Future Shows

There are two fantastic shows coming up which you should try your damnedest to get to..

Salon Show - Temporary Art Space

The Temporary Art Space in the Piece Hall, Halifax, presents it's final show 'Salon Show' an open submissions exhibition, curated by a team of volunteers (myself included). The exhibition opens of Friday the 7th of August 5pm till 8pm and runs until the 28th of August.

Featuring: Andy Abbott, Djuro Adžić, Rachael Allen, Jakob Anckarsvard, Sally Barker, Georgia Boniface, Kevin Boniface, Alice Bradshaw, Kiki Bragard, Dora Bratelj, Stacey Bray, Stuart Brocklehurst, Sean Burn, Alisa Čaber, Paul Cairns, Stephen Campbell, Yvonne Carmichel, Andrew Carson, Jessica Jane Charleston, Jane Chavez-Dawson, Mike Chavez-Dawson, Louise Cieciala, Julie Rose Clark, Adam Clarke, Nicholas Clarke, Robert Paul Clarke, Josephine Clinton, Sophia Crilly, Caroline Dear, Dirtcheap, Harry Edwards, Tinsel Edwards, Francis Elliott, Tatiana Fiodorova, Ben Gabriel, Maria Garton, Liz Gaunt, Tom Gibbons, Henry Allen Goode, Garth Gratix, Laura Havenhand, Rachel Hawthorn, Tommy Eugene Higson, Maja Hodošček, Sandy Holden, Jon Hoyle, Joanne Hummel-Newell, Alice Hutt, Lauren Iredale, Nikki Marie Jackson, Joanne Johnson, Sofia Johnston, Mark Kennard, Kevin Kirwan, Buffy Klama, Ahmed Kungu, Caroline Lapeyre, Jean-Pierre Lapeyre, Yan Laundy, Robert Lloyd, David MacDiarmid, Elaine Woo MacGregor, Sophie MacWhannell, Thomas Mann, James Marsh, Joanne Masding, Fatema Mayet, Liz McDonough, Alison McGregor, Milk Two Sugars, Christine Mitchenson, Stefania Montolli, Susan Mortimer, Tabitha Moses, Gemma Mountain, Liz Murphy, Pav Von Mxski, Deborah Newbould, Matthanee Nilavongse, Pitikasem Nilavongse, Simon O'Neill, Jane O'Sullivan, Al Palmer, Hayley Parfitt, Gavin Peacock, Nancy Porter, Mike Redmond, Dhanyapit Sajjalaksana, Mark Sanders, Rebecca Scheel-Edelmann, Shufflebottom, Chloe Small, Kevin Smith, Jim Souper, Aaron Stainthorpe, Kate Stobbart, Jess Swainson, Lynne Swarbrick, Merry Swarbrick, Fiodorova Tatiana, Emily Thomas, Twinkle Troughton, Ally Wallace, Toby Walshaw, Lauren C Waterworth, Jospeh Weldon, Lois Whitehead, Olivia Williams, David W Wright, Fani Zguro

Curated by: Dorothy Baldwin, Deborah Britton, Rachael Gorton, Rachel Hawthorn, Lauren Iredale, Sofia Johnston, Thomas Mann, Hayley Parfitt, Nancy Porter, Merry Swarbrick & Lois Whitehead

More details can be found about the exhibition and gallery here :
http://temporaryartspace.co.uk/salon.html">
http://www.temporaryartspace.co.uk/

Minster Nights - York Minster Cathedral

On the 30th of August York Minster opens it's doors to the public from 5pm - Midnight, offering a wide range of Art, performance, music, theatre and tours of the Minster.
I will be running a small event in the St. Nicholas cathedral, making badges based on the 'in memorial' plaques.
This is the 2nd time the Minster has run this project and its shaping up to be a fantastic night.

West End (on stage erected in front of West Doors):
Mooted Theatre performing excerpt from Murder in the Cathedral.
Chris Green’s production about infamous arsonist Jonathan Martin.
York Shakespeare Project with several classic speeches.

North Transept:
James Spacebar with large art reproduction beneath Five Sisters Window.
Lois Whitehead in St Nick’s chapel.
Steve Tomlinson and Shadow Art (in NT or elsewhere)
Jo Dacombe and Co.

Refreshments served in the NT.

Nave:
Davis Pipe will be playing the Minster organ and taking requests.

Chapter House:
Holly Taymar acoustic set.

South Quire Aisle:
Interpretation stalls by the Minster Broderers, Flower Arrangers, Masons and Police (?)

Lady Chapel:
North Country Theatre installing Labyrinth with music and projections.
Andy Wood films (in neighboring All Saints chapel)

Eastern Crypt:
Light Fantastic Installation by Jo Dacombe

Both shows should offer a variety of different art to suit all tastes!

