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Mr Johnston Eric Dawson James Kemp Haigh Simpson Hannah Drake Mr Johnston Jane Steele George Quinn Mike Mckenny Douglas Thompson Rob Walsh Michael Metcalfe Andy Abbott Rob Walsh Chemaine Cooke Joe Sheeran Sam Musgrave Michael Metcalfe Andrea Hardaker Alan Carmichael Sam Lawrence Yvonne Carmichael Jason Winder Sarah Read Rachel Kaye

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It is March. Spring is around the corner and here we are 4 issues into the HowDo?! series. I confidently ignored all advice suggesting it was a bad idea to launch something like this with little over a month of development, yet alone in the difficult winter months. But I knew it had to happen that way so to establish ourselves and not miss out on the most eventful and exciting time of the year. With 4 issues under our belt we are fighting fit in an extremely difficult environment. It has been frustrating and disappointing at times with a slow uptake in advertisements which we need to continue to grow and keep up with the demand that HowDo Magazine clearly now has. But we have managed to secure the support of some of the city’s most significant cultural organisations and we are confident that HowDo?! can establish itself as a central media for all people of Bradford to use as their own with the necessary backing. Only with YOUR support can this happen. So get in contact, get involved, promote your events and invest in Bradford. It would be inapproprite not to take this opportunity of free rambling to acknowledge the many people and organisation who have supported us financially and shown immense trust in our project and us as individuals. Without such commitment HowDo?! would not exist. We are eternally greatful and owe everything to those who have been involved so far. Now that’s off mi chest let us look at Issue 4. Haigh and I recently discussed how this issue marks a turning point in many ways. A break. Phase 2. A fresh beginning and a true launching of HowDo Magazine. The point is that we are yet to be tripped up and are still here going into the better months (ignoring the fact that the western world is completely skint). We have a platform to build something truly unique that will not only encourage dialogue with the Bradforddale but promote Bradford’s cultural renaissance. If you recap to issue one I made note of the reasons for putting this publication together; pulling all my favours and breaking my back with no financial support has not been easy. I felt a creative movement in Bradford that I had not felt before and saw the unique position our community was in to encourage and promote that movement. Confidence is viral and Bradford has greatness . Issue 4 invites Bradford based zine artist Jean Mcewan to exhibit her comprehensive collection of work. Jean has been working as an artist for years and the beautiful imagery she uses and explores are an absolute gift to this publication. Special appraisal and thanks must go out to the uniquely talented designer Miss Hannah Drake. I know few graphic designers who would have been able to do Jean’s work justice but she has produced a highly refined layout that has truly upped the game. We are looking for talented graphic designers to join our design team on a Pro-Bono basis. If you feel that you have what it takes to pull together an issue or would just like to help out here and there for some portfolio development please get in contact. Exciting times are ahead of us with the an array of cultural programs going live over the coming months. Keep in the loop here, and please get involved! Oh and we have a website! Web designer David Brennon has produced something rather swish as a starting point of HowDo’s online presence. We will be working hard to establish this over the coming months so keep your eye out on Facebook and Twitter for updates and access to all kinds of unique cultural media and easy ways to participate and get involved with HowDo?!

Rob Reed Tom Attah Joe Ralph Andrew Sopf Ben Dalby Niki Bierton Jamie McHale Kathryn Mark Chris Scott

The Print Project Andrew Kniveton Gwen Greenwood Emily Jane Bronte Dominic Sheard

Artwork by Jean Mcewen: www.jeanmcewan.com

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Writer? haigh@howdomagazine.co.uk Artist? james@howdomagazine.co.uk

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4_ [anniversarySPECIAL] Haigh Simpson speaks with BCB Station Director Mary Dowson 6_ [anniversarySPECIAL] BCB - The Early Years by Rob Walsh 9_ [ourHERITAGE] Bradford’s Irish Heritage by Joe Sheeran 12_ [bratudOUTLOOK] Making Joseph Brennon House Beautiful - Artfarmers Sam Musgrave, Douglas Thompson and Chemaine Cooke meet with Rita Marcalo; director of Instant Dissidence 14_ [people&ART] Douglas Thompson visits South Square Gallery Thornton + introductions to... 16_ [people&ART] Media for the Misbegotten by Rachel Kaye + Leeds Print Festival 18_ [theatre&PERFORMANCE] Folk Narratives + Etiquette of Grief 23_ make ugly beautiful. 24_ [spokenWORD] Jane Steele introduces a bumper spoken word section including an interview with Ann Dinsdale from The Bronte Parsonage Museum 31_ [artisticPERSPECTIVE] Featured artist Jean Mcewan is profiled by Dom Sheard

[PARTNERING ORGANISATIONS]

[COLLABORATIONS]

33_ makeYOUROWN Sam Lawrence introduces cooperative housing 36_ [food&DRINK] Recipes from foreign lands & the Bradford Beer Festival 41_ [liveMUSIC] The Spectre of Authenticity in (Bradford’s) underground music 43_ [liveMUSIC] Three pages of reviews & previews of the Bradford music scene 48_ mediaREVIEW] Album + Book Reviews 51_ [filmREVIEW] Mike McKenny previews the Bradford International Film Festival

