Queer Art - To See and Be Seen

[00:00:00]Today's episode is sponsored by >> yes, [music] >> the fantastic cantina over in Stanley Square sale. A fabulous place for food and drink. Check it out.

[00:00:13][laughter] >> Absolutely marvelous, isn't it? So, oh, hello and welcome to your Manchester, celebrating the people, the places, the [music] passions that make Greater Manchester such a fantastic place to call home. From brilliant theater and inspiring [music] art to great days out and community events, we've got another packed program for you. Yes, indeed.

[00:00:37]This week, [music] we're heading to home for an exhibition celebrating Manchester's LGBTQ plus history.

[00:00:44]>> I know it's good, is it? We've got our guide to what's happening across Greater Manchester. [music] >> Oh, what is happening?

[00:00:50]>> I'll tell you those.

[00:00:51]>> And of course, oh dear, another of Belle's thoughts for the week. So, put the kettle on, put your feet up, and let's get [music] started.

[00:01:00]>> Yes, art has a unique way of telling stories, and our next guest has done exactly that.

[00:01:06]>> To see and be seen is a brand new exhibition at home inspired by Manchester's queer UPN North archive.

[00:01:12]It's moving, thoughtprovoking, and completely free to visit.

[00:01:15]>> Is it by Joe? Well, joining us now is the artist behind it all.

[00:01:20]>> Please welcome Connor Collins.

[00:01:23]>> Come on, get round here.

[00:01:24]>> I'm here. I'm here. I'm here. Right then, everybody. Well, joining us now, there's an exhibition, you know.

[00:01:29]>> So, you're making an exhibition of yourself.

[00:01:31]>> I do. I like an exhibition, though. I like having a bit of time to take everything in, enjoy, and saunter.

[00:01:37]>> I like paint by numbers ones.

[00:01:38]>> Do you? Right. Well, there's an exhibition at home that has been um put your home. Not my home. Oh, >> as in home. The venue.

[00:01:46]>> Oh, the venue.

[00:01:47]>> The venue. Home.

[00:01:48]>> Yes.

[00:01:48]>> Tony Wilson Square.

[00:01:50]>> Yes.

[00:01:50]>> Yes. It's fantastic. and the uh one of the wonderful fabulous artists is joining us here now. This is Mr. Connor Collins everybody. Connor Collins, there he is over there doing an exhibition at home. What's the exhibition? Tell us all about it.

[00:02:04]>> Um so it's called to see and be seen. Um and it's my reaction to the Queer Up North digital archive. Yeah. Um so you hopefully you I'm sure you'll remember this, but a lot of people might not remember the Queer Up North um season, which was incredible. It was the biggest LGBTQ um arts festival in all of Europe and it ran for a decade and it suddenly stopped and I when I came to Manchester I hadn't heard of it and suddenly I found this archive and I was given access to it and all these stories of these fantastic queer lesbian trans people who did amazing performances, paintings, plays and just be able to react to that. So my exhibition isn't so much like a series of portraits of the people who were there. It's more just a reaction to those themes that I found through the archive really. Oh.

[00:02:44]>> So, how did you go about putting something like this together then?

[00:02:46]>> I had no plan. And I was so nervous cuz um up until I got this opportunity, I've had complete artist block. Um I've produced some paintings, a lot of them absolutely rubbish. My my last painting before this series was actually a bottle of poppers and it was pro was lopsided.

[00:03:01]I thought I put glitter on it. It made it even worse. It just looked awful. And so I was really scared when I got this opportunity I'd have this money, this space and go nothing. Um, but then when I went in, I there was so many ideas.

[00:03:13]There was so many themes about masculinity, femininity, and being in the closet, being seen, being in hiding, what it means to be vulnerable, and all these things came pingponging around.

[00:03:22]And I'd love to say I had a really clever sort of plan. I did research, which is what artists say when they're doing absolutely nothing. Um, but I was doing research, but no, I just literally had sticky notes, sketches, handwritten notes, word documents all around. And eventually, so they all sort of pieced together into individual parts of the um exhibition.

