‘SE T VP’ Involuntary Painting Birmingham UK

Involuntary painting found during artist Cathy Wade’s Paradise Remix walk through Birmingham city centre.

The walk started inside Vivid Projects. It explores “how the voice/body can articulate itself within digital/physical space. The route chosen considers how urban sites are navigated, their affect on day to day lived experience and the potential they hold for radical transformation.”

Read more about Paradise Remix here: Paradise Remix

Paul Conneally

May 5th 2019

Links:

Cathy Wade profile at BCU

Vivid Projects - Vivid Projects

Involuntary Painting

Got That Bingo Feeling - Loughborough 2016

'Got That Bingo Feeling'

Do you know it? That 'bingo' feeling? When things suddenly come together, make sense? A realisation?

Feels good. A rush of serotonin. Moving on with new confidence.

Sometimes you have to work hard within that sense of 'this is never going to happen' or 'I just don't get this' until BINGO! Things fall into place and it's on to the next challenge with new enthusiasm.

Nothing comes easy but welcome the toil, invite in chance, ride the bad times and savour those bingo moments.

Paul Conneally
Loughborough
June 2016

The Courtyard - Forest Lodge Primary School, Leicester

The Courtyard - Forest Lodge Primary School

The Courtyard is a representation of the area outside the main reception of the new Forest Lodge Primary School building in New Parks, Leicester.

I introduced 9 and 10 year olds at the school to Max Ernst, Dada and frottage. It builds on my work with them around Guy Debord and the Situationist International the week before and combining the two we argue that the above is just as much a picture of the front of the school as any traditional painting or drawing. The work is part of a three workshops that I also consider a piece in itself, the children and their actions part of the work.

'The Gallery of the Street is Open' is a slogan from the Involuntary Painting movement that myself and New York based artist Millree Hughes initiated in 2013/14. We have pursued actions across New Parks and New York with Soft Touch Arts and New York based artists from the IP Movement including Brad Melamed, Andrea Evans, Lucien Samaha, Michael Lee Nirenberg, Cezare Ramone and Judy Rhee.

This school based section of our work is with Forest Lodge and Parks Primary. Pupils involved have now been given disposable cameras to photograph Involuntary Paintings and other things that strike the children as they walk into school.

The work is with and for Soft Touch Arts, Arts Council England, Leicester City Council Libraries Service and the Raising Achievement Team. Artists Lauren Ann Park and Sally Norman have been invaluable in their work and support across all Involuntary Painting New Parks : New York interventions and workshops.

Paul Conneally
June 2016

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York Library Installation - Millree Hughes and Paul Conneally 2016

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York culminated with images of things identified as 'involuntary paintings' by members of the Creative New Parks group being incorporated into the fabric of the New Parks Centre Library. One of the pieces was a series of photographs of a kerb and tyre mark running up the road , St. Oswald's Road, opposite the library, which were applied to the library front windows. Here's one of the original images:



The community working with Conneally photocopied the tyre mark that had been discovered by Colin Murphy, a member of the group, and photographed on Conneally's iPhone 4. They then put the photocopies together sticking them down on a roll of lining paper creating something that resembled Rauchenberg's 'Tire Print'




Above is 'Tire Print' a voluntary artwork by Robert Rauschenberg made with John Cage. Below is the group's work drying in the library.



Vinyls of the original images were printed and made to measure the front windows of the library. These were applied to the windows by Conneally with Sally Norman of Soft Touch Arts who facilitated the whole project.
   [wpvideo MpsyJwBb]  



Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York was conceived by artists Millree Hughes (New York USA) and Paul Conneally (Loughborough UK) for and with Soft Touch Arts, Leicester City Council and Arts Council England.

Note: The term ‘Involuntary Painting’ was first ‘invented’, coined and used in this context by Hughes to describe marks on objects, walls, buildings made by the weather, ageing, persons, animals, graffiti, abuse and other means, that he came across in his travels around New York, that seemed to him could be and were similar to modern paintings found in galleries and museums across the world.

Hughes, working with Conneally, developed the idea further, and together they came up with a simple way to describe what an involuntary painting was in the hope that by identifying and sharing such involuntary paintings they might encourage the reexamination of what painting is, has been and could be.

“Imagine that and alien lands on Earth programmed with all the knowledge of contemporary modern art but never having seen a painting. What might this alien mistake for a painting? These things, never intended as art, as paintings, are what we now propose as involuntary paintings” – Millree Hughes and Paul Conneally 2014

Christ Has Died Is Risen Christ Will Come Again

'Christ Has Died Is Risen Will Come Again'
New Parks Methodist Church, Leicester
Paul Conneally
April, 2016

  

Wrapped Up Warm

wrapped up warm
the lovers drink sake
floating blossoms

Little Onion

Paul Conneally - Tate Liverpool 2016

'The Don Juan Deli' Moving On - Involuntary Painting 2 New Parks : New York

This map shows the transposed location of New York's 'Don Juan Deli' from Forsyth Street in New York to New Parks in Leicester.



