Writing

Montse Mosquera, Too Foreign (2021)

Montse Mosquera, Too Foreign (2021) https://youtu.be/BGxEFxflKSc Subtitles: Living in another country is one of the most enriching experiences you can have.When...

Feiyi Wen: Wood, Water, Rock (final test submission)

See all tests for this work here, with explanations of the project's origins Wood, Water, Rock Wood, Water, Rock

Responses to ROOT-ed on Joy

Responses to ROOT-ed on Joy(Fauziya Johnson & Amber Akaunu from ROOT-ed published a series of poems on Joy for Independents Biennial 2021. Their purpose was to illicit responses and recollections of Joy...

Pierce Starre, Scrutiny

Pierce Starre has been in residence with Metal Liverpool for Independents Biennial since 2020. This commission is Scrutiny, a video performance exploring personal experiences of deprivation, oppression and survival, from the perspective...

Sufea Mohamad Noor, Stop Asian Hate

Sufea Mohamad Noor has been researching the development of diversity and inclusion (D&I) terminologies since the beginning of her career. In 2020 Independents biennial, in collaboration with Metal Liverpool commissioned the development...

Jay Hampton, Weeds Wanted (citizen science data project now live)

Jay Hampton begun Independents Biennial with a recipe for foraged Dandelion Lemonade. The project has evolved into Weeds Wanted, a region wide citizen science experiment seeking submissions of photos...

In Conversation: Emmer Winder / Elizabeth Challinor

Emmer Winder is an artist from St Helens now working in Manchester from the Rogue Artist Studios. With 20 years background in conceptual art, photography and teaching, she has recently begun to...

In Conversation: Fiona Stirling / Elizabeth Challinor

Fiona Stirling is an artist and mother. Since beginning her PhD, she has been researching the impact of time and space on the paintings of contemporary mid-life women artists. She investigates this...

In conversation: Alan Dunn / Phaedra Hardstaff / Steve Hardstaff / The Singh Twins...

FOUR WORDS: WIRRAL is a continuation of Alan Dunn’s series that began on the Liverpool Media Wall working with Metal in 2016. This new iteration celebrates some hidden narratives around Spital, New...

In Conversation: Grace Collins / George Gibson / Elizabeth Challinor

Grace Collins is an artist from St Helens who researches how people work together and documents collaborations to create new artworks. This interest led to them to becoming a member of School...

In Conversation: Jay Hampton / Elizabeth Challinor

Jay Hampton is a working-class citizen Sciartist from Liverpool with a BSc Earth & Ocean Sciences and Zoology from the University of Liverpool and MA Art in Science from LJMU. Her practice...

In Conversation: Kevin Crooks / Callan Waldron-Hall / Elizabeth Challinor

Kevin Crooks is a St.Helens based photographic artist and Deutsche Bank Award recipient, and also the Head of Photography at Carmel College. Kevin’s work explores the effects of how governmental policy, initiatives...

In Conversation: Montse Mosquera / Elizabeth Challinor

Montse Mosquera is a Spanish graphic designer based in Liverpool who explores multiple disciplines, and has a passion for the exploration of her self-image throughout experiences, digital interactions and the different cultures...

In Conversation: ROOT-ed / Elizabeth Challinor

ROOT-ed (Revolution Of Our Time) is a self-published zine and social platform, that aims to promote, support, represent and inspire creative people of colour within the North West of England. ROOT-ed has...

In Conversation: Sam Venables / Elizabeth Challinor

Sam Venables is an artist whose work explores fandom, advertising and ideas around what makes something feel ‘local’ to a place. The things we choose to discard and the items we cherish...

In Conversation: Sorrell Kerrison / Elizabeth Challinor

Sorrell Kerrison is an artist working in many different mediums, including film, sound, and print. Sorrell is most known for her complex fauvist style hand embroidery portraiture, has had exhibitions in the...

In Conversation: Stephanie Fry / Elizabeth Challinor

Stephanie Fry is a Billinge-based artist, using a variety of traditional and non-traditional techniques to create artworks focusing on themes of place, history and storytelling. Exploring the local landscape supports the development...

Artist Host, Conversation (Final)

Artist Host Conversation- Elizabeth Challinor Elizabeth ChallinorJo Mary WatsonHarriet BurnsMatt Retallick Elizabeth: So yeah. I wanna ask like general questions and we can just sort of...

Grace Collins & George Gibson, The Book of Sand

Find out more about this project here The National Library of Argentina is the last known whereabouts of the infamous Book of Sand – a book about a book that can never...

