Zaru ‘Zhubat’ Jonson!

Our (in)famous open mic kicks off at 7pm with a host of the best Spoken Word, Musicians, Comedians and more!

As always it’s £3 on the door with our picnic buffet at Un Deg Un. 8th February 2016

Zaru Jonson has been performing words regularly since being awarded the second place and audience vote prizes at Literature Wales’ John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry, 2009. Under various names, he has since read at the Edinburgh Free Fringe, Dinefwr Literature Festival, Cheltenham Poetry Festival, and two or three hundred-odd other open mics, exhibition openings, protests, hip-hop nights and miscellaneous events, often clustered around Cardiff. During 2014, he took part in the ‘Dylan Live / Dylan ar Daith’ tour in celebration of Dylan Thomas’ centenary, playing at eight universities around Wales, the Dylan In Fitzrovia Festival in London, and the PEN International Literature Festival in New York City (alongside Mr Phormula, Martin Daws and Professor Daniel Williams.)

Zaru likes dogs, believes in a god, and is incurably sincere. Recently he returned from Canada, where he avoided everything and picked hazelnuts.

Original link to post: https://voiceboxwxm.wordpress.com/voicebox-nights/

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Only Rhyl Boys Aloud meets every Monday, 6:30pm – 8:30pm.

Rhyl Pavilion Theatre
East Parade
Rhyl
LL18 3AQ

Please contact obagogledd@thealoudcharity.com for further details.

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So to back track a little, the project has been ongoing since 11^th September 2015 with its first instalment ‘GIRLS’: Rebecca Gould & Lindsey Mendick at 10 South Arcade, Chester Street this being the first out of the four exhibitions that program coordinator and curator James Harper has set up.

This exhibition came at a controversial time for Oriel Wrecsam and PERICLO as plans for the creative Hub where under fire from all quarters, but in the spirit of cooperation with market traders cosmetics retailer Beauty Box were invited to lend a hand, and were only too pleased to be able to get involved.  The staff at Beauty Box worked with the artists to select a palette of colours that were connected to the exhibition, and then set up a stall to provide nail art for the day. This partnership proved to be a great success, and allowed businesses in the market, and the public to engage with the exhibition in a new and interesting way.

From this more open dialog between the gallery and the traders that later on took part in a private viewing for the second instalment featuring Alfie Strong: ‘Heart Shaped Like A Baseball Bat’ on the 6^th November 2015 and found it was successful with the discussions about the art work.

With Heart Shaped Like A Baseball Bat, Alfie’s installation looks at the distortion of memories by crossing the line within his mind, that he likes to reference as a television set. The exhibition is a living portrait of memories once experienced and moments not yet to obtained.  This is achieved with walls painted in the colour of heather, and a tapestry of the Scottish Highlands on the stairs representing the spot where Alfie’s father wishes his ashes to be scattered  This is a place where Alfie has never been but only seen represented in images. The installation is full of these Easter eggs that reference his everyday memories with a childlike element of masks and make believe attached to them.

In the next couple of days the third instalment of the PERICLO line up will be with us.  On the 8^th January 2016 from 6pm which will be the launch of ‘Super Market Sweep’ (Bonus Round) curated by Owain McGilvary and Yan White, running until the 20^th February. The looks will capture the 90’s nostalgia of the TV program and references the ‘theatrical’ elements that surround supermarkets.

Followed shortly by ‘Harnis Your Hareth’ which translates to longing  for home that you can no longer return to, this will be curated by James Harper and will look at the art of documenting and using Wrexham as the first inspiration towards this exhibition.

Whilst talking to James, as well as us discussing the program at length and how he has found integrating PERICLO and working with the market traders, I also asked what was the different between coordinating a program compared to curating an exhibition. James suggested that with coordinating the program for PERICLO he was simply bring together groups of artists that he believed would push the boundaries of contemporary art within the already bustling scene in Wrexham. This is the aim of PERICLO’s program at Oriel Wrecsam.

James then talked about how for him curating is like being a good referee*, and how if you try to take over and interfering too much you just end up frustrating those around you and not bring out the best performance in those individuals, but if you step back, directing only when needed, then everyone can enjoy the game. Know if you just replace the referee for James and the football players for artists this makes complete sense in trying to make that harmonious balance that a curator has to consider when bring together an exhibition.

