Output details

geographies2

A body of print works presented in the exhibition "geographies2", Guang-Shi-Yu-Guang Gallery, 798 Arts District, Dahsanzi, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, 18 May – 17 June 2013

Individual artefact/s solely produced as part of a group exhibition (individual contribution identified below)

The research examined the perception of space in city centres and focussed on questions of urban decay and regeneration and the extent to which the contemporary streetscape is a site for commercial and popular culture. Focussing on a square mile in the City of Manchester, it identified empty spaces in the original street layouts and how these have been colonised by advertising hoardings and other less official forms of bill posting. In recent years, the use of digital printing and electronic advertising have changed the scale and spread of images across the city, providing a programme of explicit and sublimated commercial images alongside billposting of popular music and other subcultures. Combined these reflect and provide insight into cultural trends as well as changing patterns within the city centre. The purpose was to provide material for future comparison with parallel conditions in contemporary China. The method included survey through photography and drawing and creative practice through subsequent digital editing to produce 12 prints which record and highlight key observations.

There is increasing interest in China of research relating to urban growth in the industrial revolution and subsequent decline and renewal and the invitation (from Professor Xu Zhong Ou, Head of CAFA City Design School, Beijing) to exhibit this work in Suang-Shi-Yu-Guang Gallery, was based on long-standing collaboration with the leading Chinese architectural historian Wang Qijun, The exhibition ‘geographies2’, also featured the work of the joint curators, Raz Barfield (Assistant Dean, University of Salford) and Professor Naren Barfield (Pro-Rector Academic, Royal College of Art).

The exhibition was supported by: CAFA City Design School; Royal College of Art; University of Salford; 2bstudios; Eyecon Digital Print Publishing Unit; and was featured in online and print media, and was extended for two weeks beyond its original run. This work was acquired for CAFA’s permanent collection.