Jo Mary Watson, Reflection

In the following reflection I am using the words “Motherhood” and “Parenthood” to talk about the focus I have set on my...

Elizabeth Challinor, In Conversation With IB21. Reflection (final)

In Conversation With IB21 (a title I started off with, and never actually used) is a project focusing on the artists featured in Independents Biennial, an ongoing series of informal Q&A’s that...

Harriet Burns, Reflection (Final)

Merseyside: State of Independence? – Matt Retallick

Merseyside: State of Independence?Matt Retallick This short piece is written at the end of Independents Biennial ’21. It does not aim to provide answers but should instead be read...

“The Impact of Motherhood on being an Artist” (very short) Booklist, Jo Mary Watson

“The Impact of Motherhood on being an Artist” (very short) Booklist “Feminist Art and the Maternal”Andrea Liss “Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution”Adrienne Rich

Grace Collins & George Gibson, Book of Sand (Prototypes)

Find out more about this project here The National Library of Argentina is the last known whereabouts of the infamous Book of Sand – a book about a book that can...

Montse Mosquera, Too Foreign (part 2)

Living in another country is one of the most enriching experiences you can have.When you leave, your memory will remain fixed in that moment, unchanged, hoping...

Emmer Winder, Posters

Emmer Winder's Social Prescription Pharmacy was produced to a commission funded by St Helens Arts in Libraries in collaboration with Independents Biennial. Her advice has been open to all...

Mark Simmonds, […] Font Download

Download the font files here(instructions below) Download Instructions: Mac:

Emmer Winder, Social Prescription Pharmacy 2021

Find out about Emmer's full project here This post is produced by Emmer Winder, from images at the end of a year recording conversations and affirmations from audiences sharing...

Mothman #4

Mothman issue for Poster Edition ROAD Studios’ Director Tony Knox will be collaborating with ROAD members and guest artists to produce the latest issue of the Mothman comic book,...

FOUR WORDS: WIRRAL launches today

www.fourwordswirral.com Some of Wirral’s contemporary folklore and social history can now be explored in a new community project which sees artists condense the stories of the borough into FOUR...

Week 6 Thoughts, Elizabeth Challinor

View more work in progress, essays, and blogs from Elizabeth Challinor here View & comment on the original text here

New Podcast: Artist Hosts, Conversation #5: “Climbing walls & fireworks” (on Galleries)

View all podcasts here Harriet Burns, Elizabeth Challinor Jo Mary Watson and Matt Retallick (Independents Biennial 2021 Artist Hosts) and Patrick Kirk-Smith (IB Director) attempting...

Week 6 Notes – Spaces part 2, Galleries (hand written notes and appalling automatic...

The hand written notes below are the result of limited capacity to stare at a screen this week. An attempt to automatically transcribe them has been included below, but is not helpful.

Matt Retallick: State of Independence

Brief musings on independence v collective, another prompt for discussion. In my recent walks around Liverpool, independence has been on my mind. What does it mean to be Independent,...

In Conversation With GRACE and GEORGE, Harriet Burns

See more of Harriet Burns work here Download: In Conversation With GRACE and GEORGEDownload

Week 5 thoughts, Elizabeth Challinor

Read more of/about Elizabeth Challior's work here Comment & edit this article here 19/04 It’s week 5, and we’re either talking about social...

Week 4/5 (base texts)

Week 4/5 bled out of week 3, and didn't have a particularly clear theme. Our podcasts focused on social media, and our writing stumbled between that and a continuation of studio discussions....

New Podcast: Artist Hosts, Conversation #4: “Caterpillar” (on ‘Studios / Social Media’)

Listen to all podcasts here Harriet Burns, Elizabeth Challinor Jo Mary Watson and Matt Retallick (Independents Biennial 2021 Artist Hosts) and...

Scrapbook, inspired by talks with others (part 1), Jo Mary Watson

See more of Jo Mary Watson's work here Maintenance of Self <> Maintenance of Practice*Everything you do is art, otherwise you get stressed about not being able to...

woke up in the ‘am’, composed a beat – Harriet Burns

See more of Harriet Burns work here Comment & edit the document below here

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 12: Montse Mosquera

Name: Montse Mosquera Location: St Helens / Liverpool Website: montsemosquera.com 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? Four years ago...

Too Foreign, Montse Mosquera – updates (12/04/21)

Find out more about Montse Mosquera & this project here >> These are drafts I made attempting to express the way I feel and tell my...

