Walk, don’t walk. Joint museums campaign begins
Watch where you walk when you’re strolling the streets of Manchester. You may notice something rather bright and shiny staring up at you. No, they’re not paved with gold, but there are some rather intriguing vinyls positioned around the city. Each relates to a Manchester cultural story, some you may know, others, well, just look and learn. The vinyls are part of our new campaign for the Manchester Museums Consortium – the joint organisation for nine of the major venues in Greater Manchester* – funded by the NWDA. The brief is to engage, stimulate interest and cross-promote the venues. We’ve been working with them for a few months now, and this is only the earliest stages of a two year strategic campaign to increase tourist numbers. The rest is obviously top secret and can’t be discussed any further. So that’s it. No more. Keep an eye out for more unusual sightings.
*Manchester Art Gallery, The Manchester Museum, The Whitworth Art Gallery; Strategic partners: Cornerhouse, Imperial War Museum North, The Lowry, (MOSI) Museum of Science & Industry, People’s History Museum, Urbis, as well Visit Manchester.
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Typography Tourism – Brighton
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Our Next Venture…
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Tina Malone; cultural icon
Liverpool takes steps to move on, and then Channel 4 recruit a Scouse micro celeb that fulfils a lot of the old stereotypes. It was never going to be Simon Rattle or Terence Davies, but Tina Malone? Come on!
Can one ‘bowling ball’ make a difference? Surely it’s like worrying about Rab C Nesbitt, string vests, Glasgow kisses and deep fried Mars Bars (mmm, deep fried Mars Bars…).
TV creates or fulfils perceptions. In other words, in Britain it often fulfils southerners perceptions of northerners.
It’s the Coronation Street effect. If Tina Malone managed to make a dent in Liverpool’s 12 months of hard graft in a three-week stint on the box, then consider the damage that Britain’s longest-running programme does to Manchester.
Manchester is innovative, the ‘original modern’ city, it has pulled together all the surrounding boroughs to sell ‘Manchester’. Its chief exec Sir H is hailed as a master of his art. And yet, three times a week, at 7.30pm you switch on the box to see the land of flat caps, red brick terraces and cobblestone streets. It’s nostalgic in an historical drama, unfortunate in an everyday soap.
TV and movies can make or break a place. It’s the reason why the Australian government was happy to spend £17m on an international advertising campaign supporting a three hour ad in the guise of a film.
Film is also the reason that New Zealand found its way – after Lord of the Rings. Everybody wants a piece of that New York kinda magic, where even the grit and gang killing is strangely alluring.
Does it matter if the film is a crock of kangaroo dung? Ask Tina Malone.
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Friday Afternoon Mixtape Series 8: Best of 2008
