Might & Main short film by Sophie Broadgate. 

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Announcing our selected artists for Might & Main residency! See the new Might & Main page on our website for more information on each artist. Open studio event Friday 23 September 6-9pm at The Penthouse- open to all. https://thepenthousenq.com/MightandMain 

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Some shots of The Press Gang- launched at Sluice__ 2015 - a new self publishing project ran from The Penthouse. Artists included is Press Gang were Jean McEwen, Gary Fisher, Rosanne Robertson, Graham Dunning and Debbie Sharp. 

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Shots from The Penthouse at Sluice__ 2015 at Oxo Tower Wharf, Southbank London October 16-18 2015. Works by Rosanne Robertson & Debbie Sharp. 

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Our posters for @Sluice__ We are presenting Press Gang (self publishing/sound) & Masquerade//Murmuration (exhibition 5th floor, performance 1st floor) @OxoTowerWharf 

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Masquerade / / Murmuration exhibition and performances by The Penthouse at Sluice_ 2015. 

Masquerade // Murmuration

Is a two person show at Sluice_ by artists and founders of The Penthouse Debbie Sharp and Rosanne Robertson with an accompanying sound and performance program.

Masquerade / by Rosanne Robertson exhibits inner forces and discord that manifests in relationships with and between objects, assemblage, costume, sound and performance sculpture. Freedoms and limits are demonstrated against each other in compositions celebrating form among chaos and chaos among form. Interactions and improvisations with assemblage and performance sculpture punctuate the exhibition and roam Sluice 2015.

www.rosannerobertson.com

/ Murmuration by Debbie Sharp exhibits external forces of nature and physics with silent investigations via internal structures of sound and matter with works that are drawn from the darkness of existence in-between life and death.

www.debbie-sharp.com

Join us for the Reception Thursday 15 October 5- 8.30pm

Exhibition & Press Gang- 5th Floor Exhibition Space:

Thurs 15th 5-8.30pm

Fri 16th- Sun 18th 11am- 6pm

Performance, sound & assemblage- Sluice_ 1st Floor Performance Space:

Thursday 15th 5-8.30pm

Friday 16th 12-6pm

Masquerade//Murmuration is accompanied by an intermittent series of live works with sound making, installation and assemblage which will be housed in the performance space and will then roam between The Penthouse space on the top floor of The Barge-house and the outside spaces of Oxo Tower on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th during Sluice_ 2015 opening hours.

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The Penthouse artist Rosanne Robertson calls for support for project Marginal Visibility: 

“There are but 10 days left to crowdfund for the book for my project exploring the modern condition of anxiety via art forms such as performance sculpture, assemblage and sound with a focus on female artists. This will include my own work developed as part of the over all project and also key female artists from the more famous to the overlooked- the written about and the relatively unknown.

I recently had an idea for a new title which is ‘Too Much’ after titling some new works with the same title- these works were depicting a numbness and anger that occurs at the same time in my brain- an oppression but also an excitement to burst out. Perhaps this burst is to intervene. I then read this statement by Carolee Shneemann:

‘Our best development grows from works which initially strike us as “too much”… ’

By helping fund the book you will receive a copy and can also essentially collect a work from the project- hopefully this is more than just asking for some money but making something happen and sharing it. Please do help link it up to any networks you think may find it interesting or who could help with contributions. Very grateful for the 28% so far and the private anonymous donation that was made yesterday.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/marginal-visibility#/story 

See the indiegogo campaign for further details X

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Florian Fusco (Berlin/Vienna/Manchester)- residency special presenting new sound and video live project- Generic Wrongness.

NOISE ABOVE NOISE IS A SOUND, ART AND PERFORMANCE SERIES BORNE OF INDEPENDENT DIY ARTIST LED SPACE THE PENTHOUSE.

“PERFORMANCE SERIES NOISE ABOVE NOISE ELEVATES MANCHESTER’S UNDERGROUND SCENE TO THE FIFTH FLOOR OF A TOWER BLOCK.”

- THE WIRE

Florian is using his Noise Above Noise residency for some intense experimentation with his Random Appropriation Synth projecthttps://vimeo.com/75954593 as well some new sound to video automation experiments- resulting in the final live work being a responsive video projection.

https://florianfusco.com/

Supported by:
The In-Between State (sound art and performance project by Debbie Sharp). Action / Re Action.

www.debbie-sharp.com

&

Legitimate Sculptures (Rosanne Robertson, Gary Fisher, Kate Armitage). Sound + Objects + Improv Trio.


7pm doors
£5 entry (inc booking)- Online tickets https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/noise-above-noise-florian-fusco-in-between-state-legitimate-sculptures-tickets-17745191345
Licensed bar
Limited capacity (recommended to buy tickets in advance)


Noise Above Noise 2014/15 series is kindly supported by Arts Council England Grants for the Arts.


