Open Eye Gallery

19/11/2024

Join us for the poetry reading of Still City, the debut English-language collection from a Ukrainian poet reflecting on her experiences of the invasion of her homeland, followed by Q&A with the author, Oksana Maksymchuk!

26 November / 6 – 8 pm / Open Eye Gallery / free, drop-in

The discussion will be hosted by Dr Pauline Rowe.

Drawing on various sources, including social media, the news, witness accounts, recorded oral histories, photographs, drone video footage, intercepted communication, and official documents, Maksymchuk tells the shared experience.

Oksana Maksymchuk says the book began ‘as a poetic journal I started keeping in my hometown of Lviv, Ukraine in 2021–22. In the months leading up to the full-scale invasion, my writing has been registering how ways of living, thinking, and feeling have been changing due to the anticipation of a catastrophe, imbuing the everyday rituals with the sense of finality and precarity.

While we, as a family and a community, made preparations for air strikes, as well as nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare, our relationships transformed, as did our sense of time, fate, and personhood.’

Oksana Maksymchuk was born in Lviv, Ukraine, in 1982. She is the author of two award-winning poetry collections, Xenia and Lovy, in the Ukrainian, as well as a co-editor of Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine, an anthology of contemporary poetry. She is a winner of Scaglione Prize from the Modern Language Association of America, Peterson Translated Book Award, American Association for Ukrainian Studies Translation Prize, Richmond Lattimore Prize, and Joseph Brodsky/Stephen Spender Prize.

Dr Pauline Rowe is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and has 9 poetry publications. She is currently running the RLF Reading Round project at Open Eye Gallery and is Writer-in-Residence for the People of Anfield project. She was the first writer-in-residence at Open Eye Gallery in 2016 – 2019.

➡️ https://openeye.org.uk/whatson/poetry-reading-oksana-maksymchuk/

15/11/2024

14/11/2024

Study with us!

CDA Project: Co-Creating Collections for Priority and Future Audiences: Socially Engaged Photography and Small to Medium Sized Public Organisations

Expression of interest deadline: 15 November
Applications deadline: 13 January

The CDA is a unique opportunity for a practice-based researcher to work in the context of a live national partnership project supported by an internationally recognised, cross institutional supervisory team within the context of the UK’s leading socially engaged public photography programme.

Based at the Open Eye Gallery, with access to two additional national collections housed at museums across Aberdeenshire local authority, Scotland and Armagh local authority, Northern Ireland, this CDA invites candidates to think through the challenges faced by small-to-medium art organisations in how they use and build meaningful and accessible collections through socially engaged processes.

Details:https://www.midlands4cities.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Co-Creating-Collections-for-Priority-and-Future-Audiences.pdf

08/11/2024

Proximity is now open!

Tuesday – Sunday, 10 – 5, free, all welcome!

Join us for the celebration event next week, 14 November, 6 pm – with music and drinks!

Proximity features a selection of works by Stephen McCoy from his major projects, spanning from 1979 to the present, including two recent, ongoing sets of work. It explores his deep connection with the people and places of Merseyside.

Images by Rob Battersby

06/11/2024

How can photography be as a starting point for positive social change? A conversation with PhotoVoice.

Here are some quotes:

– Part of the power of photography is its ability to rapidly illicit a response, but that comes with a huge amount of considerations about using it responsibly; doing no harm, not exploiting or extracting, and recognising the importance of context.

– I remember being asked during a training workshop whether it was possible to give somebody a voice, and I replied that we don’t do that; we give people a camera, and the opportunity to understand how that tool can be used for self-expression.

– Being participant-led requires careful balancing of expectations from all involved, and sometimes what you end up with isn’t what you thought you’d have.

Full interview: https://openeye.org.uk/a-spotlight-on-photovoice/

05/11/2024

Liverpool Biennial revealed the theme BEDROCK and participating artists for its 13th edition taking place 7 June – 14 September 2025, curated by Marie-Anne McQuay.

Open Eye Gallery is excited to once again be one of the venues of the biennial.

‘BEDROCK’ draws on Liverpool’s distinctive geography and the beliefs which underpin the city’s social foundations. It is inspired by the sandstone which spans the city region and is found in its distinctive architecture. ‘BEDROCK’ also acts as a metaphor for the social foundations of Liverpool and the people, places and values that ground all of us.

Marie-Anne McQuay, Curator, Liverpool Biennial 2025, said:

“The city’s geological foundations and its psyche have provided the starting point for the conversations of Liverpool Biennial 2025, with the invited artists bringing us their own definition of ‘BEDROCK’. Definitions which include family and chosen family, cultural heritage carried across the generations, and the environments that nurture and restore them. Central to this understanding of BEDROCK is the sense of loss that comes from the ongoing legacies of colonialism and empire so formative to Liverpool’s foundations.

