Thursday 11 October 2012

THE BODY CANVAS PHOTO COMPETITION



The Royal Anthropological Institute has launched its third international photo competition. The Body Canvas is open to anyone interested in photography, anthropology and science communication and explores the topic of body art and modification. Categories include: 1) tattoos and scarification, 2) piercings and body reshaping. 

Deadline for submissions is 31st October 2012.  

For prizes, guidelines please see attached and below or visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk
                                                                                                                                                                   
The RAI’s Body Canvas photo competition aims to:

• promote public engagement with the RAI’s Education Outreach Programme

• provide a platform for people to share their work and become actively involved in anthropology 

• develop an understanding for the personal, social and political reasons why people undergo permanent body modification 

• explore the many ways in which communities around the world develop and express relationships with their bodies 

• explore the industry of body modification, the artists, doctors and craftsmen who practise their trade
  
The submissions we are looking for:

Engaging photographs that explore biological, cross-cultural and social elements of body art and modification in relation to these categories:

1) Tattoos and Scarification

2) Piercings and Body Reshaping

Who can participate?

The competition is open to anyone interested in anthropology, photography and science communication.

What do contestants win?

All short-listed and winning contestants will have their work published in RAI online and printed materials. In addition, for each thematic category a £100 gift voucher will be awarded to the winning photograph.

For further information and submission guidelines please visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk  

Saturday 22 September 2012

We are extInked featured in the Guardian Guide


We were very excited to find our exhibition had been selected as one of the exhibition highlights in the Guardian Guide - 22/09/2012.

Here is their lovely summary of the exhibition at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum:

We are extInked, Rugby

Launched in 2009 to celebrate Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, extInked is a strange and unusually affecting project combining graphic art, tattooing, photographic documentation and community action. From November of that year, 100 drawings of endangered birds, plants, reptiles, mammals and invertebrates were permanently transferred by Ink Vs Steel on to the various body parts of 100 volunteers who then became extInked living ambassadors. This show includes the original drawings and documentary images of the whole project, but it's the portraits that convey a passionate commitment to the cause.

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, to 10th November 2012.

Thursday 20 September 2012

Saturday 15 September 2012

We are extInked at RAGM is open!

The final exhibition in the We are extInked UK tour is now open at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.  





Gavin Parry and David Penny (pictured above) from Anatomy Projects were at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum for the launch of the exhibition showing visitors how their restored Victorian Studio Plate Camera works and taking some new portraits.  


We would like to thank Jessica Morgan and her team at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum for all of their hard work and support with this exhibition. 

We are extInked will be open until 10th November 2012. Free and open to all.

For Further information please contact:

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Little Elborow Street
Rugby
CV21 3BZ


Photography by Simon Liddiard.


Tuesday 26 June 2012

The Western Capercaillie and Cornflower Ambassadors Speak Out!


The Ragged Project launches it's Manchester series of free events focusing on the exchange of knowledge and skills in social spaces on Thursday 5th July 2012 at The Castle Hotel

Two of our extInked Ambassadors will speak about their involvement in the extInked project and their roles as Ambassadors for the Western Capercaillie and the Cornflower.



Manchester Ragged invites you to an evening of talks and music at The Castle Hotel:


'The Western Capercaillie and Cornflower Ambassadors Speak Out’

"We are two of the 100 selected ambassadors from the unique extInked partnership project. We'll speak about our work, including our motivation for taking on the challenge, the experience of the tattooing and subsequent endeavours on behalf of the endangered species we represent: the capercaillie and the cornflower." 

Nick Dixon and Annie Harrison.


Nick and Annie will also be joined by Rowena Hamilton, who will be talking about engaging the general public in museum exhibitions.

There will be music by Sukhdeep Krishan. Sukhdeep will be playing songs from his debut album ‘Kings’.


Event details:

Thursday 5th July 2012. Doors open 7pm, starting at 7.30pm.
The Castle Pub, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester M4 1LE.Tel: 01612 362945.