Mark
1. Dr Dog – Fate
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
3. The Black Keys – Attack & Release
4. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
5. Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst
6. The Felice Brothers – The Felice Brothers
7. Okkervil River – The Stand Ins
8. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
9. Micah P. Hinson – Micah P. Hinson & The Red Empire Orchestra
10. British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?
Nick
1. Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
2. Born Ruffians – Red, Yellow and Blue
3. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
4. Truckers of Husk – Physical Education
5. Wildbirds & Peacedrums – Heartcore
6. Man Man – Rabbit Habits
7. Lykke Li – Youth Novels
8. Portishead – Third
9. The Dodos – Visiter
10 Adem – Takes
Julia
1. TV On The Radio – Dear Science
2. Fleet Foxes Fleet – Fleet Foxes
3. Foals – Antidotes
4. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
5. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
6. The Cave Singers – Invitation Songs
7. The Breeders – Mountain Battles
8. The Cool Kids – The Bake Sale
9. Beach House – Devotion
10. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
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Friday Afternoon Mixtape Series 7: Place Names
Nick
1. The Clash – The Guns Of Brixton
2. The Isley Brothers – Ohio
3. Beirut – Postcards From Italy
4. The Doors – Alabama Song
5. Billy Bragg – A New England
6. Mali Music – Niger
7. The Fall – Hit the North
8. Björk – Oceania
9. The Coral – Spanish Main
10. Ivor Cutler – Life in a Scotch Sitting Room
Julia
1. Sonic Youth – Chapel Hill
2. The Clash – London Calling
3. The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset
4. Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
5. Pixies – River Euphates
6. Bob Dylan – Girl From The North Country
7. M. Ward – Four Hours In Washington
8. Led Zeppelin – Kashmir
9. Smashing Pumpkins – Geek USA
10. NWA – Straight Outta Compton
Mark
1. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tupelo
3. The Ramones – California Sun
4. Dead Kennedys – California Uber Alles
5. Stiff Little Fingers – Alternative Ulster
6. The Clash – White Man in Hammersmith Palais
7. The Beatles – Norwegian Wood
8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Time-Tree
9. Kings of Leon – California Waiting
10. The Small Faces – Itchycoo Park
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Friday Afternoon Mixtape Series 6: Female Musicians
Nick
1. Bjork – Bachelorette (vocals, songwriter)
2. Mia Clake (Electrelane) – On Parade (guitar, songwriter)
3. Bianca Leilani Casady (CocoRosie) – By Your Side (vocal, electronics, percussion)
4. PJ Harvey – Good Fortune (vocals, guitar, piano, songwriter)
5. Arianna Forster (The Slits) – Shoplifting (vocals, songwriter)
6. Scout Niblet – Dinosaur Egg (vocals, guitar, songwriter)
7. Joanna Newsom – The Side Of Blue (vocals, harp, songwriter)
8. Kim Deal (The Breeders/Pixies) – Invisible Man (vocals, guitar, bass, songwriter)
9. Maria Scroggins (ESG) – Moody (vocals, congas, songwriter)
10. Josephine Olausson (Love Is All) – Spinning And Scratching (vocals, keyboard)
Julia
1. Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) – Shadow Of A Doubt (vocals, bass, songwriter)
2. Bjork – Aurora (vocals, songwriter)
3. Andrea Zollo (Pretty Girls Make Graves) – Bullet Charm (vocals, songwriter)
4. Janet Weiss (Sleater Kinney) – Jumpers (drums)
5. Kim Deal (The Breeders & Pixies) – Divine Hammer (vocals, guitar, bass, songwriter)
6. Dusty Springfield – Goin Back (vocals)
7. Mo Tucker (Velvet Underground) – There she Goes Again (drums)
8. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) – Pin (vocals, songwriter)
9. Patti Smith – Free Money (vocals, songwriter)
10. Joanna Newsom – Swansea (vocals, harp, songwriter)
Mark
1. PJ Harvey – Down by the Water (vocals, guitar, piano, songwriter)
2. Kim Deal (The Breeders/Pixies) – Cannonball (vocals, guitar, bass, songwriter)
3. Regina Spektor – Better (vocals, piano, guitar, drums, songwriter)
4. Karen O – Mysteries (vocals, songwriter)
5. Chrissie Hynde – Don’t get me wrong (vocals, guitar, songwriter)
6. Cat Power – The Greatest (vocals, songwriter)
7. Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) – Misguided Angel (vocals, songwriter)
8. Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball (vocals, guitar, songwriter)
9. Patti Smith – Gloria (vocals, guitar, songwriter)
10. Deborah Harry – Dreaming (vocals, songwriter)
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Liverpool Biennial
Time is running out to visit the Liverpool Biennial. The most interesting for me were the exhibitions away from the main galleries that transform unexpected buildings and venues across the city, be it a former DIY shop or the Pilkingtons factory.
A definite highlight was Turning the Place Over where the artist, Richard Wilson, has cut a big circle from the facade of a building and made it turn through 360°. Well worth a look.
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I Love Cakes & Glorious Loves Cakes
Yummmmmm. Yet more cake appreciation.
Lovely Sarah from I Love Cakes, popped by our studios, with this little box of treats! Gone within seconds, they got a big thumbs up from everyone in the office, including James, one of our clients. Poor old Scott, you missed out.
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Buy buy buy Art Fair, sells well
Congratulations to our client Moorfield Media for the success of their Buy Art Fair event. The event held at Urbis last month, attracted more than 3,200, with art sales totaling more than £100k. Almost half of this year’s exhibitors are looking to sign up for next year and the 2009 dates have already been confirmed as 24-27 September. Hopefully you’ll have seen the ‘red spot’ ID and campaign around town – we think we played our part in making the inaugural event a success.
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