It's location in New Parks was discovered by the Creative New Parks Group walking out with artist Paul Conneally from New Parks Centre Library following the directions given to them by New York artist, Brad Melamed, from his home in New York to the Don Juan Deli.

The Don Juan Deli is at the site of a ventilation tower for the now disused Glenfield Tunnel which was only the second such railway tunnel ever built on a passenger line. It was designed by the famous railway engineer George Stephenson and built between 1829–32 under the supervision of his son Robert.


This ventilation tower is now named 'The Don Juan Deli' and will feature on the new map of New Parks coming out of 'Moving On - Involuntary Painting 2 New Parks : New York' by artists Millree Hughes (New York) and Paul Conneally (Loughborough).


Here's Christine Blackmore working on the map in New Parks Centre Library:


'Moving On - Involuntary Painting 2 New Parks : New York' is a work by artists Millree Hughes (New York) and Paul Conneally (Loughborough) with and for Soft Touch Arts, Leicester City Council and Arts Council England.

Robert Rauschenberg's Studio - New Parks, Leicester

'Robert Rauschenberg's Studio - Charnor Road, New Parks, Leicester'

As part of artists Millree Hughes (New York) and Paul Conneally's (Loughborough) work 'Moving On - Involuntary Painting 2 New Parks : New York' a group of New Park's residents set off with Conneally from New Parks Centre Library to find Robert Rauschenberg's New York Studio in New Parks.

They follow the directions, lefts, rights and straight overs, sent to them by New York artist Brad Melamed of the walk from his apartment building in New York to Rauschenberg's building in New York.

After a brief altercation with road workers on New Parks Way the group finally locate Rauschenberg's studio, a bus shelter on Charnor Road, almost opposite Forest Lodge Education Centre. They have their photograph taken standing in the studio.



Robert Rauschenberg's Studio (rear view) New Parks, Leicester

The bus shelter is now a work of public art and will be labelled as such:

'Robert Rauschenberg's Studio'
Millree Hughes - Paul Conneally - Brad Melamed
The Creative New Parks Group
March 2016

The artists encourage you to visit the work, have your photograph taken in it, catch a bus.

'Moving On - Involuntary Painting 2 New Parks : New York' is a project led by artists Millree Hughes and Paul Conneally with and for Soft Touch Arts, Leicester City Council and Arts Council England

New Portraits from the 'New Parks Involuntary Painting Bus ShelterPhoto Booth'

'Dazzo, Sally and Sienna'

'Colin'

'Christine'

All the photographs were taken on Monday March 21st 2016 by Paul Conneally as the Moving On Involuntary Painting 2 New Parks : New York group made its way back from finding Robert Rauschenberg's New York studio in New Parks, Leicester following in the transposed footsteps of New York artist Brad Melamed. The work is part of Conneally's ongoing collaboration with New York artist Millree Hughes with and for Arts Council England, Soft Touch Arts and Leicester City Council.

Curating - Moving On Involuntary Painting 2 New Parks : New York

Above: New Walk Museum and Art Gallery staff hanging the Leicester 2016 Open Exhibition

Today the Moving On Involuntary Painting New Parks : New York group explored the art of curation and putting an exhibition on with a visit to Soft Touch Arts and New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester.

The group had illuminating talks from Vince Atwood and Lewis Buttery from Soft Touch Arts and Lisa Jaques at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery. Both venues had jointly hosted the Generation Art exhibition. Vince had been part of the selection panel for the national project and Lewis and Lisa had been part of the curation of it in Leicester. It had previously been hung at The Turner Gallery in Margate and Lewis along with some other young people decided how to hang the works in Leicester.

 

Above:Vince Atwood of Soft Touch Arts

 

Above:Lewis Buttery of Soft Touch Arts talks about curating the Generation Art Exhibition
 

Above: Lisa Jaques of New Walk Museum and Art Gallery talks about curation

The MOIP2NPNY group are thinking about curation as they intend to put an exhibition on as part of the current project which includes mapping and re-siting locations in New Parks from New York and vice versa mediated by involuntary paintings and psychogeography / splacist methodologies.

Paul Conneally and Millree Hughes
March 7 2016

Tracey Inchley - Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York (Millree Hughes and Paul Conneally 2015 - 2016)

Tracey Inchley pictured in New Parks Library with her portrait, now installed on the end of a bookshelf.