Everyone is welcome to come along to this free, open, informal education project so bring along your friends.

For further information about the Ragged events visit the Ragged website or Facebook page.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday 30 May 2012

We are extInked - Upcoming event



We are extInked - Upcoming event - Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th June 2012 (1-4pm/each day) at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

As part of the national tour of We are extInked and to celebrate the exhibition currently on display in the Gateway Gallery at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh until 29/07/2012. UHC will be hosting a family fun event weekend, packed with free activities including talks, arts and crafts and a children's tattoo artist. 

Event activities:

- Drop in to the Real Life Science Studio and have a chat with the People's Trust for Endangered Species, extInked Ambassador and Hedgehog expert, Hugh Warwick, Scottish Wildcat: The Highland Tiger and the Marine Conservation Society.

- Make your own clay hedgehog with the People's Trust for Endangered Species and listen to Hugh Warwick talk about his animal adventures and love for Hedgehogs.

- Discover more about the wonderful Leatherback Turtle and how the work of the Marine Conservation Society to help the plight of this amazing species as well as many others.

- Learn how to identify the Scottish Wildcat and head off into the gardens in search of a real wildcat camera trap.

- Get your very own temporary tattoo of an endangered species and find out more about the extInked project. It will also be a perfect opportunity to pop up to the Gateway Gallery to check out the We are extInked exhibition if you have not yet done so.

Event Details:

We are extInked activity weekend, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th June, 13.00 - 16.00 each day.

Real Life Science Studio located at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.

All activities are free and open to all of the family.

To visit the RBGE website please click here.

Further information:

If you have any questions of require further information please email kate@uhc.org.uk.

- Project website.
- Follow us on twitter.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We are extInked exhibition details:

We are extInked opened to the public on Saturday 12th May 2012, the exhibition will be on display until 29th July 2012 in the Gateway Gallery, located in the John Hope Gateway at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.


Monday 28 May 2012

What a weekend!

Rare plant specimens collected by RBGE from Holyrood Park.

I have just returned from a fantastic weekend at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for We are extInked: Bugs, Bees, Butterflies and Flowers. The weekend was hosted by UHC in collaboration with RBGE to coincide with Scottish Biodiversity Week and also to celebrate We are extInked, the exhibition is currently open in the Gateway Gallery until 29th July 2012.

The weekend event was supported and attended by Buglife and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and a team from RBGE of whom specialise in rare Scottish Plants. The aim of this two day event was to raise awareness of the importance of conservation and encourage visitors to think about ways in which they can support the local and in some cases very rare flauna and forna in and around Scottland.  

Dawn from BBCT showing visitors the new Bumble Conservation Trust website.

During the weekend we were extremely happy to find out that the extinct short-haired bumblebee is being reintroduced back in to Britain after 24 years. For more information on this story please click here.

The highlights of the events were the Bug hunt by Buglife and the Bumblebee Safari by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The different species we were able to find during the safari through the gardens included a male Southern cuckoo bee, Field cuckoo bee, Forest cuckoo bee, Common carder bee, Garden bee, Early bee workers, White tailed bee, a Buff tailed Queen bee and a Red-tailed worker bee.  

Catching Bumblebees with BBCT.

Comparing the Common carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) and the Field cuckoo bumblebee (Bombus campestris).

 Anthony from the BBCT explaining the difference between male and female bees. 
One interesting fact; Male bees can not sting.

During the Buglife Bug Hunt we were able to catch this clever little guy. 
Although he looks like a bee he is actually a hoverfly in disguise.

The weekend was a great success and we had a lot of fun. We are looking forward to the next event we are hosting over Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June (1-4pm each day) which will be attended by the People's Trust for Endangered Species, extInked Ambassador and Hedgehog expert, Hugh Warwick, Highland Tiger: The Scottish Wildcat as well as lots of fun activities for children including a children's temporary tattoo artist. More detailed information about the activities for this weekend will be announced soon.