[00:03:38]>> So you claim flooding to you then? Yeah, genuinely it was it was I I hate to say it was it was easy coming up with ideas.

[00:03:44]Painting them was the pain, but coming up with ideas was fun.

[00:03:46]>> Right. Okay. And so perhaps um take us through a bit of what you how you go about what you do. What type of art do you lean towards?

[00:03:54]>> This is really I love that as a question. Um and the truth is I don't know. Um [laughter] because it's a bit like >> first time this season.

[00:04:02]>> I think it's a bit like with actors. So occasionally you get an actor and they'll do a role and they'll really enjoy playing I don't know um the baddie and let's say you get um someone like the best play Morati and um Sherlock and everyone goes oh you must play baddies for life but then go from baddy to romantic to comedy and I think with art it's a little bit like that. So I kind of find that being an artist which sounds arty farty to call yourself that but I find being an artist is almost like having a disease and the paintings are just sort of symptoms of those disease. So I don't know whether I have boiled today itchy leg the next day so say I might do a clay piece I might do mosaic Wash your hands. Wash your hands.

[00:04:35][laughter] Well, this is 2 meters, isn't it? But that's and it's it's I don't know what my style is because I I I think part of it actually my style because I used kind of random stuff um was when I just had no money. So, I was like I was minimum wage when I was in Manchester. Um and I just used things like Nutella and ketchup because it was cheaper than getting oil paints. And people thought, "Oh, it's very clever because the meaning behind the ketchup means blood."

[00:04:58]And I thought just it was one pound in middle.

[00:05:00]>> Yeah.

[00:05:01]>> So, whose eyes are these then? So these I try not to at the time I try not to say whose they are but actually this is Lily's and the only reason I'm happy to say that is the first >> Lily's eyes for >> she had Lily's hazel eyes.

[00:05:14]>> Yeah, >> it's Lily's eyes from um secret.

[00:05:18]>> No, I think of Lily the pink.

[00:05:20]>> Well, you would.

[00:05:21]>> I'm older.

[00:05:22]>> One in the pink. Um, so yes, these are Lily's eyes and these this is one of I think about 40 sets of eyes that I painted a four different qu >> I didn't but there's room in the wall.

[00:05:34]>> I mean to be fair you often don't paint yours.

[00:05:36]>> Well, I don't know what they look like.

[00:05:37]Normally one's looking for me and one looking at me.

[00:05:40]>> Well, I know. I was thinking that. I think so.

[00:05:42]>> You can paint my eyes.

[00:05:43]>> Oh, there's room at the mall. We can add some more. I'm sure.

[00:05:45]>> Lovely. I like that. Go on. [laughter] So, how have you gone about picking whose eyes? cuz I mean eyes are very it's it's it's a >> the pools to the soul.

[00:05:53]>> Thank you.

[00:05:54]>> Yes.

[00:05:54]>> Do you know you literally took my words and monopolized on it?

[00:05:58]>> But you're you're Bob on right because you try to lie and it's always the eyes that give it the way. It's the thing that's why people look away when they're fibbing because they don't want to reveal something themselves.

[00:06:06]>> No.

[00:06:07]>> Can you see into our soul?

[00:06:09]>> Um Oh no. I can bend a spoon though. But um can you see into what?

[00:06:14]>> Our souls.

[00:06:15]>> Our souls. Oh, I thought we'd gone elsewhere. I was going to say I'm sat down. Um, >> really? I'm trying to be Melvin brag here.

[00:06:26]>> I keep bragging. So, yes. Sorry. Go on.

[00:06:30]>> Lost track of where I was. No, it's fine.

[00:06:32]>> How do you what what what is the process for creating somebody's eyes? Do you paint them? Are they photographized?

