BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Microsoft Corporation//Outlook 14.0 MIMEDIR//EN VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN:TRUE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:GMT Standard Time BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:16011028T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=10 TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:-0000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:16010325T010000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=3 TZOFFSETFROM:-0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CREATED:20110901T231401Z DESCRIPTION:Crafts and gardening: the new frontiers of radicalism? \nM onday 19 September 2011 (Import into Outlook )\nKate Day \, Professor George McKay \, Barbara Hastings-Asatourian and Rob Lyons will discuss the impact crafts and gardening have in society.\n\n\n\nThe current wave of interest in craft\, and in particular in the process of making things for yourself surely has its roots in recent social\, political\, and economic developments. It is often argued that the fashion for creative activity can be regarded as a backlash against an increasingly virtual and corporate world that promotes the passive consumer - albeit a Web 2.0 one. Alongside the grow-your-own allotment movement\, the make-your-own approach enables craft participants to experience shaping their material world\, creating objects that have a n individual stamp and a narrative in their production. Is this just a rep eat of the rural craft revival of the 1970s for a new generation\, or perh aps a new twist to the fashion for eco doom-mongering?\n\n\n\nOver the pas t 10 years\, and emanating initially in the U.S.\, the DIY craft movement has played a critical role in promoting craft activity as a democratic and political tool. Online movements such as Craft Mafias\, guerrilla knitter s and ‘craftivism’ have encouraged a younger generation to regard craf t as a platform for sharing ideas and protest. The activist approach share s common strands with the ‘guerrilla gardening’ movement\, with activi ties such as seed-bombing and yarn-bombing linking to a new generation of political protest that prioritises community and direct action in the recl amation of social values\, vs corporate or state ideologies. Alongside thi s\, selling sites such as Etsy have developed a bur geoning market for user-led trading\, often at a low price point due to th e predominantly amateur nature of the traders. Perhaps the ultimate outcom e of the of self-styled ‘craftster’ movement\, the website Regretsy celebrates some of the worst excesses of where ‘craft goes bad’.\n\n\n\nAn aspect of the craft and gardening revival is how connected and virtualised it is\, rather than isolated or disconnec ted. Making groups\, once regarded as the prevail of the Women’s Institu te and over 60s\, are now attracting hip young things keen to share techni ques and learn new skills. Crafting events\, from knitting groups\, throug h local meet-ups to the V&A’s popular Craft Rocks evenings\, are attract ing cool urban (and predominantly female) audiences. A far cry from the cl oth kits and macramé owls of the 1970s\, these activities do nonetheless contain an element of nostalgia. The rediscovery of ‘grandma’s skills ’ (possibly not passed on by grandma herself due to changes in inter-gen erational connections)\, hints to a lost generation in terms of craft skil ls development. Notions of a make do and mend approach prompted by recessi on\, don't ring true as buying new if often cheaper\, and with the erosion of craft teaching in schools and further education\, there has to be a de liberate desire to learn crafting skills to then use them to 'make do'. Fr om a fashion and style aspect\, bunting\, village fetes\, and Cath Kidston ’s ubiquitous patterned homewares hint at a longing for a more innocent age of pretty things and pride in the home-made.\n\n\n\nIs the backlash ag ainst the generic high street chains\, alongside environmental and ethical concerns a positive one? A growing interest in authenticity and provenanc e presents the capitalist project as faceless consumerism promoted by big chains producing throwaway items (in conditions that are often questioned) \, has prompted 'discerning' consumers to seek out locally sourced product s. The popularity of farmers markets and craft fairs of course articulate this trend from global to local\, with interesting outcomes regarding pric e and quality when we're mindful of the additional pressures posed by econ omic recession. This trend has naturally not been overlooked by global lux ury brands and major retailers hit hard by the loss of confidence in osten tatious consumption. Brands such as Mulberry and Camper have been quick to inject craft values in to their product ranges and marketing\, facilitate d by big budgets and up to the minute consumer intelligence way beyond the reach of individual craft makers and retailers.