New Art Spaces: Rochdale Launch Event & DIS:Connect Exhibition

Castlefield Gallery invites you to the launch of its latest New Art Spaces at the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, in the heart of Rochdale town centre, on Saturday 17 March, 12-5pm.

 

Castlefield Gallery is at the forefront of supporting artists, nurturing artistic talent, and the development of new work in the North West, and New Art Spaces is an initiative that sees Castlefield Gallery creating dynamic project spaces for artists, artist collectives and artists development agencies across Greater Manchester.

 

Working in partnership with landlords and developers, Castlefield Gallery’s New Art Spaces make use of temporary vacant retail, office and light industrial units.

 

Castlefield Gallery is now working with MCR Property Group to transform the temporarily vacant, former TJ Hughes unit at the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre into artist production and exhibition space.

 

The artists John-Paul Brown, Stacey Coughlin, Ness Donnelly, Tracy Hurst, Nicole Prior, and Karen Rogers will launch the space with their exhibition DIS:Connect. On the day members of the public will be able to meet the artists, explore the artist workspaces, as well experience the exhibition.

 

The artists – all members of Castlefield Gallery Associates, a professional development scheme for artists, art-writers, and curators – have devised the DIS:Connect exhibition in response to working in the temporarily vacant unit; disconnected from its original use, but repurposed by Castlefield Gallery and the artists.

 

DIS:Connect continues on Sunday 18 March, 12-4pm

 

Anyone who wants to find out more about New Art Spaces should visit castlefieldgallery.co.uk/associates/newartspaces/

 

ADDRESS | New Art Spaces: Rochdale, The Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, Baillie St, Rochdale OL16 1JZ

 

Directions: New Art Spaces: Rochdale at the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre is opposite Rochdale Metrolink Station. The train is a 10 min walk via Drake St. 3-hours free parking is available at the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre. Entrance is via Baille Street, first floor via escalator.

 

More on New Art Spaces:

As a visual art venue and artist development agency, Castlefield Gallery has been actively involved with brokering ‘pop-up’ project and gallery spaces since 2009. New Art Spaces provide pop-up spaces for artists in which to develop their creative practice at very low cost.

 

More on CG Associates:

Castlefield Gallery Associates is Castlefield Gallery’s membership scheme for artists, art-writers and independent curators working in contemporary art.

 

Castlefield Gallery Associates is designed by Castlefield Gallery to support the artistic practice and careers of our members; by providing information, skills, CPD opportunities, resources, promotion and a context for critical dialogue.

 

More on the artists:

 

John-Paul Brown

John-Paul produces photo essays, closely observing and then carefully constructing images from situations defined by social barriers, waste culture and public isolation. Recent work seems him developing his compositions into large-scale installations using waste print materials.

 

Stacey Coughlin

Through community-situated participatory artwork and processes, Stacey Coughlin aims to explore the essence of Space/Place and our emotional and behavioural responses to it, within both the individual and collective context.

Stacey is particularly drawn to the idea of conversations forming their own spaces, atmospheres or ambience, and how mental imagery can emerge and linger through these interactions. In her current work, she is focusing on the spatial representations of identity and personhood through an invitation to the creative and social practice of ‘den-making’.

 

Ness Donnelly

Ness Donnelly uses everyday materials to explore the relationship between drawing and craft. She has an interest in processes and materials and how certain craft techniques, particularly textiles, can be manipulated. She is exploring the place where Art, Craft and design merge and these labels become less established over time.

 

Tracy Hurst

Fragmentation, distortion and destruction of narrative are evident in Tracy Hurst’s work. Predominantly she is interested in the process of metamorphosis using 16mm cine film. She captures a fleeting passage of time on film and transforms it into a shattered collage transcending time and sequence limitations.

 

Nicole Prior

The impact that media and technology has on the human subconscious is at the core of Nicole Prior’s practise. Privacy is a right that can be traded if the conditions suit, and authenticity of data is a blurred line.

Through interactive installations, Nicole enables participants in her experiments to think about how their behavior can be challenged by technology.

 

Karen Rogers

Karen Rogers likes to paint.  She is curious… She often finds herself lost down a rabbit hole… She creates images from the magic she finds in the unseen worlds of history, time and space.  Her process is one of self-discovery and exploration.  Her paintings are intuitive.  The outcome is unknown.

 

 

Castlefield Gallery | Agency is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, and a Manchester City Council Cultural Partner.

 

Castlefield Gallery is a recipient of Arts Council England’s Catalyst Evolve fund, an initiative from Arts Council England supporting arts and cultural organisations to grow private giving and build resilience. This means that, between 2016 and August 2019, Arts Council England will match every pound we secure from new Trust & Foundation sources, corporate sponsorship and donations, as well as individual donations made to Castlefield Gallery, on a 1:1 basis.