Monday 21 May 2012

This Weekend RBGE will host We are extInked: Bugs, Bees, Butterflies and Flowers.


We are extInked opened to the public on Saturday 12th May 2012, the exhibition will be on display until 29th July 2012 in the Gateway Gallery, located in the John Hope Gateway at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Throughout the exhibition period we will be hosting two specially themed event weekends, the first of which is being held this coming weekend to coincide with Scottish Biodiversity Week. We will be joined by Buglife, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and specialists from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and promise to deliver a weekend of family friendly fun.

Event details:

We are extInked: Bugs, Bees, Butterflies and Flowers, Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th May, 13.00 - 16.00 each day.

Real Life Science Studio located at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.

The events are free and open to all of the family.

Event activities:

There will be games, arts and crafts and specimen shows happening throughout the day so please feel free to drop in and see us or you might just want to have a chat with our conservation partners. It will also be a perfect opportunity to pop up to the Gateway Gallery to check out the We are extInked exhibition if you have not yet done so.

Buglife and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust will be hosting the following walks.

13.10 - 14.10: Bumblebee Safari hosted by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
14.15 - 14.45: Bug Hunt hosted by Buglife.
13.10 - 14.10: Bumblebee Safari hosted by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

All of our walks are free and open to the public. If you wish to take part in one of our nature safaris through the gardens please note that the activities will begin at the Real Life Science Studio, please meet at the studio at the approximate start times identified above.

If you have any questions of require further information please email kate@uhc.org.uk.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Details of the second event weekend; Mammals & marine species, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th June 2012 will be announced over the coming weeks.

Thursday 17 May 2012

In search of the Tall Thrift

Kelly and the Tall Thrift. Photograph by Anatomy Projects.


It is a shame that the biggest threat to the tall thrift is ignorance, or rather lack of interest in its plight. Outside of the nature reserve where it grows and the small village surrounding it no one is aware that the plant exists, let alone is fighting for survival.

Admittedly I’d never heard of the Tall Thrift either before agreeing to have it tattooed on my arm for life. I just loved the idea of the extInked project and wanted to take part no matter what. So when I got a phone call saying someone had got cold feet and the species I’d put down as my third choice was in need of an ambassador I eagerly agreed to get inked the following day. I didn’t even recall what species I’d chosen, poor Tall Thrift.

So I was keen to get to know my species, since we were going to be together for life. When UHC offered to send me on a road trip to go and see the plant I jumped at the chance.

Before the trip the one and only nugget of information I’d managed to discover about the Tall Thrift is that it only grows on two sites; a nature reserve in Lincolnshire and the graveyard next door. You have to admire the quirkiness of a plant that thrives nowhere but a graveyard. So on a rainy day in September myself, Gavin Parry, Dave Penny of Anatomy Projects and the Big Camera made our way across the Pennines in a van that coughed and splutter the whole way. After a couple of geographical set backs we found our way to the church in Ancaster where the plant grows and met with the warden of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

The warden explained that the flower was 'quite thin on the ground' as one of the park workers had cut them back the previous week. It seemed everything new I learnt about the species made it even more hopeless.

But it didn’t have to be this way. Sarah the warden explained that the Tall Thrift is endangered largely because nobody is there to take care of it. The people at the Wildlife Trust care about the plant and do what they can, but with dozens of nature reserves across the county to take care of, and resources and workers stretched thinly the plant pretty much has to fend for itself.

I imagine this is the sad fate of many other endangered species, maybe even some of the species in the extInked 100. They’re dying out because nobody noticed they were in trouble, and because there isn’t enough money, or people, or interest to save them.

When I first saw the delicate pink flower growing sparsely in that graveyard I felt connected to it. And I felt sad about its dire situation. Nobody is interested apart from the Wildlife Trust, the locals, and now me. There’s no reason for the Tall Thrift to die out, and as the warden explained, no reason why it couldn’t grow elsewhere instead of battling on in one tiny corner of Lincolnshire. So, as Dave and Gavin set up the camera I set about collecting seeds.