With PERICLO as whole the instalments in the program have been interesting addition to the Wrexham art scene, and how it is supporting its community in a unique way by involving the market traders and breaking down barriers that exist, and look at how they and others perceive certain aspects of art.

*If you have ever meet James it is no surprise that he likes using football references to describe his curatorial role as he is a massive Everton fan (just shows even curators don’t get it right all the time).

If you would like to watch Alfie and James in conversation please feel free to on this link or please feel free to follow PERICLO on Twitter or Facebook

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Joining us here as a studio holder at Undegun in November of this year, Hannah has been a great addition to our wide range of artists and designers at the art space. Here is H a n n to tell us a bit about herself..

Name:
Hannah Hodge: Clothing name H a n n

Current location:
Wrexham

Favourite place and why?
Either the cinema or fabric shops especially the big ones! It’s like a play ground for me.

Favourite reindeer?
Rudolph because he’s the most colourful!

Describe yourself in 5 words:
…? wow minor identity crisis there. That’s five words though!

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
I design and make unisex outerwear. I usually make a lot of one offs, your limited edition pieces so people can really get something unique. At the moment I’m finishing up a job at Fact in Liverpool and working on creating an online shop on houseofhann.com.

How long have you been practising for?
I started making clothes when I was 14, I was pretty shameless about wearing what I made regardless of how shoddy/handmade it looked.  I had always been interested in art and making things so it was a natural progression from other things I was doing.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a designer?
I wanted to act for a long time and was part of a youth theatre, I really thought that was what I wanted to do (which apparently isn’t uncommon with designers ) I started making clothes when I was about 14 but I was 16 when I knew that’s how I wanted to go on. I really loved the whole process and seeing something go from an idea to solid object. I also went to see a Vivienne Westwood exhibition in Sheffield and thought that it was definitely for me. Every now and then something happens or I see something that confirm it for me and usually that ends up in a design somehow.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
A trip to India. I used to be obsessed with going there!! I read The Little Princess and while I don’t have a princess complex ( maybe a queen complex) I got completely caught up and read everything I could about India and ended up doing a school project on the food etc.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
Watching films and eating. That’s it.

Have you got any plans for the new year?
I want to create a larger collection of clothing and have the online shop finished and looking good! I also want to expand the range to include clothing made solely from fair trade and ethically sourced materials. That’s something I really want to get into.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
A trip to Seoul! They are killing it at the minute with art and fashion! So many talented people coming out of that city and one of the biggest art festivals is held there. Also the food, the food , the food. sigh.

If you would like to see more of Hannah’s work or by updated about her shenanigans then follow her on Twitter: @hann_clothing, Instagram: @hann_wears or her website  www.houseofhann.com

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Name:
Adam Davies

Current Location:
In The Foundry, in Wrexham

Favourite place, and why?
I like a lot of places but in terms of places I can easily visit,  I would have to say Alyn Water Country Park. It looks amazing in the Autumn/Winter.

Favourite Reindeer?
Blitzen.

Describe your self in 5 words
Creative, outgoing, focused (most of the time), adaptive and enthusiastic

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
I am a web designer and developer. I am currently working on a couple of client projects but I have recently relaunched in conjunction with THIS, Wrexhamarts.com and I am also working on a content writing platform called Content Lemon (contentlemon.com) which I am looking to launch in the new year.

How long have you been a practising Designer for?
I have been a web designer and developer for the past 5-6 years, self taught from trial and error but overall it has been a great experience and I’m learning something fresh every day.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a Designer?
I have always been interested in technology and the way things worked from an early age and when the internet became more accessible and it was becoming a viable way of making an income it has always been a plan of mine. I started teaching myself in around 2008 with odd projects and friends websites until I had the confidence to pursue it as a career path.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
I would have to say… a magical voucher for anything a 10 year old wanted. Thinking about a present for a 10 year old is hard, it’s even harder when it’s your 10 year old self. If in doubt just get a voucher, a magical voucher for anything.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
Just the usual breaks (which means a chance to work on my own projects), family, friends, alcohol and lots and lots of food. Did I mention the food?

Have you got any plans for the New Year?
This new years will be a quiet one for me just to relax and enjoy the Earths birthday with lots of wine and a hangover.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
An all expenses paid trip to different places in the world to learn more about different cultures and how they work would be good. I’ve been to a couple of places in the world but never really had the chance to go exploring.

