Spring 2020

It has been a complicated six months balancing life’s ups and downs while keeping my my art activities moving forward. One of the newest developments has been my work with St George’s Hospital Charity. In October 2019 I spent 3 days at St George’s Hospital working with patients (and poets) for National Poetry Day, and then with actors for the annual St George’s Hospital Micro Panto in December. In 2020 I’ll be working with patients in neuro-rehab.

Health and mental health has long been a theme of my work and this February I’ll be part of an amazing exhibition at the Stour Space, Hackney Wick, E3 2PA from 20th February to 3rd March. I have been working with the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuro-imaging for some time now and the Dear World Project exhibition is my opportunity to work with research about mental health diagnosis, and the use of labels associated with feelings and emotions.

The Art of Caring 2019 ended it’s 3 month run at St Pancras Hospital with another insightful film from Anna Bowman in October, view it HERE. This year, 2020, we are needed more than ever to show support for Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. We are looking for artwork that demonstrates your passion for Care and/or Caring. Your artwork will be exhibited as part of a worldwide celebration of the World Health Organisation designating 2020 as the ‘Year of the Nurse and Midwife.’ Our theme for entries this year is ‘Ingredients for a Healthy Life’. Follow the instructions via the link to take part.

I’ve been lucky with collaborations over the years, with my most prolific partnership being with Harvey Wells (Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, Barts and the London School of Medicine).  We exhibited together at the Tate Modern (June 2019) and also at the Humanising Medicine exhibition (November 2019) at Barts Pathology Museum.

This year has kicked off with a rush of exciting album covers and imminent releases. I’ve been working on album artwork for Kelvin Christiane (Dreams May Come), Aaron Liddard, Chris Rand’s Gathering, Fabrice Quentin. One album that has been released in the last few days and is a departure from my usual Jazz fare is from Goldbringer (see image).

What If exhibition (Here I am with the artist Debbie Chessell)

CollectConnect had an active year and we had our big exhibitions the Art of Caring and Love Tokens and Bad Pennies. Amongst these we started trialling smaller shows, that included two or three artists. This gave us an opportunity to experiment and be more nimble with placements and selections. As you probably know all already we try and exhibit outdoors, in public places , leaving the work to be collected by artlovers or swept away by the weather, animals or street cleaners. What If was our first trial, and included myself, Bryan Benge and the young artist Sam Tout. We exhibited posters at Tolworth Railway Station and imagined future/alternative worlds. The Tolcake Heroes exhibition was with Dean Reddick and Sam Tout. We wrote poems that were engraved on brass effect plaques and placed on benches along Tolworth Broadway. The plaques celebrated personalities from Tolworth and the excellent cakes you can eat in the local shops. Our final CollectConnect trial exhibition was Impossipebble with both Bryan, Dean and myself. Art was created using pebbles and placed out in public places in Devon and Somerset.

Amongst the commissions and exhibitions I have continued my research into musicians from the 1930s. The project was inspired by my ongoing connection with the radio programme A World In London on Resonance FM with DJ Ritu. Every week I spend at the radio station sketching musicians and it always opens my eyes to London’s rich musical flavours.

So over the past year I have taken my two original 1930s handbooks of musician’s addresses and pounded the streets to find the homes of banjo players and clarinettists alike.  I’ve documented these journeys in little chapbooks and made films with my wife Natalie along the way. So far we have walked around Richmond, Twickenham, Whitton, Tufnell Park, Barnes, Mortlake, East Sheen, Hammersmith, Victoria and Pimlico. I’m currently researching the areas of Crouch End, Highgate and Lewisham. I’ve loved discovering the music through the old shellac records and learning about the musical history of our city.

Summer 2019

Exhibiting / Tate Modern / eMotion

Yesterday I installed a new artwork at the Tate Modern in London, UK. eMotion is an interactive artwork that I have created alongside longtime collaborators Harvey Wells and Kevin Acott. Throughout our lives we are making transitions: moving emotionally, spiritually, socially, physically. We adjust from being ‘healthy’ to being ‘ill’, from ‘independence’ to ‘dependence’ and back again. This project highlights the joys and fear of impermanence, of the changes that occur every second, minute and hour of our lives. It embraces movement as normal, as part of the flow of life – something that should neither be resisted nor forced.

You can see/experience it from 11-16 June 2019, 12-5pm daily as part of the Ideas in Motion exhibition. More information here – https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/tate-exchange/workshop/ideas-motion-borders-bodies-and-universe

From January to May my time is consumed by the Art of Caring exhibition at St George’s Hospital. I’ve been organising this exhibition for 5 years now and it still delights and surprises with its varied and insightful work. It ends on the 14th June and will now travel to St Pancras Hospital (Launch Party 18th July) under the care of curators Peter Herbert and Elaine Harper-Gay.