\n\nCraft as technical abi lity and a medium for expression has also received renewed interest\, perh aps notably from the previously aloof fine art world. Grayson Perry’s wi nning of the Turner Prize in 2003 was something of a coup for the craft wo rld\; less shocking than Perry’s transvestite alter ego Claire and his a cceptance of the award in a baby-doll frock\, was that Perry defines himse lf as a potter and is actually skilled in his craft. Perry’s journey in bringing craft out of the wilderness was carefully orchestrated\, and havi ng received support from the Crafts Council he strategically aligned himse lf with the fine art world to achieve his ambition. Is this blurring of th e boundaries between art and craft such a good thing\, and why does it see m to be the case that the constituency is largely female and middle class? \n\nSome background readings\nGuerilla gardening \, from Wikipedia\, the free encyclopedia\nBBC crisis over 'fake' sweatshop scene in Primark documentary \, by Ian Burrell and Martin Hickman\, I ndependent 17 June 2011\nGuerilla gardeners target housing estate in Somer set \, BBC News 1 5 August 2011\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue and Time\n\nThe Shakespeare Pub \, 16 Fountain Street\, Manchester\, M2 2AA at 7:15pm for a prompt 7:30pm start\, expected to finish just after 9:00p m. Tickets are £5 (£3 concessions) payable in advance\, using the PayPal Donate button on the Manchester Salon website (feel free to donate on top of the £5 ticket)\, but can also be paid for on the night if booked in a dvance by Emailing events@manchestersalon.org.uk . \n \n\nSponsored by\n\n \nMany thanks to feetsafe for sponsoring thi s discussion\, helping to pay for the promotional work in hosting and deve loping the Salon's website. feetsafe is an online retailer specialising in safety footwear. They are based in Wales\, UK and because they only sell safety footwear you'll find their website easy to use\, great prices becau se of safety footwear bulk buying. They’re also experts in what they sel l\, answering technical footwear questions within 24 hours. They have a gr eat range of branded footwear and quality value lines\, and offer a next w orking day service and tell you which products are in stock and delivered by courier the next working day.\n\n\n\nThe Great Northern Contemporary Cr aft Fair (GNCCF)\, held in Manchester\, champions and promotes high quality\, cutting edge contem porary craft. Designer-makers from across the country and beyond are invit ed to showcase a selection of ceramics\, jewellery\, glass\, interior and fashion textiles\, wood\, silver and furniture. Visitors\, including retai lers\, galleries\, interior designers\, collectors and the general public\ , have the opportunity to buy the unique pieces and talk to the designers about their work and influences. The GNCCF is organised by the Great North ern Events\, a not-for-profit company established to champion and promote high quality craft at Spinningfields\, and will run from 20 to 23 of Octob er 2011. \n \n \nIf you would like to sponsor any discussions\, or partner in promoting them\, please get in touch via the sponsorship page or the sponsor the Salon form.\n \n\n\nDates for your diary\nTuesday 06 September: In c onversation with Melvin Burgess: understanding and writing for teenagers < http://www.manchestersalon.org.uk/kill-all-enemies-melvin-burgess-intervie w.html> . Dave Bowden will host a conversation with Melvyn Burgess as he launches his new novel 'Kill All Enemies'.\nWednesday 28 Sept ember: I feel your pain: do humans and animals suffer similarly? D r Stuart Derbyshire and Professor Anthony Jones will try and untangle the uniqueness and commonality of pain and sufferi ng for humans and animals.\nTuesday 04 October: The Manchester Salon will organise a discussion on current affairs on this FIRST TUESDAY . \nMond ay 24 October. Fukushima fallout : Dr John Roberts \, Dame Sue Ion and Rob Lyons will discuss the fallout from Fukushima and where it leaves the future of nuclear energy\, chaired by Tony Gilland .\nTuesday 25 October. Art ificial Intelligence\, bionics and consciousness : Pro fessor Kevin Warwick \, Dr Kathleen Richardson and Professor Ray Tallis will introduce a discussion on Artificial Intelligence and consciousness \, chaired by Dr Stuart Derbyshire .\nSaturday – Sunday 29 & 30 October: Battle of Ideas Festiva l weekend - two days of high-level\, t hought-provoking\, public debate organised by the Institute of Ideas\, hos ted by the Royal College of Art \, London.\n\nSponsorship of the Salon website\nEstablis h your organisation's commitment to open public debate in Manchester and t he North West by sponsoring an individual event around a subject of partic ular concern\, or demonstrate your organisation's support for open public debate across a wider range of subjects by sponsoring the Manchester Salon for a year. Details of both packages are available by clicking on these W ord or PDF links.\n\n\n\nSimon Belt\nManchester Salon\n\n DTEND;TZID="GMT Standard Time":20110919T210000 DTSTAMP:20110901T231401Z DTSTART;TZID="GMT Standard Time":20110919T193000 LAST-MODIFIED:20110901T231401Z LOCATION:The Shakespeare Pub\, 16 Fountain Street\, Manchester\, M2 2AA PRIORITY:5 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-gb:Crafts and gardening: the new frontiers of radicalis m? TRANSP:OPAQUE UID:040000008200E00074C5B7101A82E0080000000040DAE02ADA68CC01000000000000000 010000000B24FDCEC45E7074C83A87A58A946E4BE X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Crafts and gardening: the new frontiers of radicalism?