Travelling Tea Set - 2009

Travelling Tea Set - Train journey from Glasgow to Leeds - Lois Whitehead - March 2009

'This Tea Set was designed to inspire conversation & bring people together.

A friendly gesture, that hopes to work as a tool to encourage social interaction and get the brain thinking a little.

Exchange stories, information and opinions happening over a cup of tea or coffee with a new acquaintance as you both make the same journey.'

- Taken from the handout sheet I wrote for the project.

Travelling on trains is part of my yearly routine. My Dad, Nick Whitehead, is the Leeds district secretary for ASLEF, the train drivers union, and because of this He and the members of his family are entitled to free train travel with a privilege pass. Each time you travel for free you have to fill in a box on your pass and you use this box as your ticket.

So train is my preferred method of transportation on long journeys and I travel down to Leeds every other month or so to see my family.

On this occasion there was a family party on Sunday the 16th that I wanted to attend, so i took the chance to try my Public Art Project out for the first time on the journey down.

I hopped on the Edinburgh bound train from Glasgow Queen Street with my Suitcase in tow.

The train was quite busy and I had to sit next to a woman in a two

seat section.

I offered her a cup of tea, but she seemed hesitant and so declined. She asked me about the project and eventually asked me the question "But how is that art?".

Coming from an institute where I am constantly surrounded by other artists and tutors who accept all the ideas as art without me having to explain why, I find it hard to understand when people from a none art background question my ideas.

I told her that the work was in the ideas. Hopefully that there were questions thrown up about social comfort levels, roles of the care and being cared for. That I want to open myself

up to disclosure and trust of the people I meet. She looked at me, smiled and returned to her book.

So I lost hope a little bit.

The next train I had to get was from Edinburgh to York. I was one of the first on the train and managed to secure myself a table seat with no-one else currently sat there.

Slowly people started boarding the train and sitting down, but no-one sat next to me.. And then..

Two men looked around anxiously for a seat..

"Are these seats taken..?" they asked.

"No, sit down" I ushered.

"Would you like us to move your case up on the storage for you?"

"Well actually, I was going to offer you a cup of tea.." I said as a threw the suitcase open revealing its luxurious contents.

And that was that, we were sat together enjoying tea, talking about my work, their jobs, where they grew up, families, relatives, friends, the recession, farms, car crashes, vegetarianism, ex boyfriends..

We had a thoroughly enjoyable train journey together and exchanged email addresses and have both being in touch to say thanks for the company.

The project will continue, hopefully later this week, as I ride the train to and from central station, to places such as Edinburgh and Ayr..

Images & Ideas : Lois Whitehead

The Ex Exchange - 2008

The Ex Exchange - The White Space, GSA Barnes Building, Glasgow - Lois Whitehead, 2008













The Ex Exchange was a projected I organised and created through reflecting on my own circumstances and trying to find ways to relate that sitiuation to other people.
I wanted to continue with the idea of the social as an art event and also with interaction between artist/audience and audience/artwork.
I wanted the event to be accessible to everybody and not just for the entrants, so the final event took place as an exhibition of all the items with their labels so that they were able to be viewed by others.

'The Ex Exchange is an event taking place on the 27th & 28th of Novmber in the White Space at the Barnes Building.
The aim is for you the people to bring along anything left over from your past relationships and to exchange them for other peoples left over things. The idea is to make some positives from what seems like a negative situation. You can cleanse yourself of the old memories and hang ups you have from your ex and to get something new out of it. And to enable that to happen for other people.
The process goes like this..From Thursday the 27th, 10:00 - 19:00, you will be able to come to the Barnes building and drop off whatever item you bring.You will be asked to fill out a small label to be attached to your item telling us a little bit more about it.In return for your item you will receive a voucher and an invitation to join us the day after,friday the 28th, for the actual event.
On Friday the 28th at 18:00 The Ex Exchange begins! All the items will be displayed and there will be food,drink and music.Everyone is encouraged to browse all the items, if you see something that you like you bring it to the desk and hand over your voucher to take your new item away with you!
All items brought will be accepted, nothing you want to bring is the wrong thing to bring. Your relationship could have lasted 1 week or 1 year but we still want you to take part.Examples include : T-shirts, Books, Photoframes, CDs, Toys, Films, Underwear, Posters.. Etc. Anything that belonged to your ex, was a gift or even just reminds you of them.
Please come down on both days and get involved!



-- Text from postcard for 'The Ex Exchage'













Voucher presented to people who took part in the exchange.

Images : Merry Swarbrick
Ideas : Lois Whitehead