In the van home, after an exhausting day, I sat with a carrier bag full of sandy Lincolnshire soil on my knee, and a pocketful of seeds to plant out on my allotment, and hoped that the Tall Thrift might find a new home in Manchester.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Ambassador Testimony - In search of the Tall Thrift

Ambassador for the Tall Thrift, Armeria maritima
Kelly Parish
2011


Wednesday 16 May 2012


We are extInked at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Activity Weekends


We are excited to have support from the following organisations/people for our two activity weekends as part of the We are extInked exhibition currently open in the Gateway Gallery at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

26th/27th May 2012 - Bugs, bees, butterflies and flowers. (1-4pm each day)

- Buglife
- Bumblebee Conservation Trust
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 

23rd/24th June 2012 - Mammals & marine species. 
(1-4pm each day)

- Peoples Trust for Endangered Species 
- extInked Ambassador Hugh Warwick 
- Highland Tiger: The Scottish Wildcat
- Marine Conservation Society
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Edinburgh Butterfly & Insect World
- Children's temporary Tattoo artist

Specific event details to be posted soon but all activities are family friendly, free and are open to all.

More information please email kate@uhc.org.uk or visit the webpage.

The exhibition is open until 29th July 2012.

Saturday 12 May 2012



We are extInked launches today at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The exhibition is located in the Gateway Gallery, it is free and open to the public until 29th July 2012

Full details of the two weekend (26/27th May & 23/24th June) events will be posted soon and further details can be found here

Friday 11 May 2012

We are extInked at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (12/05/2012 - 29/07/2012)


100 endangered species, 100 original illustrations and 100 tattooed ambassadors are bought together for a unique social experiment in arts and ecology.

Manchester based arts collective Ultimate Holding Company have created a unique response to species loss in the UK through drawing, photography, video and tattoo art. The results of the project will be shown for the first time in Scotland as We are extInked; an exhibition opening at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on 12th May 2012.

We are extInked began in 2009 as part of the celebrations to mark the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth. Ultimate Holding Company identified 100 rare or endangered species in a collaboration with major conservation organisations. The selected species, all indigenous to the UK, were then meticulously reproduced as original pen and ink drawings by artist Jai Redman. At an open exhibition of the drawings, the public were invited to become an ambassador for a species. Out of the 500 who applied, 100 were selected and tattooed with their species at a special event over three days.

We are extInked brings together for the first time the original pen and ink drawings, documentary footage and extraordinary photographic portraits of the ambassadors created on a rare 19th century camera by Anatomy Projects. The artists’ work will be shown alongside specimens from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Herbarium collections and documentation of the progress of the 100 volunteer ambassadors as they work to protect and advocate for their species.

The exhibition launches at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on 12th May 2012 and will be located in the Gateway Gallery. It has been programmed to coincide with Scottish Biodiversity week. As part of the exhibition, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh will also host two family weekend events celebrating the extInked project and promoting conservation within the local area. 

Elinor Gallant, Exhibitions Officer at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh commented: “We are extremely pleased to be hosting the ‘We are extInked’ exhibition. It is an exciting project and a great example of how conservation and species loss can inspire action in the most unusual and creative of ways."

Jai Redman, Creative Director at Ultimate Holding Company commented: "UHC are delivering exciting contemporary visual arts projects that have a real social impact. This is the latest of our projects to challenge people to seriously question what it means to be committed to an environmental cause, and what role the artist plays in inspiring change."

We are extInked runs until 29th July 2012.  The project is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and MIRIAD. Touring partners include The Manchester Museum, Smiths Row, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Rugby Art Gallery & Museum. With special thanks to The People's Trust for Endangered Species, Buglife, The Marine Conservation Society, The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Highland Tiger: The Wild Cat and The Royal Zoological Society Scotland.

- - - - - 

For further information about the exhibition and the weekend events please visit www.extinked.org.uk or http://www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/event-details/2270.