In responding to the city, artists have taken inspiration from Liverpool’s archives and histories, from its communities and civic spirit, and from taking time to dwell in its green spaces which support plant, insect, and bird life in unexpected ways through planned and unplanned urban developments.”

31/10/2024

Proximity: Selected works by Stephen McCoy

Opens: 7 November
Celebration event: 14 November, 6 – 8 pm

Projects presented at the exhibition:

📍 Housing Estates, 1979 – 1983. Between 1970s and 1980s large housing estates were built in Ainsdale on the seaward side of the village. Stephen McCoy started to photograph what essentially was his home environment, going from dark pictures with high contrast to deliberately photographing under flat-light conditions.

📍 Skelmersdale, 1983 – 1984. Skelmersdale was designated a new town in 1961 to house overspill populations from the north Merseyside conurbation. With the economic downturn in the late 1970s large industrial employers left the town, causing an increase in poverty. Stephen McCoy was commissioned as a photographer in residence to make photographs of the residents and landscape of Skelmersdale.

📍 River to River, 1985 – 1990. River to River follows the coastline from the river Mersey in the South to the river Ribble in the North: from the docks at Seaforth through the tourist areas of Southport to the reclaimed marsh and farmland of Banks and Hesketh Bank.

📍 Demolition Sites, 1981 – 1986. Photographed in Liverpool and Preston, these spaces existed because of the demolition of industrial and domestic buildings. In some cases, they existed for a short time before redevelopment took place, with others the ground lay unused for many years.

📍 Archaeology of a Carpet, 2003. Layers in the transparent vacuum cleaner cylinder as an archaeological record of the domestic environment activities.

📍 Personal Space, 1980 – 1984. A series of photographs taken of families engaged in day-to-day activities in the safe space of homes and gardens – a humorous look at many quirky situations that occur as a natural part of family life.

📍 Portraits, 1978 to present. Photographing a wide range of subjects and experimenting in ways of making pictures – to celebrate connection with people.

📍 Every House My Mother Lived In, 2019 – present. One family’s journey through nine different houses and flats. From a terraced house in Liverpool to a semi-detached house in North Wales, from a flat in Greater Manchester to a self-build house in Ainsdale – each one has created memories, reminiscences, experiences.

📍 The Rimrose Valley, 2016 – present. Rimrose Valley is a 3.5 km country park – it is not pristine and shows evidence of changing land use. A subject to flooding and occasional vandalism, it still has increasing importance for wildlife and peaceful recreation.

Image by Stephen McCoy

28/10/2024

🖤 New exhibition: Proximity. Selected works by Stephen McCoy

🖤 Opens: 7 November, 10 am – 5 pm
🖤 Celebration event: 14 November, 6 – 8 pm. RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/proximity-celebration-event-tickets-1049728565397

🖤 Stephen McCoy has spent 45 years living, working, and photographing on Merseyside. “Proximity” explores his deep connection with the people and places of the region, tracing the development of his photographic practice over the decades. The exhibition features a selection of works from his major projects, spanning from 1979 to the present, including two recent, ongoing sets of work.

🖤 From housing estates in Ainsdale to communities in Skelmersdale, from the demolition sites in Liverpool to the safe spaces of homes and gardens, from along the coastline to a touching and personal family journey – these projects, featuring a wide range of subjects and experimental ways of making pictures, celebrate the relationships that we create throughout our lives.

🖤 Stephen McCoy said:
– I have always felt that my best work shows a deep personal connection to the subject photographed, whether of people or place. A sense of place necessitates familiarity with an area; hence this exhibition is a distillation of a 45-year project, a continuing examination of my homeland, my Proximity.

25/10/2024

Last weekend to see our current show, The Flowers Still Grow!

On til 27 October, 10 – 5, free, all welcome.

23/10/2024

💙 This Must Be The Place at Open Eye PhotoHub Wigan&Leigh is now open – and there are some free photography workshops to attend!

Book your place on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/open-eye-photohub-95145205733

This series of workshops, inviting everyone to express their own interpretations of place and to explore their creativity through cyanotypes, portrait photography, and light painting.

💙 Pop-up Studio portraits with photographer Ciara Leeming: 23 October, 11 am – 3 pm.

Come along by yourself or with friends and family to our pop up studio. Professional photographer Ciara Leeming will be here to take your portraits and you will get a print to take away.

💙 Cyanotypes with photographer Lizzie King: 24 October, 11 am – 3 pm.

This hands-on workshop will teach you how to create stunning blue prints using plants and leaves. Get ready to unleash your creativity and learn a new skill in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

💙 Light Painting with photographer Tim Simpson: 17 November, 4 pm – 7.30 pm.

