extInked Big Saturday - 24/09/2011

FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY!

Come and join us for the extInked Big Saturday at the Manchester Museum on 24th September 2011, 11.00 - 4.00pm.

Activities include:

ARTS & CRAFTS - Get involved with a variety of creative activites for all ages.

Drop-in, free, all ages, Discovery Centre, Floor G.

11am-4pm: Create your own animal ears & explore our bag of beasts.

11am-1pm & 2-4pm: Become a mini Ambassador and get your own temporary tattoo of an endangered species.

TALKS - Enjoy fun and informative talks from conservation experts.

Drop-in, free, all ages, Discovery Centre, Floor G.

12.30pm: The plight of the European Hedgehog.

Hugh Warwick, author of A Prickly Affair, has been studying hedgehogs for over 25 years and became the extInked ambassador for the animal back in 2009. He will be talking about his fascination (obsession) with these wonderfully charismatic beasts and why he thinks that they are the most important wild animal on the planet. Learn about their prickles, their habits and why they are disappearing from the countryside and our towns and cities and leave knowing how to make the world a better place for our delightful hedgehogs.

1.30pm: Fauna & Flora International & The Native Oyster.

extInked Ambassador, Elizabeth Allen has been passionate about conservation her whole life, so much so she got a job at leading conservation charity. She will be talking about her experience of becoming an extInked Ambassador for the Native Oyster and the fantastic work of Fauna and Flora International.

2.30pm: The Marine Conservation Society - Biodiversity, Fisheries and Pollution.

Rebecca Lowe, Conservation Support Officer at the Marine Conservation Society is stopping by to talk about the importance of marine conservation and what initiatives the MSC are currently focused on. The Marine Conservation Society has worked with UHC since 2009 to support the extInked project as a project partner.

FILM SCREENINGS - Enjoy a series of family friendly short films all about Bugs & Insects.

Drop-in, free, ages 7 and above, Kanaris Theatre, Floor 2.

2.00-3.00pm: Films include Roberto & the Insect Architect and Shaun the Sheep, Buzz off Bees.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

Drop-in, free, all ages, Museum Entrance, Floor G.

- Find out about the work of leading conservation organisations and ways you can do to help wildlife.

- Have an opportunity to meet and touch some endangered species from the museum’s vivarium.

- extInked artist Jai Redman to do some live drawing.

- Meet Ambassadors and talk to them about their experiences.

All events are free!

For further information please contact the Manchester Museum.

WILDLIFE AMBASSADORS MAKE THEIR MARK IN THE M.E.N.

Our Jai Redman is interviewed in todays M.E.N talking about the launch of We are extInked at the Manchester Museum. The full article is below:

WILDLIFE AMBASSADORS MAKE THEIR MARK

A project to highlight plants and animals threatened by extinction using permanent tattoos has gone on show in Manchester.

ExtInked saw 100 volunteers tattooed with an image of a species in the UK under threat.

The aim was for each person to become an 'ambassador' for the species they were tattooed with and to campaign for it's survival.

Now two years on, portraits of all of the volunteers - tattooed with everything from eagles to toads and wildflowers - are on display in an exhibition at Manchester Museum.

Jai Redman, who was head artist on extInked and is now creative director of artists' collective Ultimate Holding Company which ran the project, chose a tattoo of a smooth snake.

He said: "The project started a couple of years ago so this is about catching up with the ambassadors and the work they are continuing to do to promote their species."

The photographs of each ambassador, plus original drawings of the designs, will be on display until November.

For further information about the extInked project and We are extInked tour please visit the project website - www.extinked.org.uk.

For exhibition details and information about related events at the Manchester Museum please visit - www.manchester.ac.uk/museum.

We are extInked is launched at the Manchester Museum!

Friday 8th July saw the launch of We are extInked at the Manchester Museum, it was a great evening and we would like to thank you all for joining us to celebrate the current achievements and future successes of the project, exhibition and the national tour.

To see photographs of the evening please visit the extInked website. All Photography by Jimmy Edmondson.

Still Time

For those who were unable to attend do not worry, you have plenty of time to visit the exhibition which is open at the Manchester Museum until 13/11/2011.

Big Saturday

We are excited to announce that extInked will be the theme for the Manchester Museum’s Big Saturday event in September.

Date: Saturday 24th September 2011

Time: 11.00am - 4.00pm

Location: The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL

Booking: Most activities will be drop-in, some may need to be booked on the day.

Cost: most of the activities will be free however some may cost up to £1.50.

Age: All ages are welcome.

Further details of the days activities will be announced over the coming weeks via the Musuem's website.