1) WE ARE EXTINKED

We are extInked is an exhibition of extInked, a participatory arts and ecology project launched in 2009 by Ultimate Holding Company.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of four venues that will host the exhibition between May 2011 and November 2012. The exhibition will reach a wide public across the UK and inspire and encourage audiences to protect the flora and fauna surrounding them. As the exhibition travels the UK it will constantly change in response to the work of the ambassadors and the status of the species that it features and the location it will be exhibited. Each venue will host educational activities and public events to inspire and promote interest and action around ecology and conservation. Many of these activities will be led by the ambassadors in conjunction with ecologists, educationalists and artists.

The tour will document the legacy of the project from its inception in 2009, through to the current work of the ambassadors. The primary focus of the tour will be to showcase the work of the project’s ambassadors providing audiences with a unique insight into the potential for art and socially engaged practice to explore and influence UK efforts to prevent species loss.

The extInked project was presented in proud association with the assistance of The Marine Conservation Society, Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust), The People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Anatomy Projects and Leeds Based tattooists Ink Vs Steel. It was supported by Arts Council England grants for the arts and MIRIAD.

extInked was identified as one of the RSA’s Arts and Ecology project highlights of 2009.

Website: www.extinked.org.uk
Blog: www.extinked.blogspot.com
Twitter: @extinked

2) ULTIMATE HOLDING COMPANY

Ultimate Holding Company is a creative social engagement project, artists collective and design studio. It has operated at the junction of visual art design and socio-political activism since 2002. UHC’s process driven ethos seeks out co-production and public collaboration, looking to encourage new connections to the arts through social solidarity.

The portfolio encompasses self-initiated and commissioned works, each employing a mix of real-world research, performance and intervention, interconnecting skills from a wide range of traditional and contemporary disciplines. Most famously the artists imprisoned 9 volunteers in a faithful recreation of the U.S’s Guantanamo Bay internment facility ‘Camp XRay’. UHC artists have provided the creative lead on a large-scale government funded environmental awareness project in Wythenshawe and carried out residencies and periods of engagement in Barrow-in-Furness, Leeds University and Liverpool (extensive public engagement exercises on behalf of Liverpool NHS PCT).

Based in Manchester, UHC is becoming recognised as one of the North West’s most exciting socially engaged arts organisations.

Ultimate Holding Company, 2nd Floor, Hotspur House, 2 Gloucester Street, Manchester, M1 5QR.
Tel: +44 (0) 161 238 8523
Website: www.uhc.org.uk
Twitter: @UHCstudio


3) ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.
RBGE press office - Sandra Donnelly on 0131 248 1037 or Shauna Hay on 0131 248 2900
Website: www.rbge.org.uk
Visitor enquiries: T: 0131 2482909
Twitter: @TheBotanics
Open: Open daily 10am – 6pm.


4) ANATOMY PROJECTS

Anatomy Projects is a collaboration between Gavin Parry and David Penny, the pair have been working since 2005, making photographic portraiture using a 19th century studio portrait camera. Initially, the drive for the project was simply to re-build the camera, make it functional and experiment to see what kind of images it would make, if any. After a period of trial, error and persistence this unique photographic process has grown to a point where the camera becomes an essential part of the investigation into contemporary photographic portraiture. The artists have been collaborating with UHC over the past two years creatively documenting art projects such as extInked and EXAM.

In November 2009, they were commissioned to create a collection of portraits of the one hundred Ambassadors. The intention was not to make a documentation of the tattoos but to create a portrait of the individual, as part of a shared experience of the social experiment. Anatomy Projects continue to collaborate with UHC as an important project partner moving forward.

Website: www.anatomyprojects.co.uk


5) FURTHER INFORMATION

Photos of the Artists, Ambassadors and artwork are available on request.

For further information please contact:

Kate Houlton - Touring Exhibition Co-ordinator, Ultimate Holding Company.
Email: kate@uhc.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 161 238 8523