Jai Redman

Twentyfour Houred Thetford Project Launched

2011-04-05T18:27:00.003+01:00

Ultimate Holding Company's community project to create a digital portrait of the Norfolk town of Thetford is live! You can visit it here www.thetford24.org.uk . It has been a great deal of fun collecting all the images submitted by local people on the 4th-5th March and creating this massive collage. Special thanks to our curator Deborah Smith and hosts the Ancient House museum.

Just one of the thousands of pictures taken during Twentyfour Houred Thetford.

UHC hosts this year's Postgraduate Design Show

2010-10-07T11:24:00.001+01:00

We are very excited to be hosting the 2010 Design LAB and Media LAB postgraduate shows. Students from the MA Design, Filmmaking, Photography and Media Arts courses at Manchester Metropolitan University will be showing work at Hotspur House between 14-17 October. The private view is between 4-8pm on Thursday 14 October.

The show has been curated and produced with the support of UHC, Hotspur House and myself. It will be the first time the public has been allowed access to the top floors of the building in nearly 10 years and it marks a watershed in our project to create a permanent collaborative design studio in the space.

More info on the show can be found here:
www.artdes.mmu.ac.uk/mashow

video extract from EVA artists in Lisbon

2010-10-01T16:30:00.015+01:00

Here is a short extract from one of the videos made by the EVA artists in Lisbon, this collaboration between André Gonçalves and local children created customised remote control cars, pimped with recycled drinks cans.

Lisbon visit - EVA conference, 23rd Sept

2010-10-01T16:27:00.002+01:00

It was my privilege to be invited along with Eva Merz from the New Social Art School to speak at a recent conference in Lisbon. The event marked the completion of a series of successful experimental socially engaged art projects in 7 different challenging neighbourhoods in the city. The project called EVA marked an important change in direction for art in the city, where experimental collaborative practice of this nature is still seen as rare.

Eva Merz and myself were able to provide context from our own projects in the UK and in return learn about the issues facing artists working with poor communities in Lisbon.

The conference was hosted by the National Immigration Centre on 23rd Sept 2010. It was introduced by Pedro Calado, representing the City's cultural department who were partners in EVA and Paulo Gouveia from the Clube Português de Artes e Ideias who's amazing studio managed the residencies.

Feral Trade Cafe - final few days!

2010-10-01T14:57:00.001+01:00

Throughout September I have been a participating artist in Kate Rich's Feral Trade Cafe project at Manchester's Castlefield Gallery. Kate's project brings together produce from all over the world, sourced and transported to the venue by social networks. I've been making flatbreads at our studio and delivering them by hand every week for consumption in the cafe.

The project closes on the 10th of October, and there's also a dinner on the 5th at 7pm. You can find out more at the Castlefield Gallery website.

Making Soda Bread with Nora and Kitty

2010-09-17T13:49:00.001+01:00

Challah knotting with Jack Maurer

2010-09-17T13:36:00.002+01:00

Work for sale via UHC website

2010-09-16T16:08:00.001+01:00

The Ultimate Holding Company website has a new section containing paintings, drawings and prints by its artists. The pages includes some work by me, with more to be added soon. It also has every remaining unsold drawing from the ExtInked series at stupidly affordable prices (from £60) for original signed work. The gallery is easy to navigate and work is bought and shipped directly from the artist, with no middleman. All the profits got to keeping UHC going through the recession! Visit it here.

Cheetham Hill artist research project - some outcomes

2010-09-16T14:47:00.002+01:00

After several months working in Cheetham Hill, this phase of my research project has come to an end. The project sought to explore the North Manchester district through it's bread making cultures. I visited a Sikh Temple to learn how to make Chapatti, the Irish Heritage Centre to make Soda Bread and the home of master baker Jack Maurer to learn the art of Challah. During the project I also installed several jars to collect the airborne yeast spores around Cheetham Hill Road, once the spores had developed a sourdough starter, the French style Levain was used to make the two loaves above. The idea was to make a loaf unique to the area, using spores that would have been around for thousands of years; a settler predating all the human waves of immigration. My hope is to continue the project next year, and create a unique new bread recipe for Cheetham Hill, combining the experiences and knowledge of the diverse community.

The loaves pictured were served to diners at the ExtInked Reunion, hosted by Castlefield Gallery as part of their 'A Horse Walks Into a Bar' exhibition, which featured work by Richard Billingham and Mark Wallinger.

My new dough mixer installed

2010-09-16T14:34:00.001+01:00

Having worked increasingly with bread over the past six months, it became apparent that kneading by hand wasn't always going to cut it. So I bought this £300 dough machine off eBay. Isn't it a beauty?!

A-N for Lunch

2010-09-16T14:00:00.000+01:00

Ultimate Holding Company Blog: A-N for Lunch: "UHC recently hosted a lunch for A-N members and staff during their visit to Manchester. Having been to Castlefield gallery and on route..."

