Manchester Weekender & AND Festival

Thanks to the vibrant creative hub that is Manchester I have been able to see/hear a few things recently, as part of ‘The Manchester Weekender’ that have left me very inspired. The first was ‘Kryso & Kashiwagi…in the mix’ a performance at 'The Whitworth Gallery' in which Artist Naomi Kashiwagi and DJ Matthew Kryso performed an amazing set combining the artist use of wind up gramophones with turntables.

Unfortunately my obsession with music does not extend to the technical side of things, and I get the feeling if you knew more about this and how each source of sound was made you would be more awe struck by the set. However I loved it, because it sounded good. It made me want to jump in front of them and draw it, just as it made others nod their heads and tap feet - as much movement as felt acceptable in a gallery rather than club setting. This unusual setting enabled a very indulgent observation of the two performers. Had we been in a club we would have been lost in our own worlds, as it was we got to see the lost in theirs. This like every other live performance I have seen captivated me, the music takes over their faces, in concentration, and their bodies through compulsive bum wiggling and head nodding throughout.

Also brilliant, and part of 'AND Festival' 'The face visualiser' and 'Shrink' by Lawrence Malstaf, whose artist's talk revealed a fascinating body of sensory and participatory work. We also heard from the participants he had 'shrink wrapped' moments ago, it seems the best experience of the night, to everyone's surprise, was theirs.

Follow the links below for more info
Artist Naomi Kashiwagi
AND Festival 'The Face Visualiser'
Artist Lawrence Malstaf