Get ready to explore the magic of light painting with photographer Tim Simpson. Play with light sources and create a stunning and unique piece of art in this hands-on workshop.

Your images can be photographed with your phones on the night or emailed to you afterwards for a lasting memory of the event.

All workshops are held in Open Eye PhotoHub, Leigh Town Hall, Market Street Leigh WN7 1DY.

Image: Andy Yates and students from Lowton High School.

22/10/2024

💙 Our volunteering applications are open again!

Fill in the application pack here: https://openeye.org.uk/volunteer-with-us/

💙 Our volunteers work amongst a team of engaging, committed and creative individuals to ensure that the gallery is a welcoming and friendly place. We provide free access to high quality, innovative and thought-provoking contemporary art from around the world, and our volunteers are a key part of that operation.

💙 As an Open Eye Gallery volunteer, you’ll be the first point of contact welcoming visitors to the gallery. You’ll be responsible for greeting visitors, introducing our current exhibition, handling enquiries and taking care of sales through the gallery shop. There will be opportunities to gain skills in your specific areas of interest, such as exhibition research & installations, events, marketing and audience feedback.

💙 We host regular volunteer socials and support volunteers to showcase their own creative work.

21/10/2024

Join us for an evening of poetry on Thursday 24 October / 6 – 8 pm / Open Eye Gallery / free, drop in

LiPS (Liverpool Poetry Space) presents Four Liverpool-based poets at Open Eye Gallery – come along to this free event to discover the range of voices and dynamic approaches to poetry which pervade the current Merseyside scene.

More info: https://buff.ly/3YqRK0r

17/10/2024

Next Up…

Next Up… is our annual graduate showcase of work from the MA in Socially Engaged Photography course at the University of Salford. Open Eye Gallery has been jointly running this unique postgraduate course since 2018, and the programme supports students to explore the power of photography when working with real communities to co-author meaningful culture. The exhibition features work by three early career photographers from our 2023 graduates.

Rachel Beeson presents her on-going project Picturing The Strikes – a UK wide exploration of working communities in Britain. The work brings together a series of beautiful portraits, images from the strikes themselves and personal stories from each of the participants involved.

David Contreras worked collaboratively on a project called Our Streets, Our Stories with a local photography group, Clickmoor, to explore the act of undertaking street photography together as a tool for wellbeing. Clickmoor developed as an independent photo collective, off the back of a previous Open Eye Gallery commission with local community initiative My Clubmoor and artists Emma Case and Katherine Monaghan. We are delighted to welcome the group back with David to present in the gallery with us.

Cyril Matthew presents a photo series from his previous project Loneliness, which explores the personal stories of individuals experiencing isolation after migrating to the UK and spaces they have found themselves visiting in their new country for moments of contemplation and wellbeing.

16/10/2024

💙 This Must Be The Place at Open Eye PhotoHub Wigan&Leigh – opening 16 October, 6 pm, Leigh Town Hall

This Must Be The Place explores how photography can be a tool for enhanced social awareness and communicating issues around the climate emergency.

💙 Mario Popham, Lead Artist and Curator of the exhibition said: “The exhibition emphasizes photography as a deeply personal practice that allows individuals to connect with nature and their surroundings. It also serves as a unifying tool, fostering shared experiences and diverse perspectives on what it means to be present in our communities.”

The exhibition brings together the work of seven photographers each at different stages in their career.

💙 Ciara Leeming collaborates with asylum seekers and refugees who are adapting to being here alongside Support for Wigan Arrivals Project (SWAP). This work highlights the significance of the borough in a global context and emphasises the importance of community and belonging.

💙 Ruby Ramelize shares a view through the eyes of the young people at Global Friends, a diverse-led youth group based at Spinners Mill in Leigh supported by Everything Human Rights.

💙 Mia Joyce (Open Eye PhotoHub Fellow) presents a vertical garden series that merges urban landscapes with natural greenery, envisioning a sustainable future for our towns.

💙 Students from Lowton High School, guided by photographer Andy Yates, create cyanotypes that document their adventures in Wigan’s natural spaces. This project encourages young people to explore and appreciate their local environment.

💙 Sara Lawlor, Open Eye PhotoHub Fellow, explores the healing properties of water and nature in relation to mental health and wellbeing. Her work reflects a personal journey and the therapeutic aspects of nature.

💙 Lizzie King and Mario Popham respond to the green spaces of Bickershaw and Wigan Flashes,, showcasing nature’s resurgence in post-industrial landscapes with support from the Canal & River Trust and Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

15/10/2024

Childhood is a garden

Childhood is a Garden is part of our current show, The Flowers Still Grow. It's a socially engaged project with photographer Miriam Flüchter and communities of Garston, and offers a multi-dimensional view of the area, questioning what we have lost and what we wish for.

