Northern Art Prize

I try to see the Northern Art Prize every time its on. Partly because of where I'm from but also because it always seems to be good.

The artists nominated this year are Emily Speed, Joanne Tatham & Tom O'Sullivan, Margaret Harrison and Roaslind Nashashibi.

Emily Speed
'Emily Speed's interest lies in the relationship between people and buildings' (http://www.northernartprize.org.uk/2013-prize/shortlist/emily-speed)

Speed has two large sculptures and three small, very beautiful drawings in the show. Her work has a strong aesthetic. Neutral building colours, clay, wood, grey, white. Structures are made functional, with an outside and an inside, on castors presumably for practicality, impermanence? They aren't polished and finished, you can see screws and the making. One of the large sculptures is really interesting in terms of space and how the viewer interacts with it. Outside/inside, battlements and bits of architecture you can sit on, display cabinets, models and playing. Really engaging work of the sort I like best - where the longer you spend looking at it the more you get out of it (sounds like that should happen with all work but it doesn't).


Joanne Tatham & Tom O'Sullivan
'Their work might more usefully be understood as events designed to inhabit a range of situations, activating their surroundings and cajoling the viewer into participating in an absurd kind of theatre'
http://www.northernartprize.org.uk/2013-prize/shortlist/joanne-tatham-tom-osullivan

This work is FUN. That's the first impression. Huge, bright carnival like faces as arches have been built over the entrances to a couple of the galleries. You walk through the mouths to get from room to room. The arches are overwhelming, garish and you can't help smiling at them. The faces look shocked and sad maybe. Not entirely sure what its saying other than interacting with the space and mood of a gallery, but I liked them. ('These large painted ‘portals’ highlight pivotal points at which the historic collection meets spaces in the Gallery used for temporary exhibitions.' according to the website.)
They're really carefully installed by-the-way, the edges where the work meets the actual wall are beautifully crafted.


Margaret Harrison
'‘Common Reflections’ is a reconstruction and reinterpretation of a perimeter fence from RAF Greenham Common.'
http://www.northernartprize.org.uk/2013-prize/shortlist/margaret-harrison

Not keen on this one. It's political, about women protesting against nuclear weapons that were held at RAF Greenham Common. Very literal, and pretty flat for me.


Roaslind Nashashibi
'The compelling film projection features dancers, engrossed in private rehearsal when members of the local public walk in and stand awkwardly around them. The experience is mesmeric for both dancers and intruders, twinned together in an energetic performance.'
http://www.northernartprize.org.uk/2013-prize/shortlist/rosalind-nashashibi

I loved Nashashibi's film Lovely Young People (Beautiful Supple Bodies)! It is described in the quote above. There are alot of gormless people standing around and watching the dancers with varying degrees of confusion (and saying some funny things). As a result you spend alot of the film trying to look normal, aware that you're watching something too and not paying attention to your facial expression. Its a brilliant film for people watching. 
The biggest thing for me though was that ballet dancing is hard work. There are microphones picking up the conversations of the viewers and the dancers. This means that when the dancers are actually dancing you can hear them panting and struggling to get enough air. You also see the concentration, hear the thud thud thuds as they leap and land on the floor and see the precise, fighting, strong movements. I've only ever been to see ballet once (and that was because at Junior school they took us to see Cinderella the ballet instead of the pantomime, as you can imagine we were all seriously unimpressed.) It always seemed to me like a very elegant, prancing and light way of moving, I never thought how physical and harsh it is and how powerful the dancers need to be.
I was less enamoured with her other pieces and had the feeling I was missing something, although she showed some prints from trousers she had put through a press which were quite beautiful.

My vote goes to Emily Speed or Rosalind Nashashibi. Emily Speed's work was coherent, engaging and showed the best body of work. Nashashibi's film was the best single work but her other pieces I was less bothered about and it wasn't as good a show altogether.

I do urge everyone who can to go see it, thoroughly enjoyed looking round!