Artwork for Sale

extInked Drawings

A number of original extInked artworks by Jai Redman are still available to purchase at our online shop. Beautifully executed in pen and ink, many of these drawings have featured in our current exhibition or will feature at future venues. We can offer you the opportunity to reserve a particular drawing for collection as the exhibition closes, whilst some drawings are available for collection straight away.

extInked Almanac

The extInked Almanac is now available for purchase from our online shop. Priced at £20, each copy is signed by the artist and is one of only 100 copies produced in conjunction with the We are extInked tour. For your chance to own a limited edition, signed copy please visit the UHC online shop or email kate@uhc.org.uk.

Further Information

extInked/We are extInked

W: www.extinked.org.uk

B: extinked.blogspot.com

T: @extinked

E: kate@uhc.org.uk

Ultimate Holding Company

A: Ultimate Holding Company, Hotspur House, 2 Gloucester Street, Manchester, M1 5QR

W: www.uhc.org.uk

B: uhcblog.blogspot.com

T: @Ult_Holding_Co

E: mail@uhc.org.uk

The Manchester Museum

A: The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL

W: www.manchester.ac.uk/museum

T: @mcrmuseum

E: museum@manchester.ac.uk

We are extInked is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and MIRIAD.

'We are extInked' launches tonight at the Manchester Museum

Come and join us this evening as we celebrate the launch of We are extInked at the Manchester Museum.

This exhibition documents extInked, a unique arts and ecology project which began in 2009 as a response to species loss in the UK.

We are extInked brings together the original pen and ink drawings, documentary footage of the tattooing process and extraordinary photographic portraits of the ambassadors created on a rare 19th century camera by Anatomy Projects. The work will be shown alongside rare specimens from The Manchester Museum collections and documentation of the progress of the 100 volunteer ambassadors as they work to protect and advocate for their species.

The exhibition opens to the public on July 9^th 2011 and will be situated alongside the new 'Living Worlds' Gallery, which explores the connections between all living things, including us, and shows how we can all shape the future by the choices we make.

We are extInked launch:

Friday 8th July 2011 -

6.00 - 8.00pm

(Speeches at 6.30pm)

The Manchester Museum

The University of Manchester

Oxford Road

Manchester

M13 9PL

For more information on how to get to the museum please click here.

For more information about the extInked project and the We are extInked tour please click here.

One exhibition down four to go...

Spiderweb Cup & Saucer, Eleanor Morgan.

Into the Wild, an exhibition at Smiths Row Contemporary Art Gallery in the beautiful historic market town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk came to a close this weekend. The exhibition explored notions around wilderness and asked audiences to consider; what is wild?

Ultimate Holding Company were invited to exhibit artwork from the extInked project, alongside work from seven other artists which included, Sam Bakewell, Beatriz de Costa, Eleanor Morgan, Lee Patterson, Laura Pullig, Matthew Smith and Chiz Turnross.

Elegy Rue Paean, Sam Bakewell.

Smiths Row also ran a series of events and educational activities that ran alongside the exhibition and included:

Talk: Dragonflies - Masters of the Air

Adrian Parr from the British Dragonfly Society hosted an afternoon talk in the gallery about the wonder of dragonflies which was followed by a guided walk around the local area identifying local dragonfly hotspots!

The British Dragonfly Society

W: www.british-dragonflies.org.uk

Talk: Marine Conservation & the Native Oyster

Elizabeth Allen, Ambassador for the Native Oyster.

Elizabeth Allen hosted a lunchtime talk about her involvement with the extInked project and her role as the Ambassador for the Native Oyster, she also offered us an inspirational insight into the work of conservation charity Fauna and Flora International.

Fauna and Flora International

W: www.fauna-flora.org

T: @FaunaFloraInt

Images of the exhibition can be found on the extInked website or by clicking here.

Congratulations to Nick Dixon, Ambassador for the Western Capercaillie!

Congratulations to Nick Dixon, Ambassador for the Western Capercaillie and friends for another successful year supporting the plight of this wonderful species. With over £550.00 raised over the last two years through kind donations from members of the Friends of Capercaille, Manchester Branch Conservation Support Group. This group was set up by Nick in 2010 in affiliation with the RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), it looks like this species will be able to get the vital support it desperately needs.

***extInked exhibition announcement***

Go Into the Wild with extInked...

We are delighted to announce that extInked will be featured in the forthcoming exhibition Into the Wild at Smiths Row Contemporary Arts and Crafts Gallery in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Opening Saturday 14th May 2011, Into the Wild will showcase a collection of work from eight artists and collectives exploring with the wilderness around us and our relationship with the infinite flora and fauna within it.

Directly inspired by the beautiful rural surroundings of Suffolk, Into the Wild aims to alert visitors to the seemingly invisible wildlife around us everyday and the idea that 'wilderness' is closer than it might at first seem. Nature adapts and reclaims environment whether urban, office or park bench....there is wonder and enchantment in the smallest spider or invertebrate.

The artists will offer audiences an insight in to this wonderful world....