The photograph was taken by Paul Conneally in the New Parks Involuntary Painting Bus Shelter Photo Booth - part of the wider Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York (Millree Hughes and Paul Conneally) work with and for SoftTouch Arts, The Creative New Parks Group, Leicester City Council and Arts Council England 2015 - 2016

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York Installation

February 3rd 2016 - the official opening of Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York, a public art work conceived by Artists Millree Hughes and Paul Conneally and incorporated into the fabric of New Parks Centre Library, Leicester.

The work was made with members of the Creative New Parks group with input from artists in New York, with and for SoftTouch Arts Leicester City Council Libraries and Arts Council England.

This photograph shows one element of the work, a kerb and tyre mark on St Oswald Road, opposite the library and seen in this photograph through the library window, identified and photographed in series as an involuntary painting by local resident Colin Murphy with Conneally and now applied to the windows of the library itself.

This is just one element of the whole IP1NPNY installation which can be viewed and occupied daily (except Sundays) from today onwards at New Parks Library which is itself part of the work.

Tiled Panel - Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York

Sally Norman of Soft Touch Arts with the tiled panel made by members of the Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York group out of a visit to the local church, St. Aidan's, to see the 1958 tiled mural on its outside wall, mediated by an Involuntary Painting photographed by New York based photographer Lucien Samaha.

The tiled panel will be installed in New Parks Library along with other works out of the project in early February.

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York was conceived by artists Paul Conneally Loughborough, UK) and Millree Hughes (New York, USA) with Soft Touch Arts, New Parks Library, Arts Council England and Leicester City Council along with New York based artists including Brad Melamed, Andrea Evans, Lucien Samaha, Judy Rhee, Michael Lee Nirenberg and in Florida, Jane Hart.

NB The term Involuntary Painting was invented in this context by Millree Hughes and further developed by Hughes with Conneally: If an alien landed on Earth with all the knowledge of painting and paintings but never having seen one what might it mistake for a painting as it moved about the streets, the world?

21st January 2016
Soft Touch Arts
Leicester

Artist Millree Hughes talks on the move from New York to New Parks Involuntary Painting Group

Millree Hughes Artist New Parks New York 

Millree Hughes talks on the move from New York to New Parks Involuntary Painting Group as they prepare in March 2015 to explore their area via involuntary painting. This was part of a six week intervention and workshop piece 'Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York' with and for Soft Touch Arts and Leicester City Council New Parks Library and members of the New Parks community.

Involuntary Painting is a term first coined in this context by New York artist Millree Hughes and further developed by Hughes with UK based cultural forager Paul Conneally.

Involuntary painting asks if an alien landed on Earth with all the knowledge painting but never having seen one what might it mistake for a painting that wasn't intended as one?

Hughes and Conneally set up their ongoing artwork, the 'Involuntary Painting Facebook Group' in October 2014. The first Involuntary Painting Show was Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York at Soft Touch Arts, New Walk, Leicester and was opened by HRH Prince Edward.

#involuntarypainting 

Look After Each Other

Look After Each Other
Involuntary Painting
Paul Conneally
Leicester
2015

Our Painted Soles

“Our painted soles, walking or running with no regard to where they land down a long roll of paper” - Paul Conneally

from ‘Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York’ Millree Hughes & Paul Conneally and people from New Parks community with and for Soft Touch Arts and New Parks Library, Leicester, UK

SAVAGE NUNEATON - Colin Murphy 2015

'SAVAGE NUNEATON' - Colin Murphy 2015

'SAVAGE NUNEATON' is a frottage piece by Colin Murphy made as part of Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York in New Parks, Leicester.

The piece is one of a number of pieces made by the IP1NPNY group during a session where they met through artists Millree Hughes and Paul Conneally, the work of Max Ernst, then explored and identified 'involuntary paintings' in the area around Aikman Avenue shops in New Parks, near New Parks Library where the group is based, then making frottage, rubbings, of and from them.

The works were made on the day before King Richard III was reinterred in Leicester Cathedral and are collectively called 'The King Richard III Municipal Services Memorial Collection'. Many of the memorial collection feature sewerage manhole covers and other service access plates.

It is a voluntary artwork out of a feature initially identified as an 'involuntary painting'.

The New Parks community involuntary painting group is linked with a group of artists in New York who exchange comments and encouragement with them via the internet.

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York is a project conceived by artists Millree Hughes (New York, USA) and Paul Conneally (Loughborough, UK) with and for Soft Touch Arts and New Parks Library with support from Arts Council England.

Note: Involuntary Painting is a term invented and coined for use in this context by Millree Hughes and further developed by Hughes with Paul Conneally:

'If an alien landed on Earth programmed with all the knowledge of modern art and painting what might they as they wandered around mistake for a painting?'

