Fishink In Manchester, Art, Jewellery and Boyhood Cinema !

I had a fab afternoon off in Manchester on wednesday, which started by spotting this ingenious, floating, seed-carrier on the pavement on the way to the tram stop. A parachute designed to carry the seeds safely to their final destination… Isn’t nature great !

Off the tram I headed to the Manchester City Art Gallery where there were a number of interesting pieces on show. First looking at some of the contemporary work in the gift shop…

before heading to the Sculptural Forms exhibition.

I loved how the light, serene Eric Gill sculpture of the sleeping Christ was contrasted by the dark, edgy, angular, almost creepy, ‘Beast 11’ by Lynn Chadwick. A whole 34 years separating their makings.

This beautiful form, by Claire Malet, 2014. Made from an olive oil can with red gold and copper leaf on it. It looked almost like a fire was blazing inside or the fires of Mordor from The Lord Of The Rings  : )

Henry Moore usually does something to please my eye. I smiled at the baby’s squat chunky face and marvelled at the curvaceous flowing lines of his seated studies.

I kept seeing elephants (where there weren’t any) in this piece by Ceri Richards and my friend Sarah may well like this crow attacking the umbrella man.

Moving onto a display of the work of Bernhard Schobinger, a jeweller who likes to work with rough found objects.

“Recognised as a key figure of avant-garde contemporary jewellery, Bernhard Schobinger’s subversive approach to making spans more than forty years and has earned him a reputation for rebellious innovation. His work skilfully transforms discovered objects into pieces that allude to past and present, precious and leftover. Something of an alchemist, Schobinger gathers and processes all manner of matter, which frequently includes discarded detritus. From coloured pencils, spent knicker elastic, precious stones, combs or worn eraser nubs, to coins, diamonds, prickly saw files or poison bottles – such scavenged materials are all sources of aesthetic and physical richness. At once anarchic and collectible, Schobinger’s work unites these materials to create hybrid jewels that irreverently express their provenance while challenging conventional histories of body adornment. ” (text from Manchester Art Gallery Website).

I thought these ‘plaster busts’ were a wonderful way to display the necklaces.

There’s an interesting interview over at Cheshire Resident. A superb selection as ever in the City Art Gallery, always worth popping in, even if it’s just for a cup of tea !

Last but my no means least, I headed over to the Cornerhouse to go and see ‘ Boyhood ‘ a truly amazing film following the life of a boy of six through to his university years. Here’s a flavour of it..

I hadn’t read anything about the film before seeing it and so kept wondering how on earth the characters kept ageing during it’s unfolding. Apparently it was shot over just 39 days, spanning a period of 12 years so the characters did age naturally during it’s making ! Wow I’ve never heard of something like this before. Looking into the work of the producer Richard Linklater, I realised it’s the same talented guy who made Before Sunrise and Before Sunset which were also classic stories.

I’d recommend seeing this, it’s not an out and out, wow movie but more like an extremely comfortable road-trip-style-ride through a young man’s early life. Well worth investigating, and do let me know your thoughts if you do see it. On Saturday I also went to see Finding Vivian Maier which I’d wanted to see since I first heard the back story to this amazing photographer’s life. It’s filmed as a documentary, mostly with commentary from people she knew or who knew of her, all of them saying what a strange, private and secretive person she was but her work, tells a different story. Quite a sad overall feeling to this film but interesting to know. Wow no films for half a year and then two in the same week, whatever next ! ; )