Throughout the residency, Miriam has worked closely with grown-up residents to explore what growing up in Garston was like for them and local children and young people living in the area now to examine the ingredients of an ideal neighbourhood through the lens of nostalgia, memory and dreams.

Miriam has worked with Children at Garston Adventure Play, a long-standing youth provision that started out as a community-led summer playscheme in 1976, as well as with local schools and community groups. Together, they have explored storytelling through experimental analogue photography and textile crafts to create a playful & joyful family-friendly exhibition co-curated by children in Garston.

Images taken by children feature in the exhibition and the images are curated by and interpreted by the children. This not only makes the exhibition children-friendly but also encourages adult visitors to look at the images through the eyes of their inner child. You can listen to a story of a child whose childhood home was in Garston inside the story den or through the screen and headphones on the wall. You can make your own superhero mask at the craft station and think what would your superpower be?

The Flowers Still Grow is on til 27 October.

Images by Rob Battersby

13/10/2024

People of Anfield project is part of our current show, The Flowers Still Grow, on til 27 October.

The People of Anfield is an artistic project engaging local people of all backgrounds and ages to share conversations and ideas about the Anfield area – past, present and future. The project has been developed and delivered by photographer Emma Case and writer Pauline Rowe through photography, writing and discussion.

Anfield is a unique city-edge place that is transformed when visited by the world because of football or musical celebrity. At other times, most of the time, the people here long for a thriving high street and a beautiful environment, facilities that communities can be proud of, green spaces to be enjoyed, creative expression and safe streets.

After many decades of decline and neglect, Anfield was further hit by Brexit, the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. But in this urban, broken landscape, between the cracks in the bricks and on stagnant pieces of unused land, flowers still grow. The flowers, like the people of Anfield, grow despite their surroundings.

There are two stories to be told. The story of a place in which the local environment and economy are in decline and living can feel precarious. And the story of a local community that brings life, vibrancy and connection to where they live.

Every face in this exhibition represents a unique story. The community grows in strength and is collectively determined just like the wildflowers that also make this place their home.

Like the flowers, the people are what make Anfield beautiful.

Emma Case, Open Eye Gallery’s photographer in residence, said: It has been such a wonderful time working on this residency over the past year and a half. We’ve connected in many creative ways with lots of different people and witnessed both the community’s frustrations and its constant hard work and dedication to bring people together and to support one another. I hope that this exhibition gives people a real glimpse of that and celebrates the community that we feel honoured to have gotten to know.”

Images by Rob Battersby

10/10/2024

Grounded by Stephanie Wynne and GroundsWell | Exterior Walls | 8 – 27 October

‘Grounded’ is a collaboration between photographer Stephanie Wynne and GroundsWell, a group of researchers, community members and policymakers.

Stephanie Wynne , photographer, said: ‘Being in green and blue spaces keeps you 'grounded' – being connected to what is beneath your feet, whether plants, earth or water, stabilises your physical and mental health. This is an ongoing project in collaboration with all community groups and participants.'

GroundsWell is a group of researchers, community members, and policymakers who work together to improve parks, gardens, rivers, and other green and blue spaces in cities. They focus on how these spaces can boost people's health and wellbeing. GroundsWell’s research is mainly in three cities — Belfast, Edinburgh, and Liverpool.

The Community Innovation Fund was launched to support local community projects focused on improving and maximising the health benefits of urban green and blue spaces. The Fund supported projects that include populations who are at the most risk from diseases or who might benefit most from better quality green and blue space. Our exterior walls exhibition showcases these projects.

Images by Stephanie Wynne.

20/11/2023

Tadgh Devlin works are part of the Reflections exhibition on the gallery's exterior walls.

How did those living in rural communities coped during lockdown? Tadhg Devlin has captured the diversity of experiences and views on life.

Alongside Devlin’s atmospheric photographs of him and his land, Frodsham farmer Graham Warburton’s quotes highlighted how, although much changed during the pandemic, the seasons stayed the same. Warburton shut the farm gates but carried on as normal in the Spring of 2020. “We just kept busy, which was good because a lot of people were just sat in the house. It doesn’t do you any good that, does it?” Viewers could then scan a QR code, linking them to Warburton’s full story.

Jonathan Fell, CEO of Ice Cream Farm in Tattenhall said he felt extremely lucky to be in the countryside during the pandemic.

“We did have that space and you were constantly thinking about people who didn’t have a garden. How would they handle it?”

Listen to Jonathan's story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrDtVWFHSqc

Covid-19 Reflections is a project by Cheshire West & Chester Council. Text: Antonia Charlesworth Stack for Covid-19 Reflections project. The exhibition is now on Open Eye Gallery's exterior walls.

📸Rob Battersby