SAVE THE ARTS! Jeremy Deller's William Morris inspired poster...

2010-09-15T14:01:00.002+01:00

There is no Document of Culture That is not a Document of Barbarism.

2010-04-07T19:29:00.003+01:00

Three recent paintings. Oil on board. 'There is no Document of Culture That is not a Document of Barbarism'. 2009.

Jewish Heritage Tour

2010-03-24T14:57:00.006Z

I went on the Jewish Heritage tour at the weekend, all around the Cheetham Hill area. The tour took in, amongst other things, various Jewish schools, warehouses and Synagogue sites (i'll upload a full set of annotated pictures to Flickr when I get the chance.

In the meantime, here are a few whimsical shots - one of our hosts Merton Paul standing in the gathering Sunday gloom outside an original Jewish entrepreneur's (Nathan Hope) Victorian warehouse/cap factory. And then right next to it, some fly-tipped chapatti flour bags full of rubble.

Crumpsall Allotment Visit

2010-03-24T12:10:00.019Z

As part of the work in Cheetham Hill, we had a great visit to the allotments on Hazelbottom Road in Crumpsall. The Allotments have been on this site since the 70's and we were shown around by Emilio Degisi from the Society.

Here is a few pictures including his plot on the 12th March and some compost (which I'm a bit into because that's one of the primary activities in Cheetham Hill - not rotting, but constantly recuperating resources).

Also here's some beans he gave us, which I've planted and plan to take to the UHC Wythenshawe Food Factory plot.

Cheetham Hill Commission

2010-03-23T17:45:00.006Z

I'm very excited to have been commissioned to work in Cheetham Hill, Manchester on a new artist-led research project this spring.

Funded in part by the City Council and initiated by Kerenza McClarnan's new public art commissioning organisation 'Buddleia', I'll be working in and around the neighbourhood and focussing on the social power of bread!

As a bit of a toe-dipping exercise I made this loaf from my mum's recipe book- it's a 'Pain de Mie' and has a semolina crust. Nom nom (as the kids say).

You can read more here, or watch this space for more exciting bread pictures.

The Exam - New collaboration

2010-02-16T13:22:00.002Z

Joe Richardson has been developing a new project for Ultimate Holding Company called The Exam. The piece, a new commission for this year's Queer Up North Festival, will premiere in late May in Manchester.

I have been working in support of Joe's research and development stage, funded by the NWDA through the QUN community engagement programme.

The content of the final piece is still firmly under wraps, but we know it will be an exciting and unique immersive experience...

ExtInked Exhibition ambassador -me!

2009-12-03T17:01:00.004Z

So we did it! 100 people came to the extInked show and were tattooed with 100 endangered UK species. Many. many more applied and I want to say a personal thank you to everyone who came along and showed their support.

Particularly, the project would never have happened without the hard work and unrivalled skill of our three tattooists from Ink Vs Steel and their 'wrangler' Gabrielle Butcher. Hats off.

So here is their work on my shoulder - the Smooth Snake. It's my first tattoo and by all accounts, not to be my last.

Photograph by Tom Bing

ExtInked Exhibition

2009-11-21T20:48:00.005Z

My current show with Ultimate Holding Company - extInked is open until 29th November everyday from 10am-6pm at :

Unit 108, Chapel St. Walks,

Chapel St.,

Salford,

M3 5DW

From Thursday night we will be tattooing the country's 100 most endangered species on 100 volunteers.

extInked pics

2009-11-13T21:01:00.004Z

Photo credit - Tom Bing

extInked pics

2009-11-13T20:59:00.004Z

Photo credit - Tom Bing

extInked launch night

2009-11-13T20:43:00.005Z

Here's a picture taken by Tom Bing from last night's extInked launch. Over 300 people came along to the opening night of our latest show, with most applying to become an ambassador and get tattooed with one of the hundred drawings I've made of the UK's most endangered species. The exhibition is open daily and details of the venue location and opening times are in the previous post. Thanks to everyone who came and made the night so memorable!

Photo credit - Tom Bing

ExtInked finally goes ahead this month!

2009-11-01T19:09:00.002Z

After over a year of planning, researching and drawing, ExtInked goes ahead this month in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Working with Ultimate Holding Company, I will be tattooing 100 public volunteers with the image of 100 of the Country's most endangered species. It's taken a while to draw the designs of all the plants, marine creatures, mammals, insects and birds, but on the 12th of November the designs will go on public display for the first time. From then you'll be able to sign up at the gallery to become an 'ambassador' for one of the species - and get it permanently tattooed on your body, free of charge.