If you would like to see more of Adams work please feel free to visit his Website, Twitter or Facebook.

www.mydesignwrexham.co.uk
@mydesignwrexham
My Design Facebook

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Name: Emmi Manteau from Baby Brave

Current Location: Comfy sofa, Wrexham

Favourite place, and why? : An onsen (hot spring) in Japan – got to be THE most relaxing experience … with the most delicious food and beautiful mountains. Would love to play a festival over that side of the world.

Favourite Reindeer?: Rudolph, everyone loves an underdog (underdeer?).

Describe yourself in 5 words: An open-minded, fun-lovin’, self-doubting wordsmith.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to? Writing loads of songs! Baby Brave is a noise-pop band making new music full of guitars, beats and catchy hooks. We’ve just released our 2nd EP called ‘Tacky Birthday’ on the label Drum With Our Hands. It’s on vinyl (!!!), which is a first for us and for DWOH too. And it’s brilliant, if I’m allowed to say that…

How long have you been a practising musician for? I’ve been writing songs for about 10 years now… Time flies! Baby Brave have been playing as the four of us for about 2 years now!

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be an musician? One specific time springs to mind… So we used to post songs up on YouTube when I was in a my first band, an acoustic duet called The Snowball Effect, ending all our videos with us playfully yelling ‘Schnooooballl!’. We got booked to play at a birthday party in Bangor, via our YouTube channel, and to our ultimate surprise, at the end of every song the whole crowd yelled, “SCHNOOOOBAAAALLL!” We had no idea it was a ‘thing’, it was so surreal, but that was it – I was hooked!

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be? Great question. I’d stick with the purple glittery My Little Pony I got, …it was amazing!

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas? Playing a show with Campfire Social on December 19th at Telfords Warehouse! Then going home back to Chesterfield and being with my family. I’ve not been able to be home properly for Christmas for about 5 or 6 years, so this one will be really special!

Have you got any plans for the New Year? We’ll be touring the new EP, including playing at Focus Wales Winter Fayre (30^th January at the Stiwt Theatre in Rhos) doing some music videos and starting work on our next record! We have loads of new material too, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the studio to start jigsawwing it all together. It’s a great collaborative process. Hoping to experiment with some new techniques of creating songs this year.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be? A new guitar would be nice! A Gibson Firebird, if we’re being specific… Thanks THIS project! Hope you have a truly Tacky Christmas!

If you would like to follow other shenanigans that Emmi and Baby Brave are up to please feel free to follow them on the social media platforms below.

Official Website: www.babybrave.co.uk
BandCamp: http://babybrave.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babybrave
Instagram: http://instagram.com/babybraveyeah
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BabyBraveYeah

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Name:
Tim Humphreys-Jones

Current Location:
Wrexham (On my sofa)

Favourite place, and why?
Coedpoeth, view of town from there in the night, or fog over Wrexham in the morning is wicked.

Favourite Reindeer?
Don’t have one.

Describe your self in 5 words:
ginger. married. writer. honest. optimist.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
At present I am trying to broaden my horizons in terms of my poetry and looking at going over music. I am also Artistic Director of Voicebox (Spoken Word night in Wrexham) and I am hoping that it continues to grow as it has done over the past 2 years.

How long have you been a practising Poet for?
Almost ten years.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a Poet?
15/16

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
Tickets to the FA cup final to see Liverpool win against Arsenal.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
I always look forward to the family meals and getting to spend time with my relatives. this year, I’m cooking. Should be fun.

Have you got any plans for the New Year? 
2016 Will be one of firsts for Voicebox as we branch out to potentially have; our first slam, hiphop special, beatbox battle and spoken word play. I am definitely looking forward to all of them too. I am hoping to find an a venue for my next book publishing venture too but I don’t know how that will pan out just yet.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
Tickets for an all inclusive holiday trip to Barcelona for Jade and I.

If you would like to find out more about Tim and Voicebox please feel free to to follow on Facebook and Twitter!

Voicebox Facebook

Tim Humphreys-Jones Twitter
Voicebox Twitter 

Latest in Voicebox events! Buy tickets now

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Here at THIS Project we like to support a range of artist, musicians and poets so for our 6th day of artists we are proud to feature emerging comic’s artist Heather Wilson! Since completing her degree at Glyndwr University Heather has always shown enthusiasm for exploring complex and often over looked areas of history, science and current political issues through the means of graphic novels, in aims to break down barrows and  help make complex information accessible.