I was able to put some of my work into other group exhibitions this year. Size Matters was part of the Fringe Arts Bath festival and included some of my miniature cigarette worlds. It was also an opportunity to escape London for a few days, where I took some time out to do some drawing (see left) near Stroud. It has been a demanding 18 months with some sad and difficult periods in my personal life. I realise that I will need to take some more time out to draw in the future months. Love Tokens and Bad Pennies was a real success on the streets of London with the other CollectConnect artists. It really is my preferred way to exhibit, directly on the streets and engaging with a sometimes unsuspecting audience. It has been such an exciting format that we are teaming up with Barbara Dougan at Grove to run a new street art exhibition and trail that will run through Bury St Edmunds in August 2019. http://www.groveprojects.org/groving.html

Out and About

I had a fabulous day in May drawing at the Urban Tree Festival in London. As their festival artist I was given free rein to delve into a number of talks and activities. My favourite drawing was of the Thai Trees session in Lloyd Park just near Angel (right).

I am still devoted to sketching on the radio programme A World in London every Wednesday on Resonance FM. I have been drawing the bands/musicians who perform on the show for nearly 3 years now. I love the excitement of capturing the live performance and value the friendships I’ve nurtured with DJ Ritu, Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Patrick Bernard, Lucas Keen (and Sophia Gaetani Morris)

One of the personal projects that has really taken off in the past 6 months is discovering and celebrating the lives of London’s Musicians from the 1930s. I’m interested in where they lived, their music, and what the stories of their lives reveals about the time. I’ve published two books 1930s Musicians of Richmond and Twickenham and 1930s Musicians of Twickenham and Whitton. I’m currently working on a third one around Tufnell Park that includes musicians Frank Deniz, Fela Sowande and Leslie ‘Jiver’ Hutchinson. Natalie very kindly accompanies on my walks as I track down some of the houses where the musicians lived.

Album and Book Art

Georgia Mancio and Kate Williams’ new album Finding Home has been launched and very well received by critics and audiences alike (below). My artwork has also been featured on Laura Zakian’s new album Minor Moments and Canadian trumpeter Gabriel Mark Hasselbach’s latest release Radio Gold. Three worlds collided for me recently when I illustrated A World in London colleague Sophie Darling’s new chapbook Darling’s Global Record Labels through our publishers Sampson Low.

Summer/Autumn 2018

I have just got back from two weeks with the family in Limoux and Cambieure (France), and at last I can find some time to tell you about what I’ve been doing over the past six months, and also what the future has to offer. France is always a time to take stock and I enjoy drawing for myself. I start off will charcoal drawings and then re-draw in ink to create more direct images. I’ve become a rather disinterested photographer and these drawings help me remember the evocative moments I experience, and are often triggers for new ideas and future themes.

Small World Futures, Grove Residency and Poem Brut
Last year I spent a week in France with Bill Mudge and Kevin Acott. This time inspired me to work on some new ideas with Kevin and also to try and carve out more time to escape London. In June we performed together at the Crouch End Festival in the Intimate Space at St Mary’s Church Tower. We also worked on a fabulous exhibition together called Small World Futures. It was the highlight of my Spring, featuring 16 artists who had created new miniature future worlds. We exhibited on the streets around London Bridge and asked writers to create words to describe these worlds. It was such a success we published a small book (£3.70 + P&P) which you can buy HERE.

Small World Future – Alban Low (and Kevin Acott)

Kevin and I wanted more time to work through some of the Small World Future ideas and we applied for an artist’s residency at Grove in Bury St Edmunds. We were lucky to be awarded this opportunity and are taking up residency from 17-22 September to produce some new work together. We will publish a book during this week as well as explore some ideas about film and film noir. #EastAngliaNoir
There will be a short exhibition of the work on the 22nd September at Grove.
We’ll also be showcasing some of the work for a London audience at Rich Mix on 10th November 2018 (7pm, Free Entry) as part of the progressive Poem Brut night.

The Small World Futures exhibition has travelled to Aabenraa in Denmark where it has caused quite a stir at Eskild Beck’s gallery space. It will have a new life at the Gallery Nexus in Denmark during the Autumn of 2018.

The next CollectConnect exhibition will probably be a Money/Banknote/Coin/Currency themed show. We will put out a call in the Autumn.

Art of Caring
Once again the Art of Caring exhibition had a huge impact on my life. As you probably know we have been running it with CollectConnect for four years now, and have exhibited over 1000 artworks in hospitals and public spaces. It is really hard work but I think it is needed in our community. Since starting as a fulltime artist in 2000 I’ve seen many ‘Open’ art exhibitions disappear completely, the majority of those that remain take advantage of artists by charging them for submission and even have the audacity to reject their work once they have pocketed the entry fee. The Art of Caring has its flaws but it is a beacon for many artists and remains a totally inclusive exhibition (no submission fee, no rejection, exhibited in a public place with free entry).

Art of Caring at St Pancras Hospital

The title for this year’s Art of Caring exhibition was Health is a Human Right, inspired by the 2018 International Nurses’ Day theme. We started at St George’s Hospital, London in May, and we were also asked to put on a special exhibition to celebrate 70 years of the NHS in July. We published a colouring chapbook for this special occasion. More info HERE.