[00:06:37]>> Um, oh, I picked and photos people's eyes, but then I also realized because I had so little time. I didn't sort of waste time trying to make them look exactly like how they look. I just thought that feeling of when you see that person's eyes. That's why I painted. So some people these ones are fairly tidy. Some of them are really just like five big blobs of paint on the canvas to make the eyes really. Um and there was no sort of rhyme or reason. It was one thing I wanted to make sure I didn't do was just paint a sea of white men's eyes. So there is a good mix of all people with different demographics, different backgrounds and histories really. Um but but the weird thing is I was really hoping as I painted these I get closer and closer to finding out what is that that spark in our eyes. Um, Margatus used the phrase a certain liquidity of the eye in the quiz monologues and I think that's quite close but I am no closer to finding out what it is when us queer people look at each other and it feels like home occasionally. It feels being seen and also feels safe occasionally when you have that in like this you're in a local village we don't know like ah I'm not alone there's another one just like me really.

[00:07:31]>> I love it. So when is this on until? uh till October the 31st on the first and second floor of home called the Granada Studio Galleries >> foundations.

[00:07:40]>> Yes.

[00:07:40]>> Yes, that's right. Yeah.

[00:07:41]>> Is it Is it free to get in?

[00:07:43]>> Yes, completely free. I'm wondering.

[00:07:44]>> Thank you so much for your time today.

[00:07:46]Thanks. Thanks for coming and I love the shirt as well.

[00:07:49]>> Now it's time for what's on. Yes, it is.

[00:07:52]What's happening across Greater Manchester all this week.

[00:07:56]>> Need to keep the kids entertained. The Trafford Center summer fair is open until the 30th of August. There's fairground rides, a beach splash pool, and enough ice cream to keep everyone smiling.

[00:08:05]>> Oh, I we love a movie. And at the Royal Exchange Theater, continuing its acclaimed production of the Tony award-winning musical Fun Home until the 1st [music] of August. Funny, moving, and beautifully written, it's well worth seeing. Yes.

[00:08:18]>> Now, however, if fresh air is more your thing, [music] head to Pennington Flash.

[00:08:22]Uh it began this exhibition on the 19th for the Flash's Festival of Nature.

[00:08:27]Expert wildlife walks, family activities, and plenty of chances to explore one of Greater Manchester's hidden gems.

[00:08:32]>> Yes. And celebrating 20 years of club culture. Not the Graten Club. It's the free warehouse project, and it's continuing [music] across Spinner Fields and St. John till the 7th of September.

[00:08:42]A must for music lovers and anyone who remembers getting home when everyone else was going to work. So, burglars.

[00:08:49]>> Then were the days. Some of us still haven't recovered. The Greater Manchester Bridge also continues throughout July from 532 and the King's Arms to Sulford Arts Theater and Gulivvers. You'll find comedy, drama, musicals, and brand new writing across all of the city. Who knows, you might discover the next big star before everyone else does.

[00:09:09]>> Oh, and if music is your thing, the Amy Winehouse Experience comes to the O2 Ritz Manchester on the 24th of July, celebrating one of Britain's greatest voices. As always, book ahead if you can and check venue websites before you travel. [music] >> Yes, whatever you choose, >> get out there.

[00:09:27]>> Yes, we get out there.

[00:09:28]>> Get out >> and support local >> and enjoy this brilliant city of ours.

[00:09:32]Yes, indeed. You know, being seen isn't necessarily about being famous. It's about being accepted. Every one of us wants someone to notice, to listen, to understand us, and to remind us that we matter. [music] Sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone isn't money or advice. It's simply your kindness.

[00:09:53][music] Yes, you may never know how much someone needed a smile, a conversation, or just a feel that [music] somebody cared.

[00:10:01]>> Oh, never underestimate the difference you can [music] make.

[00:10:06]>> Mark, what was she saying? Someone >> Yes.

[00:10:09]>> Oh, yes. And yes, yes, yes. Uh well, if you've enjoyed today's uh program, Yes.

[00:10:15]>> Yes. Don't forget [music] >> to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell.

[00:10:20]>> Yes. If you haven't liked it, shut your face. And if there's an event, performance, or community story you'd like us to feature, do get [music] in touch. Drop a postcard in the box today.

[00:10:30]>> Yes, indeed. Until next time, >> enjoy Greater Manchester >> and we'll see you all very, very soon.

[00:10:37]Thanks for watching this week's episode of >> Your Manchester.