[DISCLAIMER] HowDo Magazine is an independent organisation that encourages creative expression. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN HowDo ARE THE OPINIONS OF THE WRITERS & DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLICATION. [SUBSCRIPTION] Like what we do and want to support our project? Please get in contact if you would be interested in subscribing to HowDo?! Support our socially conscious agenda and invest in Bradford. subscription@ howdomagazine.co.uk

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An Interview with BCB Station Director Mary Dowson by Haigh Simpson

‘From the heart of Bradford, this is BCB Radio 106.6 FM’; the innocuous jingle drifts from a well-used radio on the reception desk. Through the glass the newsroom is in full swing, keyboards are clicking and discussions are underway. You could be forgiven for thinking this was just your average local radio station. You would be wrong. Just around the corner several school children sit at their desks working away, an elderly lady cracks a joke and a man with a thick Polish accent talks on the phone. A schoolgirl is preparing a feature package on football mascots, “Why are Crewe called the Railwaymen? What is so special about Crewe’s train station?” The light on the studio door lights up red, ‘Live on Air’. This is not Smashey and Nicey, this is proper grassroots local radio, from the heart of Bradford. You would be hard-pressed to find a more inclusive organisation than BCB radio, nor are you likely to meet a friendlier host than Mary Dowson, the station’s Director. Twenty years ago Mary spotted an opportunity - the Broadcasting Act of 1990 had opened up the chance of creating a community radio station for the city of Bradford. It would bring together her two great passions, radio and community-based education. “It was just fantastic, the idea that we could have a radio station where ordinary people in Bradford could broadcast, that those voices could be heard… it’s probably the most exciting thing I have ever done in my life.” At the time broadcasting licences were limited to one month, and so Bradford Festival Radio as it was then known became the audio companion to the Bradford Festival season. Little did Mary and her fellow pioneers imagine that two decades later this experiment would have grown to become a full time broadcaster, recognised both nationally and internationally for its community work. The journey was by no means easy but is testament to the ethos and objectives that make this organisation so special. For ten years BCB has provided free training and support for the people of Bradford, turning consumers or passive listeners of radio into active broadcasters. The volunteers are given compete control and many sections of the community are given a voice, “It’s about people identifying what programmes they want to make and us giving them the training and platform to be able to do that” says Mary. “Our role is to encourage people to become broadcasters and to give them that training and support to make their own radio programmes.” It is a stubborn commitment to this ethos that has prevented the station from ever becoming commercially funded. “We have chosen

not to be a commercial station, not to take advertising because we don’t want to be driven by another objective...Finding advertising that sits with us ethically is always going to be difficult, we could take some but we would much rather do something which was socially useful and had community gain and social benefit.” The idea was almost unheard of ten years ago when, after a good deal of hard lobbying by Mary, the station was granted a full broadcasting licence. “We were very much seen as a trailblazer and we have been visited by loads and loads of different organisations over the years who want to come and see what we do and how we do it, which is very flattering.” Their commitment is admirable given the difficulties facing social enterprises but BCB has an impressive track record when it comes to securing funding. “Most of the funding has not been as a radio station per se, it’s actually for the work we do in development and training… In the past we have had money from Europe and through government projects such as the Working Neighbourhoods Fund. We have actually fitted into a lot of policy objectives that governments have had, but of course they come and go so it’s about being ready for whatever the next one is.” The nature of project funding means the station needs to be on its toes at all times. “Obviously we have a great premises and resources now, but we do have a lot of overheads. In this difficult economic period it is going to be a challenge for us to find the money to keep going. It’s about how we can be creative and inventive.” BCB survives on a skeleton staff team who have to make sure the infrastructure is there and that the equipment is working, as well as being there to make sure everybody has the training and support they need. Thankfully they can call on the huge team of devoted volunteers; around 250 people are actively involved with the station. Mary admits managing that amount of people is hard but is full of praise for the dedication of everyone involved, “The commitment of our volunteers is absolutely incredible, they are very devoted to the station and thankfully there are very few occasions where people aren’t able to do what they want to do.” The benefits for these volunteers are varied and rewarding, both for the individual and their communities. The station supports and encourages those looking to find work through various training projects and in some cases has been able to offer work experience. “We have had three different projects where we have been able to employ teams of community reporters for a year. To give somebody a year’s training and work experience as a reporter is a massive thing in somebody’s life,” said Mary. The organisation does a lot of work with schools and offers a unique opportunity for children to develop skills and engage with the wider community. Their youth radio projects have included exchanges with Germany, the creation of a dedicated online youth radio station and magazine - BCB Extra - and have delivered projects and accreditation with Bradford District Pupil Referral Unit, youth offending teams, and in youth and community centres across the district. Just as importantly BCB gives each and every community the opportunity to engage with the rest of the city. “There have been a lot of different people come to live in Bradford, be they refugees, asylum seekers or migrant workers. What we can do is provide that welcome, and there are many people that have got involved with the station because they want to give something to the community...That might be a French-African refugee community, or the Czech and Slovak community, who broadcast to help people fit in to and understand the city.

