review of the Mansion show

At 2pm on a wet Saturday afternoon in February, I found myself hobbling down Rusholme with my art exhibit trying to locate a back street where the Antwerp Mansion is situated. I was hungry, cold and already natty with not enough sleep and ta-dah! I found the venue.

It still looks half derelict, a fact that is sa little trueful and startling evident. My passion is in old and forgotten buildings, dereliction and ruins and so I should love and adore such a location. And yes, I do but the trepidation of such places has the sense of the unknown about them. The pent up emotions of fear and excitment is tantamount to the environment that I have overstepped boundries. Antwerp mansion is such a place, it has become somewhat part of the underbelly of the art and music scene of Manchester and I am surprised in how many of my peers haven't been to this venue before.

The interior hadn't really changed a lot since I last came into the building but when I entered the hall where the pop-up gallery was situated, I was was surprised in the amount of hustle and bustle that was taking place. Most of the artwork was fixed and plinthed and only a small amount of work was needed to finish the wall and floor space. I helped to tidy up the stage, move the sofas to the middle of the room and change a little of the positionings of some work and left the scene.

I came back at 7pm after a bite to eat in the city and began to patrol around the venue. I seem to get a little nervous and embarrassed at such events but with my trusted knitting, I sat down on a sofa and started to knit and drink some scrumpy. Some friends began to turn up and I duly shown then around the exhibition, they gave mixed responses to the artwork that was on show.

At 9pm, I had to work the door and stamp the visitors which was a little bit of a distraction from the proceedings. Earlier, I had a chat with the partner of my tutor at university about the work that I had exhibited and he gave a good response to the piece. He knew the inspirations and contextual backings about the work, we talked a little about Kurt Schwitters and dereliction. I didn't get the chance to speak to my tutor though, as said earlier, I do get a little agitated at such shows.

I was glad that a lot of my uni friends turned up for the event and we had a good old chinwag...my knitting was produced again and a few of the girls started to knit a few rows. It was a little like performance art that justed evolved out of neccessity. It is a little addictive, knitting, a little strange.

Well, the night was fun, I had a giggle, got a little tipsy and had a show at Antwerp Mansion..and survived.

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Thanks to John Lynch for the above photographs