'Action Diana' sets up for the public

This week the Centre of Attention have been on-site getting ready for their ‘Action Diana’ show. In collaboration with students from the School of Art and Design they’ve been setting up the new Public Exhibition Space in the Art and Design Academy for their opening.

Things are moving on fast, the space is already looking like a stage set. Props, costumes, wigs and accessories are appearing and the hour of the first ‘shoot’ draws near.

At 5pm this evening we open the show to the public – after nearly a year of careful preparation. The Centre of Attention will be filming tonight and tomorrow afternoon. On Saturday they will be filming in Liverpool’s FACT centre. One of the exciting things about this show is that it marks a creative collaboration between The Centre of Attention, Liverpool School of Art and Design and FACT. For the next five weeks this art show/event/laboratory/film set will be questioning relationships between artist and viewers as producers and consumers of contemporary art work.

Jay Yung - Calling All Sock Wearers!!!!

Hi all, I am an artist based in Liverpool and am currently lecturing and supporting tutorials with the first and second years on the fine art course here at JMU. I was hoping you could help me in an upcoming exhibition at FACT, Climate For Change which opens in March and will see my residency in April. I am setting up ‘Sock Exchange’ which will see mass participation hopefully across the city, I am inviting you all to come and take part in some sock antics, a chance to be creative and learning more about your carbon sockprint! There will also be a separate ‘Lonely Socks’ speed socking event, a chance for singles to find their long lost love match, stripy or human. More about these when dates confirmed but for now in preparation of the show, I would like to ask for you to spread the word amongst your friends and family to please start collecting your socks! CLEAN Odd, holey in particular, scraggy ones that you no longer want!!!! It would be fantastic if you could gather your CLEAN! socks so I can collect them. Also!!! Please can you collect any unwanted buttons, ribbons and cotton, fabric scraps etc that you may have lying around the home and are no longer wanted would be brilliant if you could collect and pass onto me also in preparation for the event. I'll arrange a couple of different boxes for you to put materials into. I'll arrange for a box to be placed in the foyer and also there will be a box in the main studio spaces. Please sort into the correct box: "Buttons, small trinket/objects","Scrap Fabric","Clean Socks!"

Calling all Males!!!!

Want to knit but think it's just for grans or girls? Let's start a male knit group/sock group and learn an amazing skill at the gallery with a pro knitter!!! An offer that can't be refused especially since recession's here and money can be saved for books/beer. See www.myspace.com/artsockproject- add your related comments and pictures , particularly concerning ecology and fabrics etc

Specific skills: Knitters, sewers, spinners, machine users: Calling all knitters, sewers etc, is there a group within the university that regularly meets or are you interested in forming a group to take part in the show or show others how to knit/sew etc? Perhaps to avoid lots of individual emails you could speak to your friends and contact me as a group on the email below?If you have any inventive ways you can reuse the sock and want to display this in the gallery and perhaps show others how to make them (e.g sock puppets) please get in touch!FYI: It is likely that socks objects contributed will be displayed in an unconventional manner!Look forward to your socks.

If you are interested in setting up a group or actively take part as a knitter etc, Please contact me on:yung_jay@hotmail.com

Student Meeting

A meeting was held on Wednesday afternoon with the students who are interested in becoming involved in the Action Diana project with the Centre of Attention. The meeting discussed the importance of the students involvement not only in the main project itself but in the lead up to the start of the project on the 5th March. A more detailed discussion of the project took place and the list of things needed was handed out.

The students are now in the process of deciding which elements of the project they would like to get involved in specifically and are currently assisting in the search for set pieces and props!

The Centre of Attention Visit

On Friday the 13th February, The Centre of Attention visited the Art and Design Academy to discuss the details of the Action Diana project. Gary and Pierre from The Centre of Attention met with a group of students who are interested in volunteering for the project, and who quizzed them for more details about Action Diana. The students and the Centre of Attention then discussed how students could become involved in the project and the roles they could play.
Some of the students then took The Centre of Attention on a tour of the Fine Art studios in the new Academy and the studios in Myrtle Street to look for student work that could be included in the project.

The New Academy

Hi and welcome to the Academy blog. Over the next few weeks we’ll be preparing for our first two shows ‘Action Diana’ by the Centre of Attention and ‘On-Site: The Architecture of Art and Design’ which will feature work by Rick Mather Architects, Award winning documentary illustrator Julia Midgley and ‘video smith’ Sam Meech.

Later on today the Centre of Attention www.thecentreofattention.org will be arriving to talk about their project with staff and students here. Basically, they’re going to re-film the 1960s Oscar winning classic movie ‘Darling’ using members of the public as cast. We’ll be hosting/curating this show in partnership with FACT. Centre of Attention will be shooting the movie at the new Art and Design Academy and at the FACT centre in Liverpool between March 5 and April 4 this year. After editing, this project will be premiered/featured in the ‘Abandon Normal Devices’ festival which will be organised and hosted in Liverpool by FACT later this year.

Over the next week or two we’ll also be re-launching our web pages as part of Liverpool School of Art and Design’s presence on the main John Moores University website and launching an online TV channel in (partnership with FACT again) as part of FACT.TV
There are a lot of things going on at the moment, much to do, many exciting relationships happening with museums, galleries and institutions in the UK and abroad and a whole new space to start occupying and broadcasting out from. Hopefully you’ll be able to get to grips with all that is happening as it unfolds in this blog. We’ll keep you posted.
John Byrne: Manager/Curator