There are other more established communities, such as the Ukrainians, who actually want to broadcast in English to share their community... One thing about BCB that we have often said is that it is ‘a city talking to itself’, increasing that dialogue and understanding of each other,” said Mary. Not surprisingly Mary is incredibly passionate about Bradford and its people. She reflects how the city has changed since the early days of Festival Radio, “Physically the city has changed a lot and of course it has transformed demographically too, but in terms of what it means to be a Bradfordian…I don’t think that has changed a lot. I think an awful lot of people are very proud of being from Bradford. I think the spirit in Bradford is incredible, I really do. I think it is a really special place, it is very straightforward, has no airs and graces, tells it like it is and that puts a smile on my face.” As for the future Mary believes the station will continue its quest to get Bradford talking to itself. “I think BCB has a real role in the city, I think we can play such a big role in people talking to each other. There has never been more communication and there

has never been more hunger for communication. We can talk to people all around the world and sometimes we forget to speak to people next door to us. BCB can be that conduit, that glue that brings people together and helps people understand each other’s stories and know each other’s stories. Keeping people connected in Bradford is something BCB always aspires to do.”

You can listen to BCB Radio live on 106.6fm, or online: www.bcbradio.co.uk

Full listings are available on the website and keep a look out for our series of features on BCB’s shows, starting next month.

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Bradford’s own radio station, BCB 106.6, celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. Co-founder Rob Walsh takes us through the early days.

The studios faced Ilkley Moor and the west, so we did sunset reviews in the late evening. Irna Qureshi did some great magazine programmes, bringing Asian and Bradford culture together, Mary focussed on speech programming, and I did an eclectic music show several evenings a week. Sometimes we were a bit rubbish, walking the wire in public and learning as we went. But it never descended to pop-pap-and-prattle. Maybe my memory has erased that. For the next two Festival Radio broadcasts we moved into the Wool Exchange, home to lots of Festival events, and broadcast from a room in the clock tower. Waterstones may have saved the Wool Exchange from neglect and disuse, but Bradford lost a good venue, with acts like the Bhundu Boys, Richard Thompson, Kirsty McColl, Kevin Coyne, fashion shows and acrobatics. We were upstairs, broadcasting on a shoestring and still unpaid. One Wool Exchange broadcast saw us on medium wave, set up by a radio engineer who decided the MW transmitter should be on the roof of the Magistrates Court across town, with the aerial dipped in the pool outside. Medium wave eh? Other unorthodox MW solutions involved us covering Hustlergate in wet carpet to boost the signal. I don’t think we went for that one. Then we geared up, with training grants and permanent premises. We called ourselves BCB, moved to Forster Square, set up a better studio, and started broadcasting via the transmitter tower at Wrose Hill. Still month-long broadcasts, as the Radio Authority didn’t trust this newfangled community radio idea. Eventually, ten years ago, we managed to convince them that we were here to stay and could be trusted with a full time radio frequency. Around this time I moved on, becoming press officer for Bradford Festival, then a communications freelance-cum--proofreader- editor, a career that sprang from that initial adrenalin radio buzz. BCB 106.6 is still going strong, under Mary Dowson’s direction, with studios at Rawson Place, a focus for everything Bradford and a hive of activity, with scores of volunteers putting out a wide range of programming. I do a music programme on Sunday nights, and every time I go in to BCB I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved. Mary, station manager Jonathan Pinfield, and all those volunteers made the station what it is today, and I was right behind that ball when it started rolling twenty years ago.

How to start a radio station? We hadn’t a clue – I’d been djing on PCR, a Bradford pirate station, as their token John Peel, and that was it. So, twenty years ago, we improvised. We were on a radio skills course, learning how the government favoured the commercial pop-pap-and-prattle format and would only allow small stations a one month licence. We thought we could borrow a couple of tape recorders and hire a transmitter. What else do you need? A one month licence? The light bulb went on over mine and Mary’s heads. We marshalled the course trainees and added a couple of reluctant radio professionals. A community radio station for Bradford? Why not? The tipping point was deciding to focus the broadcast around the two week Bradford Festival. Bradford Festival Radio? We asked Dusty Rhodes, keystone, lightning rod and inspiration for the Festival and many other Bradford events, for some money. He didn’t let us down. We snowballed into a shambolically enthusiastic force, meeting in the Beehive’s back room. I handwrote and photocopied newsletters. For the first broadcast in 1992 Nicholas Treadwell volunteered a room on the top floor of his Little Germany Art Mill, we sort- of-soundproofed it with mattress ticking, stuck an aerial on the roof, and we were off, running on adrenalin and twelve hour days. Mary opened up the station, then I turned up around lunchtime and stayed till midnight. We gradually built up a staff team. Simon Ashberry, then music writer and general hack at the T&A, gave us lots of support in print.

Rob Walsh

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adverts?

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artwork

The wool exchange; built 1867 Architects: lockwood & mawson of bradford

Poem by Catherine McEwan

( Dúchas Gaelach Átha Leathan )

THE EARLY YEARS In 1850 over 10% of Bradford’s population was made up of native-born Irish people. The first significant groups of Irish people coming to settle in Bradford were hand-loom weavers, who brought their skills to be applied in the newly burgeoning textile industry of the district following the suppression of the Irish textile industry subsequent to the Act of Union in 1801.The Great Hunger in Ireland caused by potato blight in the 1840s saw a much larger influx of people from Ireland. As they came to the city they joined relatives already here in different districts of the city – the Nelson Street area, Wapping, Broomfield, Princeville. These groupings were representative of migrants from different parts of Ireland. Those who managed to reach Bradford were poor, disease- ridden, malnourished and ill-educated. They were met with hostility at every level. They were considered to be potentially subversive, held in deep distrust and generally excluded from mainstream culture. They suffered the indignities of reductive stereotyping and prejudicial discrimination. What sustained them was precisely the very thing that attracted such disdain on the part of many in the host community – their difference. What was it that made them different and distinctive? In the first place their faith – they were Catholic. This was followed closely by their native cultural traditions; their music, songs, stories which together with their language afforded a means to express their identity as Irish. Led by Irish priests, they built churches and schools to serve their communities across the Bradford district. At one time in the 1860s, St Patrick’s Church in Westgate was looking for Irish-speaking priests to hear the confessions of those who had no English. Within a generation they were producing their own professional class – teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. The pattern has been repeated many times since by other immigrants to the city. TRANSITIONS During the period of settlement in Bradford following the Great Hunger in Ireland, the Irish began to consolidate their presence and sought to achieve social and economic respectability. Through the education system they were able to provide for the next generation of Irish, born in the city and with little direct encounter with Ireland, the means of establishing themselves as citizens with a stake in the city and its growth. Very soon their names began to appear in the roll-call of leaders in the Trade Union movement and eventually on the City Council. By the mid- twentieth century the names of the Labour Party’s front bench at City Hall would read ike those that could be found in any Irish telephone book. Culturally, the Irish were very active indeed. Not alone were they playing their native music, dancing their dances and singing their songs, but because they were for the most part Catholic, their presence as such was made evident in customs and practices associated with their faith. The earliest Irish migrants to Bradford came from the Irish midlands that had been the location of Ireland’s native textile industry. Laois, Offaly, North Tipperary with towns like Mountmellick, Maryborough (Portlaoise), Roscrea and Birr providing Bradford with numbers of artisans whose skills found ready employment in the city and so it was for the later arrivals. But many of the men also sought employment in public works schemes and on construction sites; while numbers of women sought jobs in service. Towards the second half of the nineteenth century the campaign for Home Rule and the Land League movement for a more equitable distribution of land took off in Ireland. These movements had their support among the Irish in Britain reflected in the development of social initiatives such as the

Democratic League Clubs inYorkshire and Lancashire. The Irish Democratic League Club was founded in Bradford adjacent to St Patrick’s Church. Together with the John Dillon Club and the Michael Davitt Club in other parts of the city, the IDL as it was known became an established social centre for recreation and meetings. With the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty that brought an end to British rule in 26 of Ireland’s counties, there was a shift of focus within the Irish community and a now serious engagement with the progression of Irish people within the English context took the place of Ireland’s domestic politics as a main concern. At the beginning of the twentieth century then, the consolidation effort assumedmajor importance andwith the establishment of the two grammar schools,StJoseph’sCollegeandStBede’sGrammar,theroadtoadvancement was clear for numbers of second and third generation Irish people. HERE AND NOW Today, some 50,000 Bradford people can claim Irish ancestry. Many of the customs and practices handed down are still around, but are in danger of disappearing. There is still an element of the ‘plastic paddy’ syndrome here and there and the 30-year war in the north of Ireland did present difficulties for Irish people in Britain, but transcending that, some of us are nowmaking theattempt to revive real traditions that aredistinctively Irish. The celebration of St Patrick’s Day when we recall the great patron saint of Ireland responsible for winning the Irish people for Christianity, has always featured in the lives of the Irish. The old ‘Irish Quarter’ as it was once known bounded by Grattan Road, City Road, Sunbridge Road and Westgate has come alivewith people onMarch 17th over the last few years. It will we hope be even more populated this year on Saturday, March 17th. Just now, an attempt is being made to re-assert Bradford’s Irish dimension. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Association of Irish Musicians) has had a branch in Bradford since 1988 and down the years at what is now the Irish Club, formerly the IDL, has taught musical instruments of the tradition and Irish set-dancing as well as the Irish language. Without a break for the last ten years the weekly radio programme ‘Echoes of Ireland’ has been broadcast on BCB 106.6 FM and online and now entirely in Irish on the last weekend of the month. We carry on that cultural tradition handed down to us by our forebears and in turn hand it on to our children. Our roots in Bradford are nourished by the love of our heritage and in and through its unique cultural expression we gladly contribute to the richness of this great city.

Beannacht Dé ar Áth Leathan

Joe Sheeran

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BRADFORD IRISH CLUB

Céad Míle Fáilte

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Douglas – What is your call for Joseph Brennan House?

Rita – So this is the plan and it is quite ambitious, but I always say to people ‘I don’t give a shit’ because I like to dream up stuff and then if it doesn’t happen at least the dream was big and then I can adjust to reality.

Sam – Bradford is a good place for dreamers.

Rita – Yes! So I want to do several things with this space. I have the back up from Point Blank and there is a little bit of money, and because arts graduates aren’t getting jobs, one of the things I want to do is make sure that every year Instant Dissidence offers a paid graduate internship in Bradford. To bring emerging artists to the city and to give them experience and a step up the ladder. The other thing I want to do is to offer four fortnight-long residencies, in this space, paid. I want really interesting international and outside-the-region artists to come to Bradford because that will serve us well. If they are here we will develop. It’s a completely selfish thing too. In order to attract people to do residencies in this space I have to offer money if I want people to come from other countries. I’d like to set up a pilot project. I work with a lot of people nationally and internationally and I know so many fucking amazing companies, but I know that if I say ‘Here’s a little bit of money, will you come to Bradford and run your amazing workshop on whatever it is you do in Croatia’, they would, and how amazing would that be for us? And the other thing I want to do is this thing where I’m involved with philosophers, biologists, hackers, all sorts of people, and I want to run salons. It’s more than just about artists, it’s a year- long programme of days and weekends where we say, ‘Let’s find out how we can extract our own DNA out of our skin cells using household items you can buy in the supermarket.’ Apparently it’s possible. Rita – And I have a bee in a bonnet. The thing is, I’ve seen a lot of dance, I’ve seen a lot of art. I don’t want to see another dance work with some slightly different steps put together in a slightly different fucking way. I want to see something.. I don’t care if it’s a dance, if it’s a book, if it’s an experiment, something that is a new concept that is going to blow my mind. I don’t want to see just another dance because I’m bored of that. Rita – Anything! As a maker, I want to strive, I know I won’t always succeed, because most artists, if they come up with one new concept in their entire lives can count themselves lucky, so I know I won’t always succeed but that’s the challenge that I give myself. I want to make a new concept, not just a different combination of the same steps. I want this space to become an ideas space; a concept space that could develop new collaborations. Doug – so that’s painting, making, playing, doing, filming...

RitaMarcalo is a hip, Portuguese, body-based performer; a choreographer and doctor of dance. She is tiny but fierce and full of good energy. Her performance company Instant Dissidence was Leeds-based, now they call Bradford their home. Sam, Chemaine and Douglas, an unlikely bunch of performers, makers and doers who know this city, well went to meet the new girl, to have a look at her new space - an entire office block floor of Joseph Brennan House and to find out why she came to Bradford. After showing us around the company’s unique home, with an almost panoramic view of our beautiful city, Rita showed off the rest of the entirely empty building. It was very easy for us to see and share a vision for this space. Rita – Residencies at Yorkshire Dance were no longer free. My thing has always been, if I get Arts Council funding I want the majority of that funding to go to the artist. I started looking at who could give me space for free. Theatre in the Mill could and since then I have never rehearsed at Yorkshire Dance. A year ago I got approached by Point Blank Theatre. They were looking for an artist that could be the first they were gonna act as a producer for. They said ‘we like your work, we’d like to produce you; we have a space that we are running in Bradford; would you be interested?’ The minute they brought me here and I saw the space I felt like Bradford offered me this.. it wasn’t that I just dropped in, I already had a relationship with the city and with Theatre in the Mill, so it made complete sense. Rita - I have found that things are really open here, the people are really open. It’s been really easy for me to meet people, to talk about projects. Perhaps because the scene is smaller, perhaps because people want to make things happen and get something done. It feels vibrant. Chemaine – I call it dancing in the ashes. Bradford died when the economy went.. I’m from Bradford.. I moved away as an artist. My entrance back.. it came through the Playhouse. We were building something there. It motivated me to come back and work here. Bradford is open because it died. Rita – There are a group of people here who are making stuff happen.. and that feels really nice to be part of. Douglas – So why did you come to Bradford? Sam – That’s really good for us. To have artists moving into Bradford is really significant.

Sam – You’ve come to the right city, Rita.

Rita – Yeah? I want to do it!

Sam – Well, it will happen then.

Rita – It will be all curated by me so it is specific in the sense that it will be work that I am interested in, a particular vision of work. It’s not that I don’t think other visions are valid but I can’t do everything. So that’s the dream; it’s big and I’m going to call it ‘the dissident space’ so it’s a space where people can be dissident, slightly outside. Chemaine – That’s how new performance will be found. What gets me is that when you try to do this in houses that exist already to serve this purpose you have to really bang on the door.

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clinical corners.. but it’s NOT what it looks like, it’s what you make happen in it.