\n\n

Monday 19 September 2011 (Import into Out look )

\n\n
Kate Day \, Professor George McKay\, Barbara Hastings-Asatourian and ~~Rob Lyons~~ will discuss the impact crafts and gardening have in society.
\n\n
\n\n
\n\n
The current wave of in terest in craft\, and in particular in the process of making things for yourself surely has its roots in recent social\, political\, and economic developments. It is often argued that the fashion for creative activity can be regarded as a backlash again st an increasingly virtual and corporate world that promotes the passive c onsumer - albeit a Web 2.0 one. Alongside the grow-your-own allotment movement\, the make-your-own approach enables craft participants t o experience shaping their material world\, creating objects that have an individual stamp and a narrative in their production. Is this just a repea t of the rural craft revival of the 1970s for a new generation\, or perhap s a new twist to the fashion for eco doom-mongering?
\n\n
\n\n
Over t he past 10 years\, and emanating initially in the U.S.\, the DIY craft mov ement has played a critical role in promoting craft activity as a democrat ic and political tool. Online movements such as Craft Mafias\, guerrilla k nitters and ‘craftivism’ have encouraged a younger generation to regar d craft as a platform for sharing ideas and protest. The activist approach shares common strands with the ‘guerrilla gardening’ movement\, with activities such as seed-bombing and yarn-bombing linking to a new generati on of political protest that prioritises community and direct action in th e reclamation of social values\, vs corporate or state ideologies. Alongsi de this\, selling sites such as Etsy have developed a burgeoning market for user-led trading\, often at a low price point due to the predominantly amateur nature of the traders. Perhaps the ultimate outcome of the of self-styled ‘craftster’ movement\, the webs ite Regretsy celebrates some of the w orst excesses of where ‘craft goes bad’.
\n\n

\n\n
An aspect of t he craft and gardening revival is how connected and virtualised it is\, ra ther than isolated or disconnected. Making groups\, once regarded as the p revail of the Women’s Institute and over 60s\, are now attracting hip yo ung things keen to share techniques and learn new skills. Crafting events\ , from knitting groups\, through local meet-ups to the V&\;A’s popula r Craft Rocks evenings\, are attracting cool urban (and predominantly fema le) audiences. A far cry from the cloth kits and macramé owls of the 1970 s\, these activities do nonetheless contain an element of nostalgia. The r ediscovery of ‘grandma’s skills’ (possibly not passed on by grandma herself due to changes in inter-generational connections)\, hints to a los t generation in terms of craft skills development. Notions of a make do an d mend approach prompted by recession\, don't ring true as buying new if o ften cheaper\, and with the erosion of craft teaching in schools and furth er education\, there has to be a deliberate desire to learn crafting skill s to then use them to 'make do'. From a fashion and style aspect\, bunting \, village fetes\, and Cath Kidston’s ubiquitous patterned homewares hin t at a longing for a more innocent age of pretty things and pride in the h ome-made.
\n\n
\n\n
Is the backlash against the generic high street c hains\, alongside environmental and ethical concerns a positive one? A gro wing interest in authenticity and provenance presents the capitalist proje ct as faceless consumerism promoted by big chains producing throwaway item s (in conditions that are often questioned)\, has prompted 'discerning' co nsumers to seek out locally sourced products. The popularity of farmers ma rkets and craft fairs of course articulate this trend from global to local \, with interesting outcomes regarding price and quality when we're mindfu l of the additional pressures posed by economic recession. This trend has naturally not been overlooked by global luxury brands and major retailers hit hard by the loss of confidence in ostentatious consumption. Brands suc h as Mulberry and Camper have been quick to inject craft values in to thei r product ranges and marketing\, facilitated by big budgets and up to the minute consumer intelligence way beyond the reach of individual craft make rs and retailers.
\n\n
Craft as technical ability and a medium fo r expression has also received renewed interest\, perhaps notably from the previously aloof fine art world. Grayson Perry’s winning of the Turner Prize in 2003 was something of a coup for the craft world\; less shocking than Perry’s transvestite alter ego Claire and his acceptance of the awa rd in a baby-doll frock\, was that Perry defines himself as a potter and i s actually skilled in his craft. Perry’s journey in bringing craft out o f the wilderness was carefully orchestrated\, and having received support from the Crafts Council he strategically aligned himself with the fine art world to achieve his ambition. Is this blurring of the boundaries between art and craft such a good thing\, and why does it seem to be the case tha t the constituency is largely female and middle class?
\ n\n
\n\n
Some background readings
\n\n
Guerilla gardening\, from Wikipedia\, the free encyclopedia
\n\n
BBC crisis over 'fake' sweatshop scene in Primark do cumentary\, by Ian Burrell and Ma rtin Hickman\, Independent 17 June 2011
\n\n
Guerilla gardeners target housing estate in Somerset \, BBC News 15 August 2011
\n\n
\n\n
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\n\n
Venue and Time
\n \n
\n\nThe Shakesp eare Pub\, 16 Fountain Street\, Manchester\, M2 2AA at 7:15pm for a prompt 7:30pm start\, expected to finish just after 9:00pm. Tickets are £5 (£3 concessions) payable in advance\, using the PayPal Donate button on the Manchester Salon websit e (feel free to donate on top of the £5 ticket)\, but can also be paid fo r on the night if booked in advance by Emailing events@manchestersalon.org.uk . 
\n\n

