Artists inspired by Pyramid’s architecture

TALENTED artists are making of the most the striking architecture of Warrington’s Pyramid art centre for a new interactive exhibition.
“Manifold” is a collaborative exhibition by five multi-disciplinary artists who met at the University of Central Lancashire – Matthew
Birchall, Tao Lashley-Burnley, Magda Stawarska-Beavan, Dan Wilkinson and Tracy Hill – who are interested in exploring the human relationship with place through their art.
Tracy Hill, who lives in Warrington, uses the location of Pyramid to link the town and wider communities by re-imagining the journeys once taken on foot between them, through descriptive passages from archive literature and public rights of way records.
She aims to give visitors a different view of the urban panorama they can see through the windows of Pyramid.
“How we record journeys through the streets has changed,” she said.“The old maps for public rights of way, most of which no longer exist, included written descriptions which used the location of trees or the texture of the ground to explain boundary lines and rights of way.
“It’s all digital now which has changed the way we map spaces.  We use GPS now so we’re losing these memories of places, we don’t necessarily notice these little things anymore.
“I hope my work will make people think about what they’re seeing when they’re walking through town.”
The artists have been inspired by the unusual workspace Pyramid offers to create experimental installations which test how relationships and experience are intertwined with architecture, and suggest an alternative view of urban living and our interaction with it.”
Manifold challenges visitors to become participants by inviting the public to interact with the artwork, which uses sound and vision, on a physical level.
Tracy added: “We’re trying to get people to think about Warrington slightly differently, it’s not just a transit town between Liverpool and Manchester or between the north and south.
“Pyramid itself is a great architectural example of the old and new coming together and knowing what to do with it has been a great challenge.
“This exhibition is not fixed: over time it will adapt and alter as we explore and devise, develop and prototype within the space.”
The Manifold artists will be hosting the next bi-monthly Arts Hub, a networking event for amateur and professional artists, at Pyramid on Wednesday July 6 from 7-9pm, where they will share their thoughts on the exhibition.