Rita – Because they have policies and a board you know, I mean the great thing about this is that you can just do it.

Chemaine – That’s the reason why the Playhouse exploded creatively because there wasn’t that glass ceiling. When I was in Newcastle I saw so many artists leave because they didn’t feel loved by the home that was meant to house them. So they left, myself included. That’s my rant.

Rita – It’s the people who come to it.

This is a big dream - Rita and her company are at home now with dreamers in a city that makes things happen. We have an invitation to explore, learn, play and make; the people of Bradford are the kind of people who can and do make ugly beautiful.

Douglas – So lots of people ranting dissidently together?

Sam Musgrave, Douglas Thompson, Chemaine Cooke.

Rita – Exactly!

Douglas – What fascinates me about this city is that it’s a melting pot. If you can get that group.. and get that group.. and pull down that wall.. and that wall; even though it’s Bradford it’s no different from Paris in the 1920s, New York in the 1960s, you’ve got to be romantic about it! Rita – Yeah! Yeah! I joke around but when we first came here I was like, ‘My space is going to be like the Judson Church, I mean why the fuck not?’ This is what was happening in New York, it was just an abandoned loft. Douglas –Why not reframe and re-envisage Bradford? Create a new frame and a new way of seeing. Jean McEwan is doing it with ‘Make ugly beautiful’.

To find out more please visit:

www.pointblank.org.uk www.instantdissidence.co.uk theartfarmers.blogspot.com strawhousecreative.blogspot.com

Rita – People are going to be writing history books about this! – it was a FUCKING ugly building, with fucking ugly ceilings!

Sam – But is it the people or is it the place? It’s the people. The fact that you have a space here is crucial, but what it looks like is not important. We got spoilt when we had the Playhouse as our home, it was a spiritually powerful place, a beautiful temple. So for us to come to a place that was built 37 years ago with cold

Thornton is a well-kept secret above an occasional snow line; with a vibrant creative community scattered amongst the steps leading to the moors n’ reservoirs that quench the city of its thirst. There is an illusion of distance from Bradford and a mutual unbidden separation as if the hills are reserved for the fairy folk and the valley for us lowly toothless trolls. On its southern outskirts stands South Square Gallery; a courtyard of stonemasons’ cottages that houses several gallery spaces, a sculpture garden, vegetarian cafe and artist studios. I’ve never been to South Square until last week. Strange; I wonder why there are so many invisible thresholds of unknowing we have to cross before we discover magical places like this gallery; or the Peace Museum; or the Tree- House Cafe. What consuming devil makes it easier for us to waste time and money in a leviathan supermarket we’ve never been in before with its sterile plastic horrors scattered across acres of aisles than enter this friendly, human & truly magnificent grass routes arts space. Is it fear of the unknown? Are we so comfortable now in our anonymity and in our loneliness that we would rather perpetuate it by limping like zombies across concrete retail parks? Get on the 607 at Sunbridge Road and it’s a straight line for twenty minutes. Step off at the stop just before the New Inn Pub and its ten yards up the road on your left; you could walk it if you were in the mood. I met Patricia Calver and David Knowles who explained the history of the Gallery, that it was a grassroots exhibition space committed to providing a professional and supportive resource for artists and emerging curators. Patricia was particularly keen to impress that the gallery was unique in the amount of creative control and responsibility it fostered in emerging curators. It seems that unlike some larger galleries every curator on an internship will plan and execute their own show providing invaluable experience and a creative outlet

to develop skills at a vital point in their professional development. As a test bed for new ideas, the gallery hosts an ever evolving dialogue between artists and their audience. It’s refreshing to find a gallery so innovative and adventurous. I remember on my only other visit to the gallery I discovered behind the door of a six inch box made by artist Heide Harding, lay a real human mouth whispering tales through a small hole in the wall. Apparently a performer had waited there all day in a cupboard concealed behind a wall for the moment I would open up the box. The Square also incorporates a print workshop, studios for a number of artists, a community space, a print studio, a fine art framer who’s put wood around Hockneys and Hirsts, a craft shop and a vegetarian cafe. It’s been on the go since 1985 and retains a youthful energy. A contemporary gallery space with a holistic approach to education. In fact I was very impressed by the combination of contemporary art gallery and friendly community education workshop space. The centre is providing a real service for raising attainment and engagement through the creative arts for its local schools, its interns, and the community and if you take my advice and get on the 607 it’ll learn you too. This month the gallery becomes a project space for work in progress by the next generation of artists. MA students of Bradford School of Art and Media, in collaboration with South Square Gallery, pause to take stock of their work in progress. Demonstrating the rich diversity of their cultural sources and imaginative interpretation there will be experimental video, collaborative painting, digital print, textile and sculptural ceramics on display. The Gallery is open from 11:30 - 3pm Tuesday - Saturday & 12 - 3pm Sunday. http://www.southsquarecentre.co.uk

Douglas Thompson

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perch we can offer you an unparalleled view across City Park and