\n\n
\n\n
Sponsored by
\n\n

\n\n
Many thanks to feetsafe for sponsoring this discuss ion\, helping to pay for the promotional work in hosting and developing th e Salon's website. feetsafe is an online retailer specialising in safety footwear. They are based in Wale s\, UK and because they only sell safety footwear you'll find their websit e easy to use\, great prices because of safety footwear bulk buying. They ’re also experts in what they sell\, answering technical footwear questi ons within 24 hours. They have a great range of branded footwear and quali ty value lines\, and offer a next working day service and tell you which p roducts are in stock and delivered by courier the next working day.
\n\n
\n\n
\n\n
The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF)\, held in Manchester\, champions and promotes high quality\, cutting edge contem porary craft. Designer-makers from across the country and beyond are invit ed to showcase a selection of ceramics\, jewellery\, glass\, interior and fashion textiles\, wood\, silver and furniture. Visitors\, including retai lers\, galleries\, interior designers\, collectors and the general public\ , have the opportunity to buy the unique pieces and talk to the designers about their work and influences. The GNCCF is organised by the Great North ern Events\, a not-for-profit company established to champion and promote high quality craft at Spinningfields\, and will run from 20 to 23 of Octob er 2011.
\n\n

\n\n

\n\n
If you woul d like to sponsor any discussions\, or partner in promoting them\, please get in touch via the sponsorship page or the sponsor the Salon form.
\n\n

\n\n
\n\n
\n\n
Dates for your diary
\n\n
Tuesday 06 September: In conversation with Melvin Burgess: understanding and writing for te enagers. Dave Bowden will host a conversation with Melvyn Burgess as he launches his new novel 'Kill All Enemies'.
\n\n
Wedn esday 28 September: I feel your pain: do humans and animals suffer similarly? Dr Stuart Derbyshire and Professor Anthony Jones will try and untangle the uniqueness and commonality of pain and suffering for humans and animals.
\n\n
~~Tuesday 04 October~~: The Mancheste r Salon will organise a discussion on current affairs on this FIRST TUESDAY .
\n\n
Monday 24 October. Fukushima fallout: Dr John Roberts \, Dame Sue Ion and Rob Lyons will discuss the fallout fr om Fukushima and where it leaves the future of nuclear energy\, chaired by Tony Gilland .
\n\n
~~Tuesday 25 Octobe r. Artificial Inte lligence\, bionics and consciousness: Professor Kevin Warwick\, Dr Kathleen Richardson and Professor Ray Tallis~~ will intr oduce a discussion on Artificial Intelligence and consciousness\, chaired by Dr Stuart Derbyshire.
\n\n
Saturday – Sunday 29 &\; 30 October: Battle of Ideas Festival weekend - two days of high-level\, thought-provoking\, public debate organised by the Institute of Ideas\, hosted by the Royal College of Art\, London.
\n \n
\n\n
Sponsorship of the Sal on website
\n\n
Establish your organisation's commitment to open public debate in Man chester and the North West by sponsoring an individual event around a subj ect of particular concern\, or demonstrate your organisation's support for open public debate across a wider range of subjects by sponsoring the Man chester Salon for a year. Details of both packages are available by clicki ng on these Word or PDF links.
\n\n

\n\n
\n\n
Simon Belt
\n\n
Manchester Salon
\n\n
\n\n\n X-MICROSOFT-CDO-BUSYSTATUS:BUSY X-MICROSOFT-CDO-IMPORTANCE:1 X-MICROSOFT-DISALLOW-COUNTER:FALSE X-MS-OLK-AUTOFILLLOCATION:FALSE X-MS-OLK-CONFTYPE:0 BEGIN:VALARM TRIGGER:-PT15M ACTION:DISPLAY DESCRIPTION:Reminder END:VALARM END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR