Take a tour: FUTURE | VISIONS Art at Threshold

The visual arts at this year's Threshold have been gorgeous, challeging and altogether brilliant

Threshold 2014's FUTURE / VISIONS presents a range of works from artists across the UK on the theme of retro-futurism.  

The exhibition is spread across festival venues throughout the Baltic Triangle, including Unit 51, Baltic Bakehouse, District (formerly The Picket) and new venues Palmer Hill and 90 Squared.

Now you have a chance to take a tour of the festival's arts venues with artist and arts guru Jazamin Sinclair. Meet up at Unit 51 on Sunday 30 March at 1pm to take in a vast and fascinating array of creativity including the latest gorgeous piece by Liverpool Arts Prize winner Robyn Woolston and live art by the award winning Tommy Graham.

As you take the tour, you'll also be able to take in the fascinating street art pasted up by a very busy Tristan Brady-Jacobs all along Jamaica Street. 

So grab your funky walking shoes and head on out there.

(Andrea McGuire)

Day 2: Shining a spotlight on art at Threshold

Day 2 and I decided to check out the visual art at Threshold.  Featuring some of the most interesting pieces I've seen in a long time, the Threshold Festival has excelled itself in its choice of artists this year. Make sure you check the out while you're down there. Here are my personal highlights.

Imagination Itself by Pamela Sullivan and The View Above by Janet Wilkinson

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” William Blake

Inspired by William Blake, Pamela Sullivan has taken that most prosaic of objects - the cardboard box - and created a magical corridor of trees in Camp and Furnace's stark white space. Intertwined in the branches are Janet Wilkinson's hand printed leaves.

Completing the cycle of tree, to cardboard, back to tree again, Pamela has made this piece from found and recycled materials and the result is an unusual and unique work. 

The Waterproof Sleuth and The Blustery Day by Matt Seamless

The biggest talking point of the Threshold's art pieces is Matt Seamless's display of pictures taken of the carcasses of blown and thrown umbrellas   With each one linked to a map of Liverpool city centre, every single picture tells its own unique story.

Following a storm in November 2012, Matt took to the streets to document the carnage left behind in the form of umbrellas. Matt first collected pictures of abandoned umbrellas in 2011 and he says 

""What developed was a strange fascination in the macabre beauty of the subject within each unique scene. An image of the owner, the perpetrator in this visual account of abandonment, can be developed from the evidence of the subjects appearance, location and placement thus posing further questions about the reasons for this partnership in the first instance and why it was so necessary or easy to break. Would the type and style be defining factors, or convenience? Necessity or preference; time or money; impact or obfuscation. There is less of a bond created than there was in the past and the notion of fixing one when it breaks is unheard. They break often as they have become increasingly cheap to build. Cheap to replace. Cheap to waste."

The resulting piece is both beautiful and haunting. One picture of two black umbrellas entangled in a gutter, completely alone, was like looking at a tragic love story. Every picture has its own story to tell and every person who views it will have their own version of what that story is.  A delightful and thought-provoking exhibit.

Photograph by Michael Kirkham

Loci (Double Bind) by Robyn Woolston

Liverpool Art Prize 2012 winner Robyn Woolston has created this piece specifically for Threshold 2013.  Constructed from recycled materials such as silver birch trees, plastic forks and gift cards, this work embodies "tension, repetition and release".  A must-see.

Photograph by Michael Kirkham

Jazamin Sinclair

In a small room upstairs at Camp and Furnace, Jazamin Sinclair has created a reflection of a dystopian, 1984-esque society using Instagram pictures of the world around us. A world where we're told what to do and what not to do; where we can go and where we can't. Well worth a viewing.

Photographs by Michael Kirkham

Check out Jazamin's pictures on Instagram at instagram.com/jazaminsinclair

And one final thing...

This from Disquiet and Surrender at Arena Studios & Gallery by Anna Ketskenety and Vicki Lucas Le Bon. One of the most disturbing film images ever. Did you spot it? 

Words by Andrea McGuire

Day One: The circus comes to town!

Following the wonderful yarnbombing that adorns Jamaica Street, I arrived at Camp & Furnace on Friday night for the launch of the Threshold Festival 2013 to a scene reminiscent of a mad movie.

The scene was one of volunteers getting everyone to where they needed to be, photographers capturing the venue from every angle, bands lugging instruments and setting up equipment, and festival-goers taking it all in while supping on the Festival's own beer, specially commissioned from Liverpool Craft Brewery.

Amid all the hustle and bustle  Festival Director Kaya Carney showed not a single sign of launch night nerves as she serenely directed the scene to make sure everyone had what they needed and got to where they needed to be.

Bring The Fire Project get the party started

I wandered down to Camp for the big launch amid an increasingly excited crowd. Kaya along with fellow Festival Director Chris Carney opened the proceedings in style and that's when the fun really began.

Hoisted aloft by a gaggle of exotically garbed, bejewelled women from Mr Wolf Collective, a giant papier mache elephant made its way through the crowd followed by a gobsmacking display from the Bring The Fire Project. It was as if Oller and Zidler's Moulin Rouge of 1890 had been kicked around and landed in Liverpool of 2013 as the Day 1 theme of Escapism was brought extravagantly to life.

Spread across venues all over the Baltic Triangle, the Festival has the feel of a village that's home to musicians and artists and it's a testament to everyone involved that it radiates a feeling of optimism that no rainy Friday evening or dire economic climate can diminish.

Heading to the first floor, I was treated to some of the most interesting and exciting art I've seen for a while. I'll shine a spotlight on the exhibits by Pamela Sullivan and Janet Wilkinson, Jazamin Sinclair, Matt Seamless and Liverpool Art Prize 2012 Winner Robyn Woolston in future posts.

Pamela Sullivan and Janet Wilkison's trees bring a touch of magic to Camp & Furnace

I pootled over to the Elevator Bar and witnessed The Ragamuffins tearing up the place with some pounding Northern Soul-style, Dexy's inspired tunes. Original numbers, like the possibly inaccurate "It Never Rains In Mossley Hill" were played loud and raw against a background of pugilistic brass that punched metaphorical holes right through the gorgeously decorated walls of the Elevator.

The Ragamuffins were followed by Fidel Afro who played a solid set of banging rock with excellent, crowd pleasing guitars and drums. 

As I headed home in drizzling rain, I was so so so impressed that these bands and artists are all true to the Threshold Festival's grass roots agenda of showcasing high quality talent from emerging artists. Can't wait to see what Day 2 brings with it. 

Words by Andrea McGuire, photographs by Michael Kirkham