Out of context images (continued), Grace Collins & George Gibson

Find more work by Grace Collins & George Grace Gibson here Book on to their latest workshop, 28th April, here "Still not sure what's missing in...

“I think I’ve got the cover […]”, Grace Collins & George Gibson

Find more work by Grace Collins & George Grace Gibson here Book on to their latest workshop, 28th April, here "I think I've got the cover,...

Matt Retallick: Social Media – a prompt for a podcast

This short post is a prompt for a podcast we are recording this week. It does not intend to answer any questions but lay down ideas towards our forthcoming discussion.

New Podcast: Artist Hosts, Conversation #3: “Unknown Visibility” (on ‘Where are artists?’)

Harriet Burns, Elizabeth Challinor Jo Mary Watson and Matt Retallick (Independents Biennial 2021 Artist Hosts) and Patrick Kirk-Smith (IB Director) attempting to stumble around one of the most...

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 11: Sorrell Kerrison

Name: Sorrell Chrystal Kerrison (SorrellCK) Location: Mossley Hill, Liverpool Website: www.sorrellkerrison.co.uk 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? I live...

State of the Studios Report

Over the last twelve months, we've been working with studios to understand the issues they have faced during the pandemic. In almost every case, those issues were heighted and highlighted by lockdown,...

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 10: Grace Collins

Name: Grace CollinsLocation: St HelensWebsite: www.gracecollins.cargo.site 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? I grew up in St Helens, moved away to London for uni & came back in 2020.

My Joy by Annie Kamara, ROOT-ed on Joy

More about this projects & the artists here Artwork by Fauziya Johnson Annie Kamara, My Joy My Joy is my joyJoy is the...

How Lucky Am I? by Fartun Abdulle, ROOT-ed on Joy

More about this projects & the artists here Artwork by Amber Akaunu Fartun Abdulle, How Lucky Am I? You can tell when a...

All You Need is Joy by Tony O’Leary, ROOT-ed on Joy

More about this projects & the artists here Artwork by Amber Akaunu Tony O'Leary, All You Need is Joy I thought this would...

Joy by Pauline Cummins, ROOT-ed on Joy

More about this projects & the artists here Artwork by Amber Akaunu Pauline Cummins, Joy Jazz beats repeat melodically.Saxophones float rhythmicallyCaptivating hearts,...

Trompe l’oeil: Still Life of Books, Sarah Gilman – part 2

More on the artist & the project here 1. Trompe l'oeil vanitas with a skull and book after Jan Davidsz. de Heem, 2020, Oil...

What a find, Grace Collins & George Gibson

More on this project & the artists here "Hello, so I found this, I’m still searching for more info on it and obviously it’s not much to go off...

Wood Water Rock, Feiyi Wen – (test prints – development)

More about the project & the artist here Prints on Munken Paper. Tests for Wood Water Rock

Otherhood Mixtapes, Sorrell Kerrison – Development (up to 09/04/21)

More about the project, and the artist here

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 9: Kevin Crooks

Name: Kevin Crooks Location: St. Helens Website: www.kevincrooks.co.uk 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? I grew up in St. Helens and...

COVID AWARENESS, Harriet Burns

View more of Harriet Burns' work here COVID AWARENESS from Harriet on Vimeo.

‘Where are artists?’ – At ome’

Comment & edit here View & read more of Harriet Burns' work here

Week 2 Thoughts, Elizabeth Challinor

View original text here More writing by Elizabeth Challinor here I keep forgetting that weeks aren’t just Monday-Friday, and that Saturday and Sunday’s are available days...

Community Leaders

Comment & edit here

Monday, 9_45pm.docx

Comment & edit here

Splitting Time

Comment & edit here

What about the ones who don’t actually call themselves artists?

Comment & edit here

Who are artists? Week 2 (some)R&(less)D

Comment & edit here

Social Prescription Pharmacy, Emmer Winder

St Helens Social Pharmacy is a project which invites everyone to share their personal mantra/ words/ phrases that help them through the continuing Covid19 pandemic. Everyone is invited to...

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 8: Sarah Gilman

Name: Sarah GilmanLocation: St HelensWebsite: www.sarahgilman.co.uk 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? I moved to St Helens from Crewe in 2005 and have studied and...

Artsy people are weird, Harriet Burns

by Harriet Burns Follow her live work here

What’s the weirdest thing, Jo Mary Watson

by Jo Mary Watson & E.

Care Wildly, Jo Mary Watson

by Jo Mary Watson & E.

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 7: Luke Skiffington

Name: Luke Skiffington Location: Liverpool Website: www.lukeskiffington.com Instagram: @luke_skiffington 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? We only moved here...

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 6: Elizabeth Challinor

Name: Elizabeth Challinor Location: Liverpool 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? I was born in Liverpool, and have lived/worked here my whole...

Artists Union England – Survey of Income Levels and Work Models for artists (with...

Following a year where artists and freelancers have been left behind in the frantic grabbing of emergency funds from the organisations that make up the visual arts sector, Artists' Union England are...

E.s favourite artist because he provided frames for her: Mark Simmonds

by Jo Mary Watson & E.

New Podcast: Artist Hosts, Conversation #1: “Complexity” (on Artists’ Pay)

Time is Money

I’m slightly treading water here. Self-preservation I think. How content1 are artists with being content2? 1 happy, fulfilled, satisfied2 subject matter, material I...

A Brief (and inaccurate) History of Selling Art

It’s pretty impossible to talk about paying artists without referencing the art market – locally, nationally, internationally. And given that my job this week is to write about paying artists, I’ll try...

F*** you pay me

by Harriet Burns

Reference for Artists’ Pay – the focus of week 1’s writing for Independents Biennial...

Week 1: Artists’ Pay (introduction)

Week 1 thoughts, Elizabeth Challinor

by Elizabeth Challinor

What Happened This Morning

by Jo Mary Watson Wanted to do something productive and shareable for @indybiennial today. Even though this is not what I initially planned, nothing would fit better in regards to my...

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 5: Emmer Winder

Name: Emmer Winder Location: Manchester Organisation: Just me! But business trades as NumberSix Website: www.emmerwinder.co.uk What is your relationship to...

Matt Retallick: Going for a walk – an introduction to a method

As we mark the year anniversary of the first lockdown, I’m going for a walk. For a significant portion of the last twelve months, walking was pretty much all we could do....

In Conversation With… (Introduction)

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 4: Alan Dunn

Name: Alan Dunn Location: Wirral Organisation: FOUR WORDS/cantaudio/Alternator Studio & Project Space (Birkenhead) Website: www.alandunn67.co.uk #alandunn67 1. What is your relationship...

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 3: Jo Mary Watson

Name: Jo Mary Watson Location: Liverpool 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? Liverpool is my partner’s homeport, and our daughter’s birthplace.

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 2: Harriet Burns

Name: Harriet Burns Location: Allerton (South Liverpool) 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? My mum was born here. I wasn’t. I have lived here...

Harriet Burns: Dear Diary (read & comment)

Matt Retallick Research Questionnaire 1: Patrick Kirk-Smith

Name: Patrick Kirk-Smith Location: Huyton Organisation: Art in Liverpool Website: www.artinliverpool.com 1. What is your relationship to Merseyside? I was...

Dad’s Project (ongoing)

My current portrait project looks at the small (but growing) number of families where fathers have chosen to be the main childcarer. While attitudes are shifting towards acceptance of dads taking a...

Chorlton Lockdown Portraits (Lockdown 3), Exhibition

The Chorlton Lockdown Portrait project started soon after the UK entered it’s first nationwide lockdown. Everything stopped overnight, and what we had always taken for granted suddenly become something to consider and...

Chorlton Lockdown Portraits (Lockdown 2), Exhibition

The Chorlton Lockdown Portrait project started soon after the UK entered it’s first nationwide lockdown. Everything stopped overnight, and what we had always taken for granted suddenly become something to consider and...

Chorlton Lockdown Portraits (Lockdown 1), Exhibition

The Chorlton Lockdown Portrait project started soon after the UK entered it’s first nationwide lockdown. Everything stopped overnight, and what we had always taken for granted suddenly become something to consider and...

Trompe l’oeil (films)

For images from this project, see HERE https://youtu.be/DUGTcsxlQ_Q https://youtu.be/Lo_ctHHbBOw https://youtu.be/OHFlhMCtps8

Motherhood – image #1

Motherhood, Jo Mary Watson (created with E.), 2021

Out of context images

Grace Collins & George Gibson, 2021

Dear Diary 01/03/2021

01/03/2021 ‘Live Essays’ across different platforms: audience, artists, producers etc. will have access to, to create a series of new writings to educate ourselves (as a sector), taking away ‘roles’ and ‘positions’... Narratives with the festival,...

Jay Hampton: Weeds Wanted An investigation into rewilding in Liverpool (starting footage)

Jay Hampton: Bio & Background

I am a working-class citizen SciArtist from Liverpool with a BSc Earth & Ocean Sciences and Zoology from the University of Liverpool and MA Art in Science from LJMU. My...