Name:
Heather Wilson

Current Location:
Wrexham, Wales, UK, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way, The Universe

Favourite place, and why?:
I found this question too hard because all of my favourite places are actually pretend. The Silver Sea, which is like this shallow water-lilly filled sea from the Chronicles of Narnia, is one of my favourite places to pretend to be, there’s just something about the vivid descriptions of the sunlight and the clear water that I really love. (I actually can’t bring myself to watch that one of the movies because I know I’ll be disappointed.) Blackreach cavern in the game Skyrim comes a close second. Imagine these like ancient underground Dwarven ruins, inside of an expansive dark cave, filled with glowing mushrooms and torchbugs. It’s like a starlit sky, but deep underground. Sometimes I just go back there to walk around and hang out even though I did all the quests ages ago.

Favourite Reindeer?
Rainbowdash. Oh wait no. That’s something else.

Describe your self in 5 words
Your Average Manic Pixie Nightmare.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
November was all about getting ready for the Thought Bubble Festival, which is the UK’s biggest comics festival. If you’ve never been, its a huge festival with loads of stalls, guests, events and a super friendly and positive atmosphere. As well as all the usual cosplay and book signings you might see at another big comics conventions, Thought Bubble does loads to showcase independent creators and small press work. You can buy some of what I was selling there via my online shop: http://missheathercomics.bigcartel.com You can find everything else I’ve been up to this year at: www.missheather.co.uk

How long have you been a practising Artist for?
I have been doing freelance illustration and running workshops for a little over two years.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a Artist?
I can remember other children telling me that I should be an artist when I grew up at about eight or nine. I didn’t think much of the idea though, because so far as I was concerned, I was going to be something “useful”. Now most of my arts practice is geared around education and social causes. Which might be cheating.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
The pivotal things that I was interested in at ten were metallic nail polishes, learning dance routines to S Club 7 songs and reading books about magical children with very poor adult supervision. However, if I could give my past self anything, it would be a reasonable haircut that looked like it actually belonged in the year 2000.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
I will probably really look forward to seeing my two nephews… up until the moment that I’m playing my eighth game of Wii tennis and would really rather like to sit down.

Have you got any plans for the New Year?
A lot of my attention is going to be focused on  launching a new art supply subscription box service with my good mate Kirsty Gaughan (of THIS Project fame). Its called Art Block Its really exciting to be doing such a different project from what either of us have ever worked on before. You can check it out at artblock.cratejoy.com

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
Time Machine. Obviously guys, obviously.

If you would like to follow Heather and her wonderful adventures please free to follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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Name:
Mikey Jones

Current Location:
Wrexham

Favourite place, and why?
Bristol – student days were fun with great people and lots of interesting things happening down there in the arts and Music scenes.

Favourite Reindeer?
Dasher

Describe your self in 5 words.
Odd, fun, determined, sensitive and optimistic.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
I have been painting and exhibiting my Wales in Colour series and doing some commissions of the local area. Recently I produced the outline for the Reimagine Wrexham boards for Wrexfest which can now be seen in the Old Burtons on the Hight Street. I’ve done a few art give-away’s recently and made some Calendars of the Wales in Colour series and there’s still a few left.

How long have you been a practising Artist for?
4 years

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a Artist?
When my University tutor said ‘Mikey I think your more of an artist than a Architect’, this obvious hit me hard at first.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
Oil paints

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
Lots of mulled wine

Have you got plans new year?
I’m off to Jerusalem in February for 11 days to commence my new series ‘Jerusalem in Colour’ which I can’t wait to get stuck in to as I’ve been planning it for months now. Also got a couple of Wales in Colour exhibitions lined up in Llandudno in April, a special one in the Norwegian Art Centre in Cardiff Bay in July and not to forget I will be exhibiting Wales in Colour in the Botanical Garden of Wales Gallery. I also have plans for another Bristol Exhibition later in the year but it’s all under wraps at the moment

If you would like to contact Mikey Jones or keep updated with the rest of his work please feel free to follow him on, Facebook, Twitter or  his website www.mikeyjonesart.com

Currently Mikey is selling a limited number of Wales in Colour calendars!

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