Sarah Read, Deputy Director of Impressions Gallery

For the last two years I have sporadically watched the evolution that lies immediately at the door of Impressions Gallery in Centenary Square. Spread out over 700 days this progression has often felt subtle, and as the drilling drifted into background noise the change became almost furtive. Come 2012 as fencing is removed, water flows and lights are switched on, I am pulled from my state of indifference and drawn to observe again. Whether or not you wholeheartedly agree with the level of investment or outcome of this scheme, the change in the area’s use over the last few weeks is palpable. I’d be lying to say I hadn’t felt pleased to see people lingering instead of charging through the square and child after child eager to hurl themselves into jets of icy water. Perhaps you’ve not yet had the knowledge or inclination to visit Impressions, but to the uninitiated we are a free public gallery showing the best of today’s photographers, and I might add from our first floor

Centenary Square. The gallery’s slogan is ‘photography that gets you looking, thinking and talking’ and on the occasion of the launch of the City Park we’d like to invite you to ‘look, think and do’ and join us to build a collection of photographs that show how the people of Bradford see their newly reformed public space. You can upload your photograph onto the Flickr pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/citypark_bradford or post to us on Twitter @impgalleryphoto using #CityParkBradford During the official launch of City Park on 24 March 2012 we’ll be screening as many of these images as possible on the Big Screen (conveniently attached to the side of our building) and partnering up with Yorkshire photography group Exposure Leeds to lead a photo- walk seeking out the many different viewpoints of City Park. Photographers of all levels are welcome, simply turn up to Impressions at 3pm with anything that takes a picture and get snapping. Find out more at http:// impressions-gallery.com

The international photography students based at Bradford College are coming together to create a fantastic exhibition across two locations in the city. This month Lister’s Mill and the City Hall will play host to a display of 60 pieces of work from the first year students. The theme? Positive Bradford! It is sure to be uplifting and of a high standard if the past exhibitions by the college’s students are anything to go by. Choosing Lister’s Mill as a space to exhibit is somewhat brave, being a couple of miles out of the city centre, but may well be a wise choice. At its peak it was the largest silk factory in the world and in recent years it has become increasingly popular for artists alike, with their dedicated and modern exhibition space. The choice of the Grand Staircase is one that should be fitting as it will bring to life memories of years past and evoke a sense of nostalgia for some of the more mature visitors, bringing Bradford’s history into the mix with its current. The exhibition will run from the 1st until 31st March with the opening event being the 8th March for City Hall and *** for Lister’s Mill. Some pieces will be on sale and proceeds will be donated to Marie Curie Cancer Trust and Bradford Teaching Hospitals.

Chris Scott

Zines and Radical Self-Publishing by Rachel Kaye

Got something to say? Want to see your words in print but know no one is ever going to bankroll you? Zines might be your medium. Zines are self-published booklets of writing and artwork, usually produced in low numbers, made for love not money. They cover a massive range of subjects but are generally bound together by passion; the kind of passion that makes you do something which is laborious and time consuming for very little external validation. Many point to the influx which came from punk in the 70s and claim that Sniffin’ Glue was the first, but as Stephen Duncombe points out you can trace the roots of self-publishing all the way back to Thomas Paine and the pamphleteers of the 18th century. Zines have a rich history which takes in Situationalist International, beat poets, science fiction stories produced on mimeograph machines, football fans, riot grrrls, music aficionados, comic book artists and housewives writing about Buffy. The list goes on. Zines are often situated within DIY (Do It Yourself) Culture, the ethos of “looking at something and saying ‘I can do that!’ rather than waiting for someone to do it for you. It is about taking back control from corporate consumer influence, telling your own story and creating things on your own terms. It is about learning new skills and integrating them into your every day life” - Alex Wrekk (Stolen Sharpie Revolution) Zines generally have low production values, no editorial line and no censorship. As a result of this the quality can vary wildly. Reading and buying zines often epitomises the phrase ‘pot luck’, but for every throwaway publication there’s another you’ll treasure for ever, with the words, stories and artwork of people you won’t find in any other type of printed publication. If you’re stuck on where to start get a zinester to give you recommendations (but beware that they’ll often rant on the subject for hours on end). My personal tips include Doris, Colouring Outside the Lines, Race Revolt and King Cat Comics. Zines in a digital era For many the blog has overtaken the zine; instant rather than near instant, free rather than very cheap, blogs have the potential to reach networks of thousands rather than hundreds. They don’t go out of print and can be archived (fairly) easily. And yet people continue to make zines. As more of our life centres around ‘screen time’ people are beginning to react by treasuring physical objects. Picking up a zine instantly ties you in with a subcultural history and the recent upsurge in zine fayres and libraries shows there is still a demand for the format. Perhaps the future of zines exists as art objects rather than political manifestos, or maybe it’ll be a collision of the two.

