The Annual Seamus Heaney Lecture 2023, organised by the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool, in association with The Estate of Seamus Heaney, will be delivered by Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, acclaimed astrophysicist from Northern Ireland, past president of the Royal Astronomical Society and past president of the Institute of Physics.
The evening will open with a reading of Seamus Heaney poems by Liverpool-born actor Paul McGann (Withnail and I, Doctor Who) and will conclude with refreshments.
Seamus Heaney was born and raised in County Derry. Death of a Naturalist, his first collection of poems, appeared in 1966 and was followed by poetry, translations and criticism which established him as one of the leading poets of his generation. In 1995 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past”. Seamus Heaney died in 2013.
This exhibition displays a selection of the resulting photographs, alongside this personal testimony.
With Outsiders, Davenant aimed to capture a snapshot of homelessness in modern Britain over a six year period. The project was done in partnership with the charity Shelter and included environmental portraiture together with personal testimony from participants. The national project covered locations in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Brighton, Kent, Hertfordshire and Norwich.
Friday 8th December, 6pm: Artist Talk with Marc Davenant. Free, book on Tickets Wirral
Williamson Art Gallery and Museum are proud to host the launch of the New Light Prize exhibition 23/24.
Established in 2010, the New Light charity celebrates and promotes Northern art, supporting both well-known and emerging artists by offering some of the region’s best awards and opportunities with the biennial New Light Prize Exhibition. It provides Northern artists with an unparalleled platform to showcase their work and reach new audiences.
The New Light Prize exhibition tour 23/24 begins with this show at the Williamson, open 30th September – 22nd December 2023. Free entry, check our Visit Us page for full visiting information.
Following its time at the Williamson the Prize exhibition will tour to London’s Bankside Gallery, The Gallery at Rheged in Penrith, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle and finish at The Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate on 31st December 2024.
‘Unlocking New Light Art’ exhibition tour & talk with Sara Riccardi. FREE but places limited.
Each year DaDa present our Edward Rushton Social Justice Lecture on the United Nations International Day for People with Disabilities (3rd December) to keep alive the passion and fire demonstrated by Rushton, a Liverpool poet, activist, abolitionist and disabled man.
This year we are thrilled to announce that we have secured a fantastic and insightful keynote speaker for the event, Ashokkumar D Mistry, who will be exploring ‘Reclaiming Nonchalance’ the value of disabled lives, particularly exploring the value of the lives of disabled children and young people.
This is a live in person event that will be BSL interpreted.
Exploring ‘Reclaiming Nonchalance’
Reclaiming Nonchalance is an invitation to activate ambition through the self-care of actively thinking beyond other people’s expectations. The lecture will dissect artworld mechanics and interrogate how Deaf Disabled and Neurodivergent artists are valued.
“We don’t want to have to be activists – however, it’s existential – instead, do we not want disabled artists to be able to make art that doesn’t exist to be worthy but ploughs its own course and the nonchalance of its substance is taken at face value”.
Limited by expectations we are subject to ‘playing-to-the-gallery’ dynamics. Living beyond peoples’ expectations activates our own ambition and forces an understanding through genuine interaction. In this year’s Edward Rushton Lecture, Ashokkumar Mistry addresses the mechanisms for valuing people, valuing everyone.
Join them for a captivating evening as they celebrate Taylor-Dior Rumble’s debut novel, The Situationship. Get ready for a story of love, self-discovery, and unexpected connections.
In The Situationship, Tia, an independent woman, faces a crossroads when her ex arrives with a new partner. She ventures into the world of dating apps and finds an exhilarating connection with Nate, a talented photographer.
During this exclusive event, Taylor-Dior Rumble will discuss her novel’s inspirations, character development, and modern romance. Join us to explore the complexities of relationships in the digital age, from friendship to love and “situationships”.
Taylor-Dior Rumble is a writer, born and raised in south-east London. She started her journalism career at BBC News at the age of 18 and has since gone on to produce and cover stories ranging from the politics of Black hair to colourism in Hollywood. The Situationship is her first novel.
Taylor’s debut novel has drawn comparisons to works by other talented authors such as Tia Williams and Candice Carty-Williams, as well as the popular HBO show “Insecure” created by Issa Rae. This suggests that The Situationship is poised to become a beloved addition to the contemporary romance genre.
The Situationship is published by #Merky Books which is an award-winning imprint launched in 2018 by Stormzy and Penguin Random House UK with a clear ambition to publish books that will own – and change – the mainstream. Our aim is to publish the stories that will allow a new generation of writers and readers across the UK to see themselves represented more regularly within the pages of a book.
Join them for the launch of Crow Dark Dawn, a new publication by David Greygoose at Open Eye Gallery!
Crow Dark Dawn completes the Brunt Boggart trilogy of wyrd-folk tales. The evening features extracts from all three books with film by First Take and NBE. All three books will be available to purchase during the evening.
“Beautiful stories and such evocative writing.”
Paul Molloy, The Coral
“Step into a world of fantasy and imagination…
be transported to another realm.”
Dana Gillespie, International Blues Diva
Published by Hawkwood Books
Artwork by Alice Lenkiewicz
Berlin-based artist Helene Appel creates images that straddle the threshold between realism, sculpture, and abstraction. Appel paints ordinary materials from everyday life, working in a 1:1 scale.
Appel’s work highlights the sometimes-overlooked beauty of ordinary objects such as the bark of a tree, sand on a seashore, an envelope, the headlight of a car, and a loose fold of fabric. Appel’s closely-observed paintings even explore the aesthetic qualities of discarded vegetable peelings ready to be thrown onto the compost pile, or a kitchen sink full to the brim of murky washing up water. The materials Appel uses, such as oil, watercolour or encaustic, start to resemble the object itself, giving her paintings a physical and three-dimensional presence.
This exhibition features key works from Appel’s career alongside a selection of new paintings. It is also an opportunity to see two works by Appel which were recently acquired for the Williamson’s collection: ‘Sand’ and ‘Dishwater’.
FREE exhibition tours with curator Niall Hodson will take place on:
Thursday 5th October, 12:30pm
Friday 8th December, 10:30am
Friday 19th January, 6pm
Life Line exhibits two photography series set along the West Kirby waterfront.
Employing magical realism and unique printing techniques, Cooper’s photographs place their inhabitants in a dreamlike world.
Saturday 7th October, 12-1pm: artist talk by Jonathan Cooper. Free, but places limited – book on Tickets Wirral
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Jonathan Cooper studied Photography at Withens Lane College in Wallasey, where his tutor included the renowned street photographer Tom Wood. Having previously worked in London and Australia Cooper is now based in Wirral.
Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, will complete his epic nationwide Library Marathon mission during National Libraries Week (2-8 October 2023) – including a special event at Liverpool Central Library on Friday 6 October at 2pm.
Libraries have formed a ‘vital part’ of Coelho’s life, and his Library Marathon project as the current Children’s Laureate – the most prestigious role in children’s books – is a heart-felt homage to the important role they play within communities and inspiring a love of reading in young people. It is a call for people, young and old, to join their local library. Across this extraordinary feat and by the end of National Libraries Week (which also includes National Poetry Day on Thursday 5 October) Joseph will have registered for a library card with a record 213 libraries.
Joseph has said: “Libraries made me a writer and make communities thrive. They have been a vital part of my life: from living on estates where I had a library next door, to my first Saturday job, to working at the British Library whilst studying at UCL, to touring theatre shows designed to be performed in libraries. I’m immensely grateful to libraries and the services they provide.”