This event is in collaboration with Kraakhaus co curated by Flo see the trailer video here made by Flo (https://www.youtube.com/embed/3YANMyuizw0 The festival sees the end of an era and the start of a new one (read the event page for details). Enjoy the following bands on the Saturday 25th at Kraakhaus - the day after Noise Above Noise x
The Feminists, Wedge, Salford Media City, Mike O’Neil, Danny Saul, Sam Weaver, Warm Widow, Water, The Jungfraus, Politburo, TheRunningChelsea.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1623090621262959/

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Review:

Gary Fisher- Joined Apart (digital album)

2015

The pace of this album punctuated by the 10 individual sound pieces make for a slow and considered listening experience. Calls of something about to happen or having just happened echo in and out- joining up disparate beginnings and ends. There is expectation, loss, hope- sometimes trundling, sometimes arriving, sometimes a long ending.

Gary Fisher is an artist working with sound, objects, tape and performance as part of a practice that is an ongoing improvisation- a constant process of accumulating, appropriating, sounding and shedding objects and DIY instruments. His work is currently more minimal than it has been at times in the past- with what seems to be explorations into restriction- as both an academic task and because of situations that change within his life.

In 2014 he moved from home town Salford to  London for his MA in Sound Art at London Communication College where he studied under such lecturers as David Toot (experimental musician, author, and professor and chair of audio culture and improvisation) and carried out a number of projects including performing as part of Sculpture/ Allan Kaprow’s YARD at The Hepworth Gallery,  an ensemble performance with Christian Marclay and Thurston Moore at White Cube and his MA show Constantly Evolving but Never Ending curated by Irene Revell (Electra Productions). Love, life and art then took him to Italy where he lived briefly and also took part of a project titled Flea Market with Gilda Manfring at Venice Biennial by Rob Pruitt where Gary extended his explorations into objects and their prescribed function vs imagined functioned as musical instruments.

On his return to Manchester for his Noise Above Noise residency with us here at The Penthouse in Manchester he carried on his investigations into minimal set ups and uses of found objects with some simple yet effective improvisations with paper, a found metal cabinet, radio and self publishing. We curated the performance event to also present new performance works by Matt Dalby (as Tear Fet) – a long time collaborator- and also Helmut Lemke his tutor who introduced him to sound art at Salford University.

And then things seemed to come to a beginning or an end. A relationship ended. An unexpected return home. Back to the start or not at all?

We all go through transitional periods, things change. What this work demonstrates is what happens if an artist can create through these times- pulling together a variety of events, experiences and feelings over a  certain section of life.

The album communicates a long period of time- a document of a series of changes- a document of a number of places. More obvious sound sources such as trains literally makes it feel like you are being moved toward the horizon slowly- with the tension bolstered in parts by chaotic crashing cymbal and dramatic delayed electronics as with track 3 ‘Both Channels’. Ambient sounds linger on penetrated by sharp short interferences, silent pauses, effected electronics, distortion, and tinkered with metal and objects as with track 5 'Broken Square’. And it all swells into one interesting and very worth while journey- Joined Apart.

You can buy Gary Fisher’s new album Joined Apart via bandcamp for only £4 as a digital download.

Proceeds go towards a different physical release on vinyl later this year, so you can buy an artwork and also help fund a future one for a small amount of money.

https://garyfisher.bandcamp.com/album/joined-apart 

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No Snooze Sunday 

(Next event Sunday 7 June, 10am- 12noon) 

is a coffee morning and contemporary art and sound reading and listening group at artist led space The Penthouse in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

+unlimited freshly ground single origin coffee from the gadgety brew bar.
+things on toast such as organic peanut butter and jelly.
+rooftop views of Manchester.

Topics can range widely relating to contemporary art and sound. We mention sound specifically as contemporary art is often confused for just visual art- when it blatantly is not. It may also be interesting to talk about visual art and sound art concurrently. We suggest that texts, essays, chapters are kept at around 20 pages max to be able to discuss enough in the time frame.

There is no theme- at the end of each text another member of the group suggests another which may follow on- and we see where we end up.

The first text is
THE AESTHETICS OF SILENCE / SUSAN SONTAG
Found here https://www.ubu.com/aspen/aspen5and6/threeEssays.html#sontag

The price is £5 entry which gets you pepped up on high quality coffee beans (decaf also available) via siphon and v60 brew bar and a slice of something organic and delicious for breakfast. This leaves a small (pretty small) profit for The Penthouse to help sustain existence.

Please book here to help with preparations/ seating and then pay on the day.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/no-snooze-sunday-tickets-17122295246

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NOISE ABOVE NOISE ++ GARY FISHER RESIDENCY SPECIAL++

Gary Fisher + Helmut Lemke + Tear Fet

NOISE ABOVE NOISE IS A SOUND, ART AND PERFORMANCE SERIES BORNE OF INDEPENDENT DIY ARTIST LED SPACE THE PENTHOUSE IN MANCHESTER’S NORTHERN QUARTER.

“PERFORMANCE SERIES NOISE ABOVE NOISE ELEVATES MANCHESTER’S UNDERGROUND SCENE TO THE FIFTH FLOOR OF A TOWER BLOCK.”
– THE WIRE

Doors 7.30
Live Performances 8pm- 10.30pm

Advance Tickets- £5 (plus booking)
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/noise-above-noise-gary-fisher-residency-special-w-helmut-lemke-tickets-16596861660

(Previous events have sold out, we recommend booking in advance to secure your place).

++GARY FISHER++

Gary Fisher has joined us for a residency project- we are excited to welcome him back to The Penthouse following his completion of his very fruitful MA Sound Art at London Communication College- MA show curated by Electra Productions.

Recent Projects include a 30 minute live experimental radio broadcast ‘The Inaugural Terminal Program’ in collaboration with artists Barry Dean and Gilda Manfring and aired on Resonance FM, London. Performing as part of ‘Sculpture’ in Allan Caprow: Yard, The Hepworth, Wakefield, ensemble improvisation and intervention, Sculpture series curated by David Toop and Rei NakajimaIn. In 2015 Gary was invited with other performers to play in a live composition with Christain Marclay and Thurston Moore at Marclay’s major exhibition at White Cube London.

“Gary Fisher works with sound in a continuous process of experimentation and enquiry focussed around instinctive and investigatory responses to objects, actions, ideas words and places. Central to the work is the ongoing development of improvised playing, composing and recording practises, in both live and studio contexts, based around different approaches to sound making including combining analogue and digital, re-working technologies, home-made instruments and electronics and adapting or finding personal approaches to instruments and objects as materials to produce sounds.”

++ HELMUT LEMKE ++

Has been specially invited to perform as part of Gary Fisher’s residency event particularly because of his influence on Gary’s artist practice which turned to a focus on sound arts during his BA at Salford University under Helmut Lemke’s teaching.

Some words from Helmut:

Imagine you have a plastic bottle….
You fill it with water and you hang it upside down….
You make a little hole in the cap….
and then you sit back,
you wait and you listen
– drips appear – they fall – they hit
sounds …
inaudible when the water squeezes through the little hole …
imaginable when it falls …
audible when it hits

Events like this drive Helmut Lemke’s curiosity.
Since he started his journey into the world of sound more than 30 years ago, he investigated sounds that are around us, some are obvious, some are familiar, some have to be found… and he has performed and exhibited process based work responding to his investigations. His endeavour has taken him to concert halls and outdoor markets, to Galleries and Museums and to the frozen seas off Greenland, to Function Rooms of Pubs and to International Festivals. He has presented his work all over the globe, collaborating with other Sound Artists and Musicians, with Dancers and Scientists, Visual Artists and Architects, Poets and Archaeologists, Performance Artists and Wildlife Rangers.

Helmut Lemke is still listening.

++ TEAR FET ++

Tear Fet is the sound project of Manchester artist Matt Dalby. In recent years he has concentrated solely on developing his voice, and beginning to explore extended techniques. Tear Fet draws on a range of influences from blues and folk music through to contemporary improvisation. Tear Fet can be found (among other places) at https://soundcloud.com/matt-dalby

His CD Underpath was released through Chocolate Monk in October 2014; his most recent collection is the self-released Islands : Wind, part of a year-long project called Islands.

As part of Islands Matt will walk round the outside of the M60, Manchester’s orbital motorway, on 30 May 2015. A variety of artworks will be created from this event.

Tickets are £5 in advance (plus booking) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/noise-above-noise-gary-fisher-residency-special-w-helmut-lemke-tickets-16596861660


Tickets are £5 on the door but only subject to availability. There is a capacity limit. Please book at least one day in advance to avoid disappointment.

This event has a licensed bar- it is not permitted to bring your own alcohol into the space.

The 2014/15 series of Noise Above Noise residency projects are supported by Arts Council England- Grants for the Arts.

Quotes:

“A BRILLIANTLY CURATED AND VISUALLY STUNNING NIGHT OF SOUND ART AND PERFORMANCE. THE ATMOSPHERE IS ALWAYS INTERESTING, RELAXING, WELCOMING AND OVERALL INSPIRING.”
– MANCHESTER’S FINEST

“THE PENTHOUSE ARTISTS FROM ENGLAND. KNOWN BACK HOME AS MANCHESTER’S FINEST SOUND ART SHOW” – BUSHWICK DAILY, NEW YORK

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During last October’s Exchange Rates expo in Brooklyn we talked to Sluice__  about what running an arts project means to us during a break from our residency on the rooftop of Vazquez ( A new arts building project) making performance work, sound collage and site specific interventions. 

This series of interviews is called Encounters- if you liked our encounter- you might be interested in the others from Exchange Rates https://sluice.info/encounters 

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