Stephanie Fry, Threads of History (Film)

https://youtu.be/DHXe9r76Ejw BACK TO MAIN PROJECT PAGE

Sufea Mohamad Noor, poster #1

The Evolution of D&I Terminologies, Sufea Mohamad Noor. 2021 BACK TO MAIN PROJECT PAGE

Feiyi Wen, Wood Water Rock (background)

The second chapter of the work: Wood, Water, Rock is a continuing exploration of interpretations of landscapes from different cultural perspectives with an emphasis on the discussion...

Feiyi Wen, Under The Yuzu Tree (background)

I am looking into the idea on how we understand concepts of emotions such as pathos through a cross-cultural context. Using the Greek notion of pathos, I...

Dandelion Lemonade, Jay Hampton

Dandelion Lemonade, Jay Hampton, 2021 Dandelion Lemonade Only 3% of UK wildflower meadows are left. Embrace the weeds. Let your garden overgrow. A weed is...

Sam Venables, Bio

Interests include but not limited to: Fandom, display mechanisms, signwriting, mass production, shopfitting/ shopfitters, roadside attractions, abandoned places, homemade substitutes, multi-packs, wear dated carpets, unofficial museums, localised advertising, custom...

Photographs from Bonanza, Sam Venables

The following images are taken from a film by Sam Venables, commissioned by Independents Biennial in partnership with Open Eye Gallery. You can see the full film in the Digital Window Gallery...

Film stills from Bonanza, Sam Venables

The following images are stills from a film by Sam Venables, commissioned by Independents Biennial in partnership with Open Eye Gallery. You can see the full film in the Digital Window Gallery...

Pierce Starre, Banquet Invitation

Pierce Starre has no authority to command the Lord Chamberlain to send this invitation so instead personally invites Anyone to the performance titled "Empty"; a digitally presented...

Too Foreign, part #1

TOO FOREIGN Living in another country can be one of the most stimulating and enriching experiences someone can have. They will never be the same...

Stephanie Fry, Bunker

Threads of History, Stephanie Fry, 2021 Threads of History, Stephanie Fry, 2021 Threads of History,...

Fiona Stirling, Sketchbook #1

In studying the impact of time and space on her painting practice Fiona Stirling made up two terms ‘painting ad hoc’ and ‘inbetweener painting’. These terms describe the process of painting in...

Avoid HaHa, Provocation #1: Ready when you are …

Avoid HaHa Ready when you are … For Independents Biennial 2021 Avoid HaHa collective is presenting a series of free laboratories where artists and performers...

Mark Simmonds, update #1

Page from newsprint gallery: BACK TO MAIN PAGE

ROOT-ed on Joy, pt.1

ROOT-ed has decided to dedicate their page to Joy. In these particular circumstances, it's important to look at the positive aspect in life and try to highlight what brings us Joy. ROOT-ed...

Human Libraries — Soft Sanctuary Online, Bella Milroy

This recipe is part of Soft Sanctuary Online — a programme of live events, written essays, recipes, film and podcasts. Featuring exclusively disabled artists, Soft Sanctuary explores the ceremonies of everyday life and...

Page 40,514

page 40,514, Grace Collins & George Gibson, 2021 BACK TO PROJECT PAGE

Sarah Gilman, Reading List

When these paintings are eventually able to be displayed in a library setting, books on the subject of still-life painting (particularly 17th century still-life) will hopefully be displayed near to the paintings...

Sarah Gilman, Trompe l’oeil after Gijsbrechts

"Trompe l'oeil after Gijsbrechts", Sarah Gilman, 2021 This project consists of a series of four oil paintings on canvas. It is an investigation into reproduction and appropriation in...

Kevin Crooks Instagram Takeover, February 2021 @indybiennial

@indybiennial is hosting artist takeovers, in the lead up to, and during the festival programme, 20th March - 6th June Kevin Crooks opened this programme in February. Follow him...

(View) Kevin Crooks, Thatto Heath Project

Details HERE

(Previews) FOUR WORDS: WIRRAL

FOUR WORDS: WIRRAL will be launched in full Tuesday 4th May HERE FOUR WORDS: WIRRAL is a continuation of Alan Dunn’s series that began on the Liverpool Media Wall working with...

ABOUT: Emmer Winder, Social Pharmacy

St Helens Social Pharmacy is a project which invites everyone to share their personal mantra/ words/ phrases that help them through the continuing Covid19 pandemic. It is hoped that these statements will heal those that read them, causing a therapeutic, shared sense of community.

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