3 am: wonder, paranoia and the restless night

The words '3 am,' and 'Liverpool' can unfortunately conjure a rather grizzly image of streets splattered with vomit, vodka and violence. However, within the confines of the Bluecoat, those scenes are a lot more palatable as their current exhibition (28/09/13 - 24/11/13) '3 am: wonder,paranoia and the restless night' demonstrates. 

A melange of over twenty international artists were selected to showcase their interpretations of this hour, ranging invariably in meaning and media. The exhibition uncovers the world of both the insomniac and the somnambulist, revealing something deliciously dark in wake of the midnight hour. 

Particularly captivating was Brazilian born, Tonico Lemos Auad's contribution. His embroidered structures spoke of the delicacy of night by presenting something precious in suspension, as our minds are in sleep.

Both the craftsmanship and execution were inspired, as was the utilisation of glowing light draped in tendrils of thread, which definitely didn't entangled me...

Something equally ephemeral was the work of Rachel Kneebone, who had cast the elasticity of our night minds in porcelain, thus immortalising the erratic thought. 

At first Tom Woods' film photos of nightclub attendees may seem conceptually hackneyed. However, as the photos were taken in the 1980s they offer a broader scope of timelessness; every generation has experienced this hour in all of its drunken, naive glory, which is quietly comforting.  

Where Wood's snaps hold solace in youth and frivolity, Sophy Rickett's prints are memorable for humour. Tongue thrust firmly into cheek, Rickett has conquered irony with female subjects caught short in the night, dowsing their local shrubbery with golden showers...

Or maybe they're just pissing in the wind...

The amalgamation of talent such as these truly captures the nocturnal state of disorientation, confusion and deprivation of daylight. Disturbing, disruptive and devious, 3 am will not easily be forgotten. 

Note: It was only 3pm here, so you won't catch me breaking the seal just yet...

The Manchester Print Fair

Yesterday we shuffled on down to The Manchester Print Fair, tottering very carefully down the concrete steps leading underground.

Dotted around the bar area through the electric blue lighting was a collection of prints encouraging recycling and saving energy. Witty beyond our capabilities, Clementine and I had to have a good gawp before the meanings sunk in...

A firm favorite was...

But the winner went to...

Good isn't it? Going into the main room there was a hive of illustrators, designers and full time artists with polished examples of good design. Friendly and fun, the fair provided a platform on which to showcase local talent, which was out in force.

Some of the goodies I picked up were;

These cute coasters, handmade by the friendliest lady EVER, which are available from here.

 To continue the coffee theme, I picked up this Mocha Pot card, available from here, or if you'd like to read more about the artist, you can do so here. 

For Debbie, star baker at The Hall, I stocked up on some bread based treats which will happily hang upon the walls of The Bakery. 

You can shop some tasty treats here and read upon about the artist, Catherine, here. 

But, perhaps my favourite buy was this print from Bethany Thompson. Smut, we salute you! 

I sniggered all the way home and couldn't wait to hang it on the wall. Red as usual just shook his head. Sigh, you can't buy taste, but you can buy funny prints about boobs, which I'm pretty sure is the same thing. 

If you want to get your filthy mitts one Bethany's work, you can do so here. 

All in all it was a great day and I went home suitably TITILLATED with a happy handful of treats. Nice one Manchester, thanks for being MadFerret.