Nothing old under the sun
Nothing old under the sun
Steph Huang at esea Contemporary | 5 Christmas shows that aren’t pantos | Latest NW arts news
The leaves are barely turning to orange and already the conversations about whose turn it is to cook Christmas dinner have started up in our family. Even more importantly, we’ve been picking out which Christmas show to book - something that the kids will enjoy that won’t be unsufferable for the adults. If you’re not a panto person, then I’ve put together a list of five other festive shows for you to think about booking below.
I haven’t forgotten that it’s only the start of autumn though, and for me this month is all about seeing the everyday world differently. This early, it’s like a cautious painter is only just daring to try out a few daubs here and there - a touch of amber among the steadfastly green leaves. But in a few more weeks, the trees will be lit up in fiery coppers and golds.
This week’s main piece is about a sculptor who, like the changing seasons, invites us to reconsider the everyday. I hope you enjoy it, and get in touch if there’s something you’d like to see in Stored Honey.
Take the time to regain your bearings
There is nothing ordinary about Steph Huang’s exhibition at esea Contemporary, yet the mundane is the starting point for each of her works. She takes the everyday and invites us to consider it anew.
Also the current focus of Tate Britain’s Art Now series, which shows work by emerging artists, The Mark Tanner Sculpture Award winner doesn’t appear to sit still. As well as exhibiting in multiple locations at the same time, she chooses to make all her work herself. Instead of - like many other artists - collaborating with artisans skilled in glass blowing or the many other crafts she employs to express her ideas, Huang takes time to learn them herself.
Yet despite her own prolificacy, her show at esea Contemporary exudes calm. Exploring the works is a restful experience, requiring you to slow down and pay attention to detail, to reconsider the world around you with fresh eyes.
Or perhaps not entirely with fresh eyes. The exhibition There is nothing old under the sun, opens with a scene-setting quote from Italian artist and photographer Luigi Ghirri, which describes humanity’s task of regaining our own bearings - rather than seeing “with different eyes” - in places imbued with the weight of what has come before.
Huang plays with themes of food production and consumption - a tub, in which real gherkins are replaced with those made of glass, emits the sound of her munching; a stack of shrimp tins demonstrate her own go at creating packaging. In A Regular Arrangement, a piece of plywood that remained after she had cut out chunks for an earlier work becomes a frame for viewing another piece, The Gone Room, made from wallpaper she found in her grandparents’ old home.
In esea’s Communal Project Space, Huang’s works inspired by Manchester are displayed, views of the street adding a “site-specific” feeling to the pieces. During a residency at the University of Salford’s Maker Space, the artist roamed the city taking photos to use as inspiration.
In her hands, Manchester’s grey weather is transformed into elongated hand-blown glass raindrops that appear to drip down from a delicately curved steel bar in front of one of the space’s tall windows. Meanwhile, the metal grills she spotted on her walks and a photograph of fungus are incorporated into a new piece that will become part of the Salford Art Collection.
There’s a message here that we’d all do well to listen to: There is nothing old under the sun, but it’s up to you to take the time to pause and look again.
Steph Huang: There is nothing old under the sun is at esea Contemporary, Manchester, until December 8.
Latest arts news
💖 Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical, a “high energy, colourful” new musical comedy, based on one of the biggest blockbuster films in the history of Indian cinema, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, will make its UK premiere at Manchester Opera House on May 29, 2025 where it will run until June 21, 2025. Tickets go on sale on Friday, October 4.
🪚 An exhibition showcasing a selection of the finest Black British artisans working in the UK today is at Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, until Sunday, October 6. Curated by social documentary photographer Jo Sealy, The Black Artisans exhibition shines a spotlight on 36 craftspeople, demonstrating a wide breadth of skills.
🚌 Artist Nicky McCubbing is launching her new book The 86, capturing the quirkiness of the 86 bus route along Liverpool’s Smithdown Road, at Metal (Edge Hill Station) on Thursday, October 3, 6-8pm. It’s free but you need to RSVP.
🦭 Physical theatre company Tmesis is taking Sealskin, its emotive interpretation of an ancient Celtic tale about selkies - people who spend half their lives as seals, to the Arts Centre at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, on Wednesday October 23.
🤪 Dangle upside down from a Metrolink carriage and see yourself repeated hundreds of times in the Infinity Room at Manchester’s new mind-bending Museum of Illusions, which opened yesterday.
😼 Tate Liverpool has launched a new art trail for ages 7-11, which involves helping Mildred, Tate’s art-loving cat to find six artworks hidden around the inner quay of the Royal Albert Dock. Collect your free Art Trail booklet from Tate Liverpool + RIBA North at Mann Island and follow the map at your own pace.
In case you missed it
5 Christmas shows that aren’t pantos
While there’s no beating a bit of the old “oh no he isn’t, oh yes he is” for indulging the festive spirit, there are some great Christmas shows out there that are not pantomimes. Oh no there aren’t, oh yes there are…. Sorry.
So if you’re the sort of person who lives in fear of audience participation, why not book tickets for one of these sparklers instead.
A Christmas Carol, The Lowry, Manchester: Alan Menken’s all-singing-all-dancing take on the classic Dickens story stars musical stalwart Claire Moore (the original Ellen in Miss Saigon) as Scrooge - the first time the character has been portrayed as a women in this version at least. December 6 to January 5.
Tinsel, Theatre By The Lake, Keswick: Live music and puppetry helps tell the story of a magical little boy who dreams of being the fairy on top of the Christmas tree. To succeed, he’ll have to convince a whole tree of doubting baubles, naughty elves, and a naysaying nutcracker that anyone can shine if they’re just given the chance. December 10-28.
Star of Wonder, Unity Theatre, Liverpool: Three friends undertake a wonderous journey to follow a star. They fall-out, get lost, overcome obstacles and finally find what they are looking for in a non-verbal show that features clowning and puppetry. December 17-21.
Miracle on 34th Street, HOME, Manchester: When the Santa at a major New York department store quits at the last minute, they’re left with a kind-hearted stranger who is convinced he’s the real deal to save the day, in this new musical of the well-known story. December 6-31.
The Rocky Horror Show, Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool: It may not be officially Christmassy but Richard O’Brien’s rock ’n’ roll musical certainly knows how to party. Follow squeaky clean college kids Brad and his fiancée Janet to Dr Frank’n’Furter’s mansion for a night of fun, frolics, frocks and frivolity. December 3 to January 4.
Opening this week
Barbara Walker: Being Here is the first major survey exhibition by the acclaimed British artists, bringing together more than 70 works spanning her career from the 1990s to today, including her Turner Prize nominated portrait series Burden of Proof (2022-23) and rarely seen drawings alongside a major new wallpaper commission. Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, Friday October 4 to Sunday, January 26.
Thank you for reading this week’s Stored Honey. If you liked this newsletter then please do hit the ❤️ button as it helps it get shown to more non-subscribers.
I’m off now to Google some galleries in Belfast as I’m meeting up with some friends there next weekend. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. In the meantime, you can get hold of me on Instagram, in the comments or by replying to this email.
Have a great week,
Laura