The Art of Caring culminated with the wonderful exhibition at St Pancras Hospital (19th July – 18th October 2018), with singing, dancing and a fine array of original artwork. Long may this exhibition continue, it is now established as a unique exhibition in the Arts Calendar.

Community Festivals
This year has seen me get involved with more collaborators and reach new audiences by working with the universities at Kingston, St Georges, Queen Mary, and UCL.

I started with the Festival of Communities at Stepney Green Park where I created a life-size Operation game with Harvey Wells at Queen Mary University London.

Over the next few months I’ll be collaborating with the Max Planck Centre and UCL at the Bloomsbury Festival (17-21 October). In November I’ll be creating a walking map with Harvey again for the Being Human Festival.

Album Art and Jazz
It has been a quieter few months for me with the album art but one album that particularly stands out is Pete Lee’s debut album, The Velvet Rage, on Ubuntu Music. I’ve also been lucky enough to create covers for Ornate – Terry Emm and Two – Tumultuous Tenors.

I’ve been experimenting with a new style in my gig sketches (see right, Geoff Berner). It’s been another brilliant few months as artist-in-resident on the radio show A World in London with DJ Ritu. I love going in every Wednesday and drawing the musicians as they perform. I was even lucky enough to be interviewed when I launched by London Violins chapbook and exhibition. You can listen to me chatting with violinists Alice Barron and Richard Jones by following this link… http://artofjazz.blogspot.com/2018/06/london-violins-world-in-london-with-dj.html

 

Winter 2018

Exhibitions
Christmas is behind me now and I’m busy preparing for two exhibitions, Small World Futures and The Art of Caring. Small World Futures will be a reasonably small group show, with around 15 artists exhibiting miniature worlds on the streets of London. Dean Reddick and I have been cultivating niches, railings, nooks and crannies around London Bridge in the past few months. We’ll be placing the worlds throughout February (1st-28th), photographing them and posting them on the CollectConnect blog. Members of the public will be able to view the worlds in situ, and even take them hope if they wish. We have also invited several writers to create poems, short stories and creative responses to the worlds. I’ll create a specific page here on my website in the next few weeks, as I’ve become fascinated by this kind of dystopian vision. Inspired by both by Brexit and the tragedy at Grenfell.

Our Small World Futures exhibition will then go onto Aabenraa in Denmark where Eskild Beck will be having his own miniature dioramic exhibition in May and June.

The Art of Caring is now in its fourth year and I’m incredibly proud of what we do to support Carers, Nurses and the NHS. It would be wonderful if you could get involved. As always we’re totally inclusive, so there are no excuses, just do it. The International Council of Nurses have come up with a powerful theme this year, so I hope that ‘Health is a Human Right’ will inspire. All the details are HERE. The exhibition will be displayed along a corridor in the Atkinson Morley Wing at St George’s Hospital, Tooting in May 2018.

The exhibition will be moving onto St Pancras Hospital later in the year, July to September. So keep an eye out. We always have a good party with Peter Herbert.

Jazz
In November this year I performed at the London Jazz Festival for the first time. Alongside the Stefanos Tsourelis Trio I sketched live on stage, using spirit ink and 6 huge canvases. It was an amazing night, one I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I’ve been sketching musicians for nearly 10 years now, and this was such an exhilarating night at a packed out Bull’s Head, Barnes.

I’m still busy sketching on the radio at A World In London at Resonance FM nearly every week, as well as plenty of gigs around London. Have a look at http://artofjazz.blogspot.co.uk/

I’m currently working on 3 album covers, for the Balagan Cafe Band, pianist Pete Lee, and for Sam Leak who is about to release an album with Dan Tepfer.

Books and Maps
In the past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to have illustrated Sarah Hobbs’ new book Two Hills. This is a new collaboration for me, with a poet who is a young exciting prospect. http://www.sarahhobbspoetry.co.uk/

I’ve also worked on my wife Natalie’s new chapbook, School Run. It really is worth a read. We launched it by having a bed-in, John and Yoko style. Buy it HERE.

Don’t forget my Walton-on-Thames Literary Walking Map is now available too. As the weather gets better in 2018, find a nice day and take stroll around Walton, discovering its hidden treasures. Elmbridge Council commissioned me to create it and it was one of my favourite jobs of 2017.

It is an A3 fold out map with a double page information sheet from Elmbridge Museum that reveals Walton’s literary connections with William Thackeray, Dirk Bogarde, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Jerome Kern, Julian Sturgis, Samuel Ireland, Matteo Sedazzari, Anne Cummings and many more. Follow the 60-90 minute circular walk and visit literary sites of interest in Walton-on-Thames, including The Swan pub, Walton Bridge, Nettlefold Studio, Walton Library, Ashley Park , St Mary’s Church and The Old Manor House.