If you want to find out more about zines why not head over to Loosely Bound’s Zine Extravaganza – Saturday 24th March 2012, 10am – 4pm. Taking place in the former Zavvi store, 1 Tyrell St, Bradford, BD1 1RU There will be stalls, workshops, performances, and much more. The event coincides with the official opening of Bradford’s City Park. Loosely Bound are a raggle-taggle bunch who make zines collectively and individually in and around Bradford, UK. Want to make one? If you want to make your own zine you could do a lot worse than checking out Stolen Sharpie Revolution by Alex Wrekk – A DIY resource for zines and zine culture. Online A good place to start is We Make Zines (www.wemakezines.ning. com) an online community of zine makers and zine readers UK Distros - (distributors who stock and sell a range of zines). Look up Vampire Sushi, Mole Hole Distro, Jeez Louise, Princesa Pirata, Pushpin zines, Dead Trees and Dye, all sell online or put zines into Etsy and have a look at what comes up. Local resources The 1in12 Club One of the most comprehensive zine libraries in the UK. This completely unique resource should not be overlooked. The Print Project Based at the 1in12 Club, Bradford
 they aim is to keep the skill and art of letterpress alive by producing work which is incredible to read, feel and 
touch. Their work is centred around an Arab, a Peerless No. 2
Platen and a massive Soldan Proof Press all of which have been powered by hand, foot and eye for over one hundred years. Rachel Kaye Writer of zines Toast and Jam (collected stories of surviving eating disorders) and Footsteps in the Dark (a long-running per-zine project). Contributor to Reassess your weapons (a collaborative zine coming out of the Leeds queer/feminist community Manifesta) and The World’s a Mess and You’re My Only Cure (an interview and submission based zine focusing on positive workings, role models and paying homage to inspirations and motivations within DIY culture). Zine resources and further reading

LOOSELY BOUND’S ZINE EXTRAVAGANZA: CALL FOR STALLHOLDERS Saturday 24th March 2012, 10am-4pm

Loosely Bound’s Zine Extravaganza is a Bradford zine fair run by the Loosely Bound, a Bradford-based zine collective founded in late 2011 at an artist dinner hosted at Fabric. The Zine Extravaganza will be the launch event for Fabric’s brand new arts space ‘Hand Made in Bradford’ new Fabric arts space, 1 Tyrell St in central Bradford. Loosely Bound’s Zine Extravaganza will be a celebratory day of zine stalls, workshops, performances, refreshments and and much more. To find out more visit http://looselybound.org/

“A Print Festival? What’s that, some kind of weird fetish event?”

LPF2012, running at The Leeds Gallery, was an intelligently curated programme of events running over four days bringing together small printers, designers and makers, to celebrate print media. It was an exciting and thought-provoking weekend, and, hopefully the first of many. The gallery, a new commercial art space, is sited in a growing cultural quarter which includes Cafe 164, The West Yorkshire Playhouse, Duke Street Studios, and ethical music venue Wharf Chambers, in the Lower Kirkgate area. For us the weekend started with Friday night’s opening party. Chris Lestaret, whose live demo stall was set up under Mick Marston’s gory silk-screened images of kittens in a bathtub beheading other kittens with a saw, was helping all-comers get stuck into making their own lino cuttings, and we were at the next table with our 8x5 Adana printing press. Both stalls were incredibly popular. Drinks sloshed around in glasses while members of the increasingly boozy crowd did their best to run our press one-handed (not recommended, by the way). “It’s like getting a present!” one woman said joyfully, as she lifted her “I Printed This!” card out of the machine.

Sunday was a more relaxed affair with talks from two designers and a printer. Generation Press from Brighton showed how it’s possible to run an ecologically-sound printing business, whilst producing a range of high-quality printed items, bringing to mind our friends at Leeds’ Footprint Workers Co-op. Later Si Scott explained how he produces his intricate hand-drawn type treatments, (which are nothing short of mindblowing). Anthony Burrill’s witty work is produced through a variety of different media, from the humble photocopier to giant letterpress wood blocks. His screenprinted ‘oil and water do not mix’ poster was printed using actual oil from the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill – an example of how a simple poster and a pro-active process can raise awareness of global issues.

The words “Print’s not Dead” were buzzing around all weekend, especially at Saturday’s print fair. A variety of stalls showed the wide-ranging possibilities of print, from cute typewriter drawings to representations of time and space in book form. In one corner, the Salford Zine Library stall showed what happens when people print for love. Curator Craig John Barr had brought zines covering subjects from the effect of social networking on mental health, to menstruation, to bike riding, showing the truly egalitarian nature of this form of publishing.

If LPF2012 did one thing, it showed that print is still very much alive and constantly being redefined and reused in ever exciting ways. From five year old kids printing on an ‘outmoded’ Adana letterpress to retired compositors re-visiting the changes they’ve witnessed in the printing industry, LPF2012 put smiles on people’s faces and, we’d like to think, inspired them into picking up the ‘printing glove’ to produce their own printed matter. Hats off to the LPF2012 team for taking the first step in what we hope will be an ongoing celebration of creativity for the region.

The Print Project, Bradford www.theprintproject.co.uk

Photographs: Ricky Adam www.rickyadamphoto.com

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www.leedsprintfestival.com