Brendan Bunting, Author at Blackpool Social Club

05 Dec

The Vocal Local: Dapper Man

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Local News

The Blackpool Illuminations, or ‘The Lights’ as they are known affectionately by locals, have long needed investment. With over six miles of glorious creative light displays, the illuminations still attract millions per year, to chug along in queues of traffic whilst admiring one of the biggest free art exhibitions on the planet. Yes, I said it, art exhibition, because The Lights are often overlooked as art, a hint of snobbery can get in the way of appreciating the true innovation of the illuminations (especially for arts organisations that missed out on Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation, or NPO, status and…

04 Nov

The Vocal Local: Dapper Man

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Music & Gigs

In the second instalment of a new series of columns exploring creativity and politics, Brendan Bunting, aka Dapper Artist, points out that art is a luxury that fewer people can afford during an economic crisis As the dark nights set in, we are all too aware of the cost-of-living crisis as we plan how we can cut our own energy consumption at home. The impact on the arts is something we might not readily appreciate or acknowledge. But the current crisis is something that could reduce the cultural opportunities on offer to us. Recently it has been announced that sadly…

10 Dec

Blackpool Arts Scene set to delight late night shoppers with a creative Christmas

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsLocal News, Visual Arts & Exhibitions

As the Christmas fast approaches the Blackpool arts scene brings an abundance of cultural entertainment that is free for all to enjoy tonight. Six creative venues are opening their doors to welcome late night shoppers in from the cold and feast upon the best of Blackpool art, craft and design this festive season in Blackpool. The evening begins at The Grundy Art Gallery on Queen Street where from 5pm until 7.30pm there is an opportunity to see it’s two fantastic exhibitions. The first exhibition entitled ‘Companions’ sees contemporary artist Ben Cain respond to some of the Grundy’s prestigious collection, inviting artists…

22 Jun

Review: B&FC Fine Art Graduate Exhibition

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitions

Attending a bustling open night for this year's graduate show at Blackpool and The Fylde College, it was a pleasure to go back the night after, in solitude, to take in the work again. Like the first time round, I found the vast majority of the work of a high quality, but with the silence in the historic building there was a sense of eeriness to some of the work. Matthew Carr's fantastic mixed media celebrity portraits with their monochrome tones felt at home in the quietness of the studio space, giving the viewer time to contemplate the authenticity of…

08 Apr

Regeneration Art

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitions

Walking around Blackpool, it’s easy to stumble across an abundance of street art; from spray can murals of past Sand, Sea & Spray festivals, to the world famous mirrorball: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? For this feature I would like to explore the lesser known public artworks in the town. In 2008 a regeneration project, using art as a catalyst, started in the Foxhall and Revoe area. Once two giants in the heart of Blackpool’s tourism industry, this area had spent decades on the decline with little investment and was in dire need of creative flair. Local artist Cathy Kelly…

16 Nov

The Dapper Side: Poppy Art

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Visual Arts & Exhibitions

During the last few weeks, through the nation's media, we have witnessed the most amazing public engagement with an artwork that this country has ever experienced. The artwork is Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red by designer Tom Piper, in collaboration with ceramic artist Paul Cummins. The artwork sees 888,246 individual ceramic crafted poppies (each representing the lives of lost Allied troops in World War One) placed in the moat of The Tower of London to create a moving and thought-provoking installation. The installation has seen an incredible response, with the public flocking from far and wide to London…

07 Nov

The Dapper Side – Lights, Camera, Action

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsColumns & Opinion

Ever since the 1960s heydays of Blackpool's Big Night Out the town has been a Mecca for the entertainment industry which has flocked here to film. And it's not only live performance shows such as the Big Night Out brand, The Royal Variety Show and Strictly Come Dancing that the television industry bods seem to enjoy capturing in Blackpool. Our unique and vibrant town has inspired directors and producers alike into thinking that Blackpool is the perfect setting for their scripts. In 2004 we saw the often dark but very bizarre musical drama Blackpool, starring David Tennant and David Morrissey,…

04 Nov

West Side at Venn Project

Brendan Bunting1 CommentVisual Arts & Exhibitions

On 27 October I attended the opening for the latest exhibition from the three amigos of the local contemporary art world, the curators from Venn Project. This time, the boys (Joseph Pelger, Garth Gratrix and Tom Ireland) put the invitation out there for local talent to submit a piece of art in the open exhibition entitled West Side where our creatives would showcase work inspired by the North West. Although some of the work on display holds a sense of predictability about it, this doesn't mean it lacks quality, far from it. Because we are so familiar with some of…

31 Oct

Dapper Side – Public Art vs The Morons

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Visual Arts & Exhibitions

In recent weeks we have heard the news of the attempted theft of a sculpture of Eric Morecambe from the sea front in Morecambe. The thieves didn't get as far as pinching the statue as it was found near by, but they did cause considerable damage, with the only remaining piece on the plinth being a solo foot. This kind of public art theft and mindless vandalism, sadly, isn't something new and even more sadly, it's something we have experienced in Blackpool numerous times. The targeting of public art for profit first hit my radar a few years ago when…

23 Oct

Dapper Side – A Sleeping Giant is Awakening

Brendan Bunting0 CommentsColumns & Opinion

There was some brilliant news in last week's local press, namely that the Winter Gardens welcomed one million paying visitors from the year June 2013 to 2014. The figure is set to rise by the end of the year, and has seen visitors up twenty five percent on the previous year's figures. This is great news for locals and fans of the Winter Gardens alike, and proves the dear old lady is moving in the right direction. Described in the past as having "little purpose in the modern day world," you have to give credit where credit is due to…