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Art Projects Archive
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Remember to Breathe |
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may 2002Around 75 photographers and artists visited the Baths over two days - their brief was simply to respond to the building. |
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summer 2000In conjunction with Pool Arts - exploring the relationship between mind, body and the environment. |
Bienamada |
From A Distance It Seems All Quite Nice |
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march 2002Intends to prompt discussion about art and artists' processes in urban sites. |
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october 1999As part of Mart 99; a month long celebration of visual art made in Manchester. |
x:trax : underground |
Swim |
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may 2001Four art installations; Function, Feeling Poorly, Pills For Modern Living, Truancies. |
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This exhibition featured photographs, paintings, video and historical memorabilia about the culture of moving in water. |
For the Time Being / A Promise of Progress |
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an exhibition curated by Alison Kershaw, artists TOD HANSON, ELLIE
HARRISON, LIZZIE HUGHES, JOANNA KAROLINI, CLAUDIA PILSL and HUMBERTO
VELEZ have each taken The Victoria Baths as their starting point.
A fresh approach is taken to the now familiar idea of artists using
architecture from tower blocks to stately homes as a site for their
work. Partly due to its recent rise to TV celebrity status, the Victoria
Baths presents a challenging subject. The extraordinary building itself
is hard to compete with for attention and artists have had to decide
whether to work with it or against its presence. The commissions were selected by Alison Kershaw, Pavel
Buchler and Jane Gant with the Friends and Trust of Victoria Baths. |
photo: Len Grant |
Pool Arts Labyrinth |
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Pool
Arts, who occupy a temporary studio at the Baths, worked with artist
Pip Rolf to create this labyrinth made from plastic bags filled
with blue water. The work was displayed for World Mental Health
Day in October 2003, part of a city wide Labyrinth project. It was
later removed to St Annes Square in the City Centre where hundreds
of people walked its path.
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Architecture Week 04 |
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SOUNDWELL was the
culmination of an Architecture Week project, funded by The Arts
Council England North West at Victoria Baths to increase the understanding
of the architectural environment. In addition the transition
programme presented a seminar “Art In Place” at The
Whitworth Art Gallery with speakers including Graham Clayton-Chance,
Joanna Karolini and Alison Kershaw. |
Architecture Week 05 |
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Renovate:
A group of Innovative Interior Designers from Manchester Metropolitan
University’s school of Art introduced a fresh look on the regeneration
of Manchester’s Architecture. The stimulating multi media exhibition
in Victoria Baths presented old buildings reworked into new functions. |
Small Things |
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Victoria
Baths continue to offer opportunities to artists who wish to examine
this sensational building in innovative ways; Dancer Catherine Hawkins
and "small things" dance collective are developed a new
site sensitive dance and visual art work during May and June. Five
performances of the resulting magical and subtle work were presented
during Architecture Week and on subsequent public open day in July
2005.
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Dive |
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Richard
Barks
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A group
of students from MMU mounted this ambitious show in March 2005.
Featuring around 30 students and guest artists from around the country,
they used the building to its full potential as a gallery space
and site context.
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RETOURAMONT Reflexion De Facade |
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As part of the Urban Moves dance festival, French contemporary dance company Retouramont presented a spectacular performance at Victoria Baths in July 2005 using aerial dance / human sculpture throughout the Pools. |
Cow Parade |
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Victoria Moo |
PR company
FIDO along with The Friends of Victoria Baths and visitors worked
with artists to create Victoria Moo – Victoria Baths’
entrant in the Cow Parade in 2004. The cow was displayed at Manchester’s Aquatic Centre, creating a link between the Victorian and the modern facilities. Victoria Moo was decorated with replica tiles from the Baths entrance Hall. She is now back home and can be seen on the open days |
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theybreakinpiecesExperimental performance
group theybreakinpieces created new work
in involving improvised sound on unique instruments in a 4 hour
durational performance on the August 2005 Open Day. Their work was
supported by Arts Council England North West and included workshops
in advance of the performance. |
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Nothing To Break Your Fall, Pool Arts Open Studio Sep 2005Pool Arts were resident artists at Victoria Baths; from 2001 to 2006 they had a temporary studio on site. In September 2005 they opened their work area to the public for an exhibition of recent work including new pieces made specifically for Victoria Baths Gala Pool. Martin Craddock used over 1,000 glass bottles (loaned by Emerge Re-cycling) for the stunning title piece. |