HOWARD SILVERMAN’S WORKSHOPS
THE LOWRY
10AM – 3PM
TUES. 30/5-THURS. 2/6
Rivers, like the Irwell, are important to the birth and development of any civilisation. They provide water for drinking, agriculture and manufacturing.
For centuries, rivers were the quickest and easiest way to transport people and goods over a long distance, helping the growth of trade. They also brought back to the community news and new ideas. Their powerful currents drove the machinery of mills and factories. They have been a defence against invaders and at other times a highway by which both people and nature have brought danger to the community.
Here, along the banks of the Irwell the manufacture of cloth and paper took hold. In my installation ‘Flood’, in The Lowry’s Deck Gallery, I have used an ‘end-product’ of this force of nature, paper, corrugated paper, to interpret and respond to both the physical and spiritual presence of the river: its magical character. By combining the natural structure of the corrugated paper with the rhythms, currents and patterns of the water, I have attempted to transform both the material and the idea of a river into a new and independent thing - a sculpture, an installation and a three dimensional drawing.
What I would like you to try in these workshops is something similar. Use my installation, and your personal experience and research, as starting points. Working together as a team, have a go at making your own riverscape: water, buildings, boats, trees, people animals etc. I and my assistant, Toni, will be there to help. All materials will be provided. When you’ve finished we’ll hold an exhibition!
What I’d like you to do beforehand, if you have the time, is a bit of simple preparation. Bring to the first session some images or pictures of things you might see, or would like to see, on, or along, or above, a river. Take some photographs, make some drawings or perhaps download some pictures off of the Internet, or just cut out something from a magazine or newspaper. They will be very useful aids, references, to help workout what you might make.
For example, besides housing, warehouses, boats etc. there are some pretty exciting bridges and cranes. And, the unusual shapes of Old Trafford, The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum North can be seen from, or along, Salford Quays.
If you haven’t got the time or the opportunity, don’t worry; just bring your imagination, which is the most important thing. It will be very welcome.
Remember, things can get pretty messy so wear clothing that you are not too worried about. And, if you can, bring a camera, so that you have a record of what you’ve been doing.
THE LOWRY
10AM – 3PM
TUES. 30/5-THURS. 2/6
Rivers, like the Irwell, are important to the birth and development of any civilisation. They provide water for drinking, agriculture and manufacturing.
For centuries, rivers were the quickest and easiest way to transport people and goods over a long distance, helping the growth of trade. They also brought back to the community news and new ideas. Their powerful currents drove the machinery of mills and factories. They have been a defence against invaders and at other times a highway by which both people and nature have brought danger to the community.
Here, along the banks of the Irwell the manufacture of cloth and paper took hold. In my installation ‘Flood’, in The Lowry’s Deck Gallery, I have used an ‘end-product’ of this force of nature, paper, corrugated paper, to interpret and respond to both the physical and spiritual presence of the river: its magical character. By combining the natural structure of the corrugated paper with the rhythms, currents and patterns of the water, I have attempted to transform both the material and the idea of a river into a new and independent thing - a sculpture, an installation and a three dimensional drawing.
What I would like you to try in these workshops is something similar. Use my installation, and your personal experience and research, as starting points. Working together as a team, have a go at making your own riverscape: water, buildings, boats, trees, people animals etc. I and my assistant, Toni, will be there to help. All materials will be provided. When you’ve finished we’ll hold an exhibition!
What I’d like you to do beforehand, if you have the time, is a bit of simple preparation. Bring to the first session some images or pictures of things you might see, or would like to see, on, or along, or above, a river. Take some photographs, make some drawings or perhaps download some pictures off of the Internet, or just cut out something from a magazine or newspaper. They will be very useful aids, references, to help workout what you might make.
For example, besides housing, warehouses, boats etc. there are some pretty exciting bridges and cranes. And, the unusual shapes of Old Trafford, The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum North can be seen from, or along, Salford Quays.
If you haven’t got the time or the opportunity, don’t worry; just bring your imagination, which is the most important thing. It will be very welcome.
Remember, things can get pretty messy so wear clothing that you are not too worried about. And, if you can, bring a camera, so that you have a record of what you’ve been doing.
