe, Piers Hugill, Aodan McCardle, Tony Trehy, Antony John & Carol Watts
Free admission to fair & readings
Researchers seek UK ‘soundscapes’
A project has launched to capture the sounds of UK locations, mapping
them to create “soundscapes” that can be visited by users of the
project’s site.
Participants are asked to record 5 – 10 second intervals of sound
using their mobile phones, describing where and why they took the
recording.
The sound samples are then uploaded to a site where they are mapped.
via mIEKAL aND
5th November – Crossing the Line
WARNING TONGUE NIGHT WARNING TONGUE NIGHT WARNING TONGUE NIGHT
Alan Halsey & Gavin Selerie. Collectively 120 years old. Be very afraid.
Thursday November 5, 7.30. The Leather Exchange, Leathermarket Street, London Bridge. £5, £3.
No fireworks. Bring own toffee apples.
Poetry Library Special Collections and Artists’ Book Open Day
Poetry Library Special Collections and Artists’ Book Open Day
Sunday 15 November 2009
From the first drafts of Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake in the magazine Transition (1927) and the beginnings of Philip Larkin’s and Simon Armitage’s careers in pamphlet form, The Poetry Library collection includes the whole range of poetry publications since 1912. The Library invites you to an open display of posters, pamphlets, artists’ books, postcards and magazines from its various collections. With items from early modernism through to the Beat and Concrete movements, take this chance to engage with the underworld of nearly a century of poetry, including works on display from TS Eliot, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Robert Creeley and Sarah Lucas.
Also includes a section ‘mail out poetry’ with Matchbox
Matt Dalby – array
“Once again made it with only a whisker to spare. October’s sound poetry CD-R is out now for only £3.
It’s called array and features 12 tracks. They explore simple facets of vocal sounds from plosives to sibilants by way of breaths, scream, whispering and laughter. Some tracks are tightly scripted while others are wholly improvised.
Other than tweaking the volume up and cutting sections off the beginning or end of certain tracks there is only one major edit in production. The various ‘i’ tracks were a single long track consisting of two elements. The first was a drone, made using a loop pedal and then reversed. The second was a vocal track played twice over the reversed drone. The whole track was then split into sections.
Seven microphones of varying quality were used at all times.”
More here.
Does the art world have little knowledge of contemporary poetry?
Caroline Bergvall reviews the Poetry Marathon:
I’m writing in from London where I’ve recently been part of a highly ambitious poetry event. The internationally reputed Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park has for the past 4 years been hosting a mad type of event, an annual 36 hours live event, a more or less non-stop art marathon of presentations. This year they decided to create it as a Poetry Marathon. Some 50 poets were slated to take part, each reading for approx. 15 mins—a decent time given the chain of readings and the expected strained attention span.
The event has been summarized in great detail online, complete with program notes, introductory remarks by the curator and high-end cultural entrepreneur Hans Ulrich Obrist, as well as pics and comments on many of the readers. Although amazing, I have to admit the event has left me thoughtful…
Tony Trehy
Tony Trehy reads at The Other Room, 25th October 2009. Apologies for the technical difficulties. Tony eventually does emerge gloriously from the mist.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Click here for a larger version.
James Davies
James Davies reads at The Other Room, 25th October 2009. Apologies for the technical difficulties.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Click here to view in a larger version.
The Other Room at Oxjam – review
Thanks to Richard Barrett for his review of our extra event at the Oxjam festival. Read Richard’s Review here.
Stuart Calton
Stuart Calton reads for The Other Room, 25th October 2009.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Click here to view a larger version.
otherroom.org 