End of Year Update / Roundup

Well I hadn't planned on it being quite so long between blog posts. Not that I haven't been busy online, just that I rather fallen out of the habit of posting here. I'll have to do something about that in the new year. In the meantime, here are a few updates on some things I've been involved in of late

Creative Tourist
I'm now a  photographic contributor to Creative Tourist with this article on The Portico Prize being the first to feature my photographs. There'll be a couple more along in a short while as well, now the new website is up and running.

A Wonderous Place
Some of my other photographs of the Portico also appeared on one of Sarah-Clare Conlon's contributions to the rather magnificent A Wonderous Place blog.You can find them here.
 
Hour Manchester
I have two photographs included in the Hour Manchester book project, which is aiming to raise £10,000 for the Prince's Trust. The book cost £15 and, if you'd like to purchase a copy, you can find it for sale in a number of Manchester outlets or alternatively, you can make a donation via their just giving page.

Oxford Road Street Art and Northern Quarter Street Art
Both of these have been chugging along quite happily all year, so much so that Northern Quarter Street Art will be shifting up a gear beginning January 1st and moving to daily posting, which should prove interesting.

Street Art MCR
I've finally got around to overhauling and setting this blog on a new course, with the aim of presenting more in-depth articles about artists and locations of street art around Manchester. There should be a new blog every Sunday until I run out of things to post. Also, spinning off from one of the early entries is a new blog entitled...

42 Manchester
A simple little blog designed to track the number 42 graffiti that's popped up all over Manchester of late. I've no idea how long this will last but hopefully there'll be a few submissions along the way.

Finally, have a look at http://www.cardboardkid.co.uk/ on Sunday for an extra announcement about him as well. : )

Portico Library

A visit to Portico Library has been on my "To-Do" List for a long while now but due to it's limited opening hours, my full time job and general busyness I've never got around to getting there. So when I heard that it would be open all weekend for Heritage Open Days, I finally had a chance to pop on by.

Upon entry into the Library it really feels like a step back in time, with the place looking unchanged since it first opened. Books dominate the space, many of which are in need of repair - an ongoing process at the library. We were taken on a tour of the place by a volunteer named Brian, one of the many library members there showing visitors around. There's also a number of handy guides a information guides dotted around the place, so if you're curious about what is Polite Literature, there's a handy information booklet available explaining the term.
If you'd like to find out more about the Library, I suggest having a look at their official website. You can also follow them over on twitter.