Ian McKay British Visual Artsist Working In Manchester UK

Gorton Visual Arts

Established in May 2006 the aim and objective is to engage, give opportunity and deliver a diversity of high quality arts to all residents of the Gorton Community. The Projects have a significant impact on the community and constantly generating new skills for the group members who share these new skills with young people during intergenerational projects. The work has a powerful impact on the creativity linking generations and communities promoting social cohesion and well being
Belle vue Public Art Mosaic Project Sept 07 - June 08
The Mosaic is a permanent installation which is a collective piece of work in the interior og the new gorton market, Manchester. Half a metre in depth and 35 metres in length this 10 month project aims to celebrate the existence of the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens a valuable part of Gortons heritage and culture
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"Having a lovely Time" project Sept 08 - Nov 08
The project uses Photographic documentation material as research source. The group were encouraged to use disposable cameras to capture a sense of a day out at the seaside during two visits to North West seaside locations. Research materials formulated compositions for wood cut, lino cut and collagraph prints. The collection of prints were exhibited at the Angels centre January 2009 and KRO 2 in Sept - Dec 2009..
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Whit Walks project March 09 - July 09
The aim of the project is to engage the Group working closely together to produce a textile piece of work in the form of a banner. The banner will contain elements of knitting, sewing, embroidery and silk screen printing. The project has outreached to local primary schools in the Gorton area, and is part of the Gorton 100 Celebrations(2009 being the 100th year anniversary of the Urban District of Gorton becoming part of Manchester). The banner will be walked into the textile exhibition space at Manchesters Science and Industry Museum in the City Centre, while approximately 25 smaller banners will be shown at various venues within the Gorton area.
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OUR 'OUSE project Jan 2010 - April 2010
A Visual documentation using traditional block printed wallpaper design to capture the increasing movement of people throughout the East Manchester area. The individual design's aim to symbolize individual change { old communities and new communities.
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Beyer Peacock April 2010 - November 2010
The concept was developed to celebrate the workforce of the Worldwide known Beyer Peacock Engineering Company, once located in Gorton Manchester.The 6 month project has embraced many different Gorton based group's , during the research and the generated artwork. MOSI, Gorton Local History Group and local Historian's helped with the research , and I interviewed many former workers about their experience's working for the Company. This research created the imagery for this piece of Public Art which span's over 10 metres in length and is 1.5 metre's deep , this visual voice for the many thousand's of worker's is to be installed permanently to 2 exterior walls at 2 location's in the Gorton area.
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Picture House Project Statement
A concept to produce a collective body of work in the form of paint , which is a representation of past and present Cinema visits. The paintings have strong architectural interior and exterior features taken from the group's visits to present day established Picture Houses within the Manchester, Salford and Stockport areas.This imagery is combined in the paintings with a quotation taken from the group's individual written Picture House experience related to a chosen film. The group's individual chosen film was researched to find the original film posters which was key to determine the direct colours and lettering styles used in the work to feature the group members quotations. The work aims to connect past and present Cinema visits which remain a universal subject matter with an objective to celebrate this continual " magical experience2 of escapism. The produced work {18 canvases in total } size 1200mm x 400mm were exhibited at The Roundhouse Building, Manchester Settlement Higher Openshaw Manchester during June 2011.The exhibition was opened by Ted Doan Manager of the Plaza Stockport.	click here to view gallery

A Grand Tour 2012
“A Grand Tour” Exhibition By Gorton Visual Arts Group A concept to produce a visual journey travelling on the No 53 bus route through the Gorton area. The No 53 bus has travelled through Gorton for many years, but recently the route has been changed to accommodate visitors to the Gorton District Shopping Centre. The production of the artwork in the form of a collection of screen prints on paper aims to take the viewer on “a grand tour “of the present bus route. Each group member produced a series of 8 prints consisting of three colours determined from observational photographs taken while walking the bus route and memories of the previous route and its destinations. The observational photography was used to edit and focus on personal areas of interest which determine strong layout compositions for the prints. Ian McKay Lead Artist
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