Ultimate Holding Company

Ultimate Holding Company will present extInked as a body of work documenting the story of the unique arts and ecology project from its inception in 2009 through to the current work of the one hundred ambassadors.

Laura Pullig

Laura Pullig’s Responsive Flower. Her use of technology seeks to re-enchant and reflect nature back at us.

Beatriz da Costa

Beatriz da Costa has created a downloadable phone application which will allow audiences to identify the habitat of endangered species from wherever their location in the UK.

Lee Patterson

Lee Pattersons’ sonic recordings reveal the sounds of the wilderness which normally cannot be heard by the human ear. Patterson is currently working in residence at Flatford Mill, carrying out field studies by the Norfolk Broads to produce a new work for the show.

Eleanor Morgan

The technical wonder of Eleanor Morgan’s Spiderweb Cup and Saucer is testimony to the artist’s curiosity at our human relationship with animals.

Sam Bakewell

Another highly intricate work in the show is parian-ware sculpture by Sam Bakewell, this work pays homage to the endangered honey bee.

Chiz Turnross

Chiz Turnross’ fevered painting of countless birds creates a colourful flock within the Gallery.

Matthew Smith

A panorama continues through the work of Matthew Smith and his series of drawings entitled British Wildlife depicting mammals, birds and trees which are silhouetted against a gloomy sky.

For more information about the exhibition please click here.

Bee Roads creating a buzzzzzzzzzzz!

The latest Plan Bee initiative by our friends at Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) is to create Bee Roads by planting corridors of rare wildflowers to encourage wild bees, honeybees, hoverflies, butterflies and moths. To read the full article please click here.

Numbers Up!

It has been reported that there has been a significant and steady increase in the numbers of Capercaillie located in woodland managed by Forestry Commission Scotland. To read the full BBC article please click here.

Photograph: Nick Dixon, extInked Ambassador and the Western Capercaillie tattoo.

extInked featured in Epoca Magazine, a weekly publication in BRAZIL!

Two weeks ago I was contacted by a journalist from Epoca Magazine, a weekly publication in Brazil who was interested in writing an article about the extInked project. To see the finished piece please click here.

However if like myself, you have not mastered the portuguese language please see my attempt at translating the article in to english below (I apologise now for any inaccuracy within the translation!):

Tattoos to save Nature

Over the years the environmentalists have thought of different ways to alert the population to the extinction of plant and animal species. They created posters, films, documentaries, billboards and web campaigns, and even tied themselves in public buildings to protest. Now a British company took the idea further, and tattooed on to one hundred volunteers, species in danger of disappearing in the UK.

The project was conceived by Ultimate Holding Company, an art and design collective. Called extInked (a pun on the word "defunct" and the word "ink" in English "ink"), the project began during a symbolic date: November 2009, the same year as Darwin's bicentenary. The initiative goes beyond ink and skin. "We wanted to make an artistic and sociological experiment," says Kate Houlton, coordinator of extInked. "The goal was to prove that our generation wants to save the planet, and is willing to take extreme measures to prove their passion."

Initially, we made a list of one hundred species at risk in the UK: birds, fish, amphibians, mammals, plants and fungi. Then the artist Jai Redman created an illustration of each species, following a style compatible with the records of Darwin. The illustrations were exhibited for a period of a month at a location in Manchester and people interested in acquiring a tattoo were asked to complete an application form. In it, they had to specify which animal they would like to tattoo of, and why. "We were shocked when on the first night, three hundred people signed up," says Kate. "Some species were more popular than others, such as the bees. Other species received less registrations, but none came without volunteer."

When it came to choosing the Ambassadors, the Ultimate Holding Company had another surprise, receiving more than five hundred applications. "We received entries from art lovers, environmentalists, scientists, teachers and people interested in tattoos. Their ages ranged from 18 years until 60," says Kate. One candidate had planned to pass their tattoo down through the family to their children and grandchildren when they became adults. Others wanted to become an ambassador for animals with which they identified, and there were others who just thought the species were beautiful.

The tattooing happened during the last weekend of November, but the project did not end there. The activities of each volunteer began after the pain of needles. Some of them worked with organizations in preserving the environment, others visited the natural habitat of their species. Now, the Ultimate Holding Company will be touring the extInked project as a visual arts exhibition around the UK throughout 2011 - 2012 showing the current work of the Ambassadors and how they and their new tattoos impacted other people.

"For now we will work with volunteers from the UK but we would like to expand to other countries," says Kate. "Our mission is to create a worldwide network of ambassadors." Maybe someday you can just tattoo a Brazilian species at risk of extinction, and cooperate with the project.

The photographs featured in the article are:

1. Huw Spanner and the White Tailed Eagle for which he is the proud Ambassador. Photo courtesy of Andrew Firth.

2. Jai Redman, Ambassador for the Smooth Snake. Photography, Tom Bing.

3. Black Grouse Tattoo. Photography, Jai Redman.