A Matter of Taste

2009-01-19T17:02:00.003Z

A Matter of Taste. Oil on reclaimed cupboard door. 2007

Photos from week three at Art Gene

2008-10-05T10:44:00.004+01:00

I've been spending a lot of time on the dunes and beaches around Walney Island in Barrow in Furness as part of our residency. Here's a photo from this week (the contraption pictured is for collecting cockles).

B.tween project - save the bee!

2008-09-20T20:08:00.002+01:00

UHC have put together a new artist-led mapping project and have entered it for the B.tween Mapping Creativity commission. From the 50 or so projects currently proposed, 3 will be chosen to go through to the next stage for potential funding. Read more here and vote for us or leave a comment.

Off to Art Gene

2008-09-20T18:31:00.002+01:00

Last year UHC won the Art Gene open exhibition prize, and this month we took up our two month residency at their studios in Barrow In Furness. This picture was taken on day two on the National Trust nature reserve we'll be no doubt visiting a lot.

Best of?

2008-09-20T18:26:00.004+01:00

Ok, so didn't win the 'Best of Manchester' award, but it was great to be in the final three! The work is on show at Urbis until the end of the month.

Although I missed the whole award ceremony after rushing to the loo to clean a spilled drink from my shirt (!), Peter Saville reportedly said on stage that UHC were 'the ones to watch'. I'm just a little chuffed!

I'm a finalist in 2008's Best of Manchester Awards

2008-08-05T20:21:00.006+01:00

I'm one of three shortlisted artists for this year's Best of Manchester Awards, with the winner to be announced at a special event this coming Thursday night at Urbis. A small exhibition of work by all those shortlisted in the three categories (art, music and fashion) is on at the venue from 8th August until 28th September - I'll be showing the 'Spring Shrouds' project I worked on with UHC and comedian Mark Thomas last year. I'll put some pictures up here after Thursday.

My website is back up!

2008-07-25T18:31:00.002+01:00

My website - see the link opposite or click here - is back up and fully updated. Many thanks to Joe for putting this together for me.

Iron Lady

2008-07-04T20:42:00.016+01:00

The lime tree in my street produces an amazing amount of sap, due to the infestation of aphids it suffers each year.

This magazine clipping of Thatcher was placed under the tree for an afternoon, resulting in the ink corroding.

Magazine Image of Iron Lady - Corroded by Lime Tree Sap. August 2007

Climate Change Poster

2008-05-11T16:11:00.001+01:00

Designed for this year's Climate Camp.

Climate Change Books

2008-05-11T15:38:00.009+01:00

Two recent new pieces using a couple of copies of the Climate Change white paper. One is a commission for new interpretations of Carl Sagan's Golden Record, as launched into space in 1977 with the Voyager missions. There were originally 116 images describing life on earth encoded into the gold phonograph record, this one is 'Anatomy 6'. All the pieces in the series are being commissioned by Collective Gallery in Edinburgh.

Other participants include emerging and established artists including Layla Curtis, Dan Perjovschi, Donald Urquhart, Paul McDevitt, Adam Dant, Bob & Roberta Smith, Rachel Goodyear, Doug Skinner, David A Hardy, David Godbold, Jen Liu, Ted Mineo and Ruth Claxton - comedians participating in other sections include Stewart Lee, Josie Long, Simon Munnery, John Hegley, Will Hodgson, Pappy's Fun Club, Tim Key, Alex Horne and Robin Ince.

Untitled book. May 2008

Anatomy 6. May 2008

Valentine's lectures Picture

2008-02-20T17:28:00.001Z

Valentine's Day Lectures

2008-02-15T12:44:00.002Z

I'll be hosting Ultimate Holding Company's series of outdoor Valentine's Lectures in Manchester tonight and the next three nights. On Saturday I will also be giving one of the Lectures on art and regeneration in the city.

You can find out times and locations of all the talks at the UHC website or the newly launched OpenManchester site.

Come down for some free soup and radical art talk!

Commemorative plates and mugs on sale

2008-02-04T12:04:00.000Z

The plates and mugs I've made recently are now available via the UHC shop.
www.uhc.org.uk (follow the link to the shop!).

Bird Table

2008-01-16T17:10:00.000Z

Completed just before Christmas, this is a decorated recycled table, with the addition of a lamp and cord. The bird motif continues my recent feathered theme - this one's a crow, a bird I'm quite interested in at the moment.

NoEyeDeer prints available now

2008-01-16T17:00:00.000Z

I've made 20 screenprints of the NoEyeDeer picture. They are hand printed in three colours by me with help from Joe and Simon at UHC on A1 sized heavy cartridge paper. They are for sale as signed numbered limited editions for £65 (unframed). If you are interested in owning one, drop me an email via my website.

My ceramics available now for you to own!

2008-01-10T14:47:00.000Z

That's right! I've splashed out and had plate and mug designs produced. The work is pictured below. If you are interested in owning one of these limited edition pieces then send me an email (address is on my website, follow the link on the left).

Only 20 of each plate are being produced and 30 of the mugs. The pieces are all digitally printed on china and good for display or you can use them. Each comes in a nice illustrated box! The mugs cost £8 each and the plates are £25 each (p&p not included). What a bargain!

Manchester Uncity

2007-12-04T10:24:00.001Z

This design is for an imaginary badge, commemorating the consolidation of Manchester United and Manchester City Football Clubs into one entity. It takes elements of both shields and creates a bastardized version. The piece explores the homogenization of culture, how those divorced from place and cultural context are easily able to destroy things that are dear to others. It is also about the city itself, how space in the city is supposed to contain conflict of interest and activity, that there are always going to be rivals and tribal divides. Those who seek to clean, homogenize and sterilize the city - in efforts to create safe zones for mass consumption - threaten to erase our sense of place, history and belonging.

The Manchester Uncity badge has been printed on a series of limited edition china plates, for Ultimate Holding Company's Christmas Art Sale. If you don't like them, buy them and smash them!

Commemorative Ceramics

2007-12-04T10:11:00.000Z

More commemorative ceramics celebrating commonplace Manchester street scenes, this one depicts lads hanging around bins. I am currently producing a limited run of this mug, to be sold at this years' Christmas art sale on 13th December (details on the Ultimate Holding Co website).

Finally finished!

2007-11-20T09:15:00.001Z

After about a month, I finally completed work on this large drawing, a companion piece to the yellow stag (see previous post). It is also executed in graphite and acrylic. Its untitled, but has a bit of an autumn theme going on.

Portrait of Victor Alexandrovich Pavlov

2007-11-10T12:37:00.001Z

This is my second small version of this particular portrait.

It is in acrylic, correcting fluid, silk screen ink and graphite on used glass paper. Working in pencil on sand and glass paper presents interesting challenges!

The photograph from which this portrait is taken is of Victor Alexandrovich Pavlov, just one of the faces staring out of countless mug shots of those executed in Stalin's purges.

Portrait of Victor Alexandrovich Pavlov.
Acrylic, correcting fluid, silk screen ink and graphite on used glass paper. May 2007.

Memory Stick

2007-11-09T20:04:00.001Z

Memory Stick. Oil on reclaimed wood. August 2007

This is the first in a series of paintings of endangered British species. The bird pictured is an Aquatic Warbler.

Roses

2007-11-06T20:36:00.000Z

Roses. Oil on reclaimed veneered wood. August 2007.

We won an art prize!

2007-11-04T13:54:00.001Z

UHC have been awarded this year's Art Gene Open prize. We entered the two works above: The Thin Veneer of Democracy and collective member Joe Richardson's piece People's Tower for Manchester. Visit the project site here: www.artgene.co.uk

The show is curated by Paul Moss and Miles Thurlow (Workplace Gallery, Newcastle) who were on the selection panel, along with Art Gene founders Stuart Bastik and Maddi Nicholson.

Our prize is a two month residency in Barrow, which UHC will be taking up early next year.

The Bible

2007-11-04T13:37:00.000Z

The Bible. Italian pocket bible. Oil paint. August 2007

Seeing as its Sunday...

What I think I meant was paint is a language like words. Its not supposed to look like a white dogshit. Or godshit.

Pigeon

2007-11-04T11:10:00.001Z

Pigeon. Oil on MDF. July 2007

This one was painted over the summer, during a three week break from UHC. I must have been subconsciously tuning in to some kind of sixth sense: the picture respresents pestilence, internal rot and wasted opportunity - because I was trying to capture the essence of Manchester (!) With retrospect I might as well have been painting the situation developing a little closer to home.

Paper moon

2007-11-03T10:13:00.001Z

Paper Moon. Oil paint on paper. Oct 2007.

The moon as seen through a tattered piece of an old billboard advert.
The piece of paper was found in that shape, blowing around in the street. I cut the hole and painted the clouds in oils with my finger.

Dead bloke on a plate

2007-11-03T09:48:00.000Z

Mao Tse-Tung Dead Bloke. Sept 2007 transfer on plate

Exclusive - It's my first ceramic work! Created earlier in the Autumn, this is my first commemorative plate. It's a limited edition - of one. Continuing my interest in Mao's image. Coming next in the series (hopefully) is a small series of tea mugs celebrating some timeless English working class scenes - namely workmen in cut-off fluorescent waistcoats and lads hanging around bins!

Welcome!

2007-11-03T00:13:00.000Z

So this is my latest work, and the first entry in my new blog.

It's a large drawing in graphite on lining paper with acrylic. Slightly jokingly titled 'NoEyeDeer'. (Those are eyes on the end of the antlers). I hope it will be the first in a new series of large scale drawings. I'm going to post up new work here as it gets finished, coz its easier than updating the website. If you want to see my portfolio, visit the link to my site.