Preston's closing PAD Gallery

As a new city Preston has the opportunity to reinvent itself as whatever it chooses to be. The slate is clean, the old industrial ways of the North fading away and newer possibilities could lie ahead.
Preston is a city full of students with the evergrowing UCLan campus sprawling across & through the centre - a centre that surely can create a vibrancy with more potential than 75p a pint happy hours and kebab shops. Humankind must be able aim a little higher than a new shopping complex and bus station. To create a legacy from this empty page and the limits of imagination can't be that imposing for a council, can it?
With all these students and all the permanent residents, with all the beautiful old buildings still dotted across the streets, and certainly with the fact that this is a CITY, the arts must be well taken care of in Preston mustn't they? Mustn't they?
Outside of the venerable Harris ( every town must have a museum... ), there was the one gallery. One gallery away from the upstairs of gift shops and framing places, one hall in the whole of Preston's city centre, one room funded by the city for the arts......
And on the 31st October 2010 it closes.
Blamed on the imminent cutbacks that will decimate the arts ( and most nonessential things in this country ), it is such a shame in hindsight that when times were good we didn't open more so that when the times got tough, the only one didn't have to close.

Alternatives

Had an operation on my ear - I was told I was deaf a few years ago by my local PCT but after buying a new phone and in-ear headphones, I thought I'd google to check I was ok popping the buds in.
I was ok but it was by chance I also found out what I had been diagnosed with ( otosclerosis ) is treatable.
I've had the op and all seems to be fine - I cant hear a sausage until the packing comes out of my lug but straight after when the surgeon speaks it was LOUD so fingers crossed.

While recuperating I've squeezed in the making of some images I've been working with for a while - I've been picking up stuff from Ebay in readiness.

The finished prints are a 1m x 660mm and mounted on foam board. If I may say so, as my friend Shabba Ranks would say, they look da bomb. I've applied for the Winter Arts Fair in Liverpool at the end of November so I'll be gauging interest then.

Dev Chart Iphone app

I'm probably preaching to the converting here but while on the subject of apps, I've always used the Massive Dev Chart online as it is a fantastic free resource.
As I pretty much only use Rodinal which comes with no times for my usual films of TriX 35mm and Neopan 100 or 400 120 its really helped out over the years when I keep forgetting.
With the Iphone app it not only has the times but also works doubles up as a timer counting down all the processes - you can even amend times as I need to with my DIY rotary setup.
Awesome and well worth coughing up for if you dev your own b/w films.

Hipstamatic

I know I'm neither the first nor will I be the last to swear by this little app for the Iphone.
The Iphone 4 has a much better camera I'm sure and doesnt need any of this trickery, but doing away with the necessity of quality and approaching Iphonography from the same standpoint of the Holga or another toy camera adds so much to the pleasure.
Instead of their being gripes about quality, there is only unique moments of smudged clarity.
As the great Holga Bible so perfectly puts it - don't ever be disappointed by what comes out of the camera......be amazed that anything came out!

Liverpool Arts Fair 2010 - Online Image Gallery

Hello - if you took away the flyer to buy work online, this is your blog post!

Please click below for the gallery and remember to use Passcode: liverpool2010 and the coupon lpoolart before checkout.

CLICK ON HERE FOR ONLINE GALLERY

For shipping - in order to keep costs as low as possible, use the option for the largest item if you are purchasing more than one print / canvas. It should work everything out ok but if you have any issues, please email me on joe@joekennedyphoto.co.uk

Also please be aware that some of the images would have to be cropped to produce some of the sizes offered - wherever necessary I will email a quick proof to you prior to printing to ensure you are satisfied if there has to be any changes.

Thank-you,
Joe

Coastal cubes

I've had a number of these made up - they're around 8" x 6", wooden and look incredibly cool with the seaside images inset.
They'll be for sale at the upcoming Liverpool Arts Fair and also online through here after this weekends event.
I can almost smell the fish and chips.....

Liverpool Arts Fair 2010

Submitted to and got the acceptance email back so had a week of putting together large fabric stretched prints and also these little picture wooden cuboid type frames.
I've also had two images mounted on to exhibition grade foamex panels and laminated - looking forward to seeing these.
I'll post more as I finish them.....