The Whitworth

Soon after the reopening of the Manchester Whitworth gallery I eagerly visited in the hope of finding fresh art that would bring excitement to the current Manchester art scene. The building itself is grand and really accentuates the impressive architecture which can be found in Manchester. What's especially attractive is the combination of the historic building mixed with the new glass extension; the view onto Whitworth park via the full length glass windows makes you forget you're stood in a building rather than actually outside in the park itself. I particularly liked the exhibition room which had the the brick wall of the original building exposed as it allowed you to really appreciate the historic architecture.

For me, the most inviting part of the gallery was seeing pieces made from vast amounts of materials. From the squashed musical instruments and garden tools by Cornelia Parker to the gun powder artwork by Cai Guo-Qiang, the range of mediums greatly inspired me and demonstrated how art can be found in any object.

MOSI 3D exhibition

I am fascinated by 3D printing because I believe that in the near future 3D printers will be common in households across the globe. This exhibition in the Museum of Science and Industry demonstrates how this new technology will shape our future. I find it compelling to think that in a museum displaying old technology, in a city which stimulated the industrial revolution, there is an exhibition for future technology. Not only will the average person own a 3D printer but at the current rate of technological development this technology will be in archived in museums soon enough.

The exhibition itself held various 3D printed objects, many of which were quite small as they printed onsite. Some of the more impressive objects included the world's first fully printed bike frame and a model of Bez from the Happy Mondays.

 
I found that one of the most intriguing parts of the exhibition was seeing how this technology will be eventually used in the medical industry. It explained the numerous benefits of how design and technology can come together to help people medically, whether that be to recreate bones and hopefully one day to print organs.

Overall it was interesting to learn more about the uses of 3D printing and see so many objects in real life however the exhibition was quite small and had the potential to be a lot more invigorating.

Liverpool Tate

The primary reason for my trip to Liverpool Tate was to visit the Transmitting Andy Warhol exhibition. This was my first time seeing his work in real life and so it was interesting to learn more about this thought processes and the making of his work. Obviously Warhol is known for being an eccentric character who's controversy was brought into his work, resulting in him being one of the most pioneering pop artists of the 20th century. His work broke political and social boundaries, symbolising the changing attitudes in 60s society. One of the things I learnt more about was how he wanted to mass produce his work so it could be accessible to as many people as possible. This was done through various cultural mediums, such as film and music. The multi-media broadcast 'The Exploding Plastic Inevitable', which was projected at 360°, summarised the work, personality, and ideologies of Warhol in a way that transmitted the vibe of 1960s New York whilst still feeling curious as to what the artist was really like.