These mistakes are what Hughes and Conneally call 'involuntary paintings'. Surfaces and objects marked by time, mould, human and natural activity as stand-ins for the pigment, ground, support etc of voluntary painting, voluntary art.

April 2014

Post-War Ceramic Tile Mural St Aidan's Church New Parks Leicester

This mural, our New Parks mural at Saint Aidan’s Church, showing the story of St Aidan, is truly a hidden treasure. Leicester has rightly been excited at the discovery of King Richard III and his reburial in Leicester Cathedral and all the time we have had this King, King Oswald, and a Saint, Saint Aidan, weaving their magic through the great ceramic tile maker and muralist William Gordon. The mural was designed in 1958 and installed in 1959 when the church, designed by architect Sir Basil Spence, who also designed the famous Coventry Cathedral, was completed.

When great culture is sited in over looked or looked down on, working class communities and housing estates it becomes sometimes invisible, it’s worth negated.

Here we see members of the 'Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York' group standing by the mural, one of the greatest surviving post-war tiled ceramic murals in the country.

http://www.c20society.org.uk/murals-campaign/17-william-gordon-ceramic-tile-mural-1959/

After visiting the mural and viewing it, mediated by a photograph of an involuntary painting sent specially to the group, along with a video message, from New York based photographer and artist, Lucien Samaha, the group returned to New Parks Library to decorate tiles of their own.

The New Parks community involuntary painting group is linked with a group of artists in New York who exchange comments and encouragement with them via the internet.

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York is a project conceived by artists Millree Hughes (New York, USA) and Paul Conneally (Loughborough, UK) with and for Soft Touch Arts and New Parks Library with support from Arts Council England and Leicester City Learning Services PSHE and Citizenship Advisory Service (PCAS)

Note: Involuntary Painting is a term invented and coined for use in this context by Millree Hughes and further developed by Hughes with Paul Conneally:

'If an alien landed on Earth programmed with all the knowledge of modern art and painting what might they as they wandered around mistake for a painting?'

These mistakes are what Hughes and Conneally call 'involuntary paintings'. Surfaces and objects marked by time, mould, human and natural activity as stand-ins for the pigment, ground, support etc of voluntary painting, voluntary art.

April 2015

REDIFFUSION - Mandy Pegg 2015

REDIFFUSION - Mandy Pegg 2015

REDIFFUSION is a frottage piece made by Mandy Pegg as part of 'Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York' in New Parks, Leicester, March, 2015.

It forms part of The King Richard III Municipal Covers Memorial Collection produced by the New Parks contingent of IP1NPNY after first engaging with works by Max Ernst. The IP1NPNY project also includes a group of artists in New York who exchange comments, involuntary paintings found in New York and encouragement with and for the New Parks group.

'REDIFFUSION' is a frottage piece, a series of rubbings essentially of service covers for cable television services. It is not merely a straight rubbing, Mandy Pegg chooses to place two rubbings together and to use more than one colour wax, red and black. We see the 'RED' of 'REDIFUSION' highlighted in red over the black. It is a voluntary artwork out of features, metal service covers, initially identified as an 'involuntary painting'.

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York is a project conceived by artists Millree Hughes (New York, USA) and Paul Conneally (Loughborough, UK) with and for Soft Touch Arts and New Parks Library with support from Arts Council England.

Note: Involuntary Painting is a term invented and coined for use in this context by Millree Hughes and further developed by Hughes with Paul Conneally:

'If an alien landed on Earth programmed with all the knowledge of modern art and painting what might they as they wandered around mistake for a painting?'

These mistakes are what Hughes and Conneally call 'involuntary paintings'. Surfaces and objects marked by time, mould, human and natural activity as stand-ins for the pigment, ground, support etc of voluntary painting, voluntary art.

April 2015

ROAD OSWALD ST - Carl Alex Tincknell

'ROAD OSWALD ST' - Carl Alex Tincknell 2015

'ROAD OSWALD ST' is a frottage piece by Carl Alex Tincknell made as part of Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York in New Parks, Leicester.

The piece is one of a number of pieces made by the IP1NPNY group during a session where they met the work of Max Ernst, explored and identified 'involuntary paintings' in the area around Aikman Avenue shops in New Parks, near New Parks Library where the group is based, and then made frottage, rubbings, of and from them.

The works were made on the day before King Richard III was reinterred in Leicester Cathedral and are collectively called 'The King Richard III Municipal Services Memorial Collection'. Many of the memorial collection feature sewerage manhole covers and other service access plates. This particular work 'OSWALD ROAD ST' is from the road sign for St Oswald's Road directly opposite New Parks Library. On maps, and when people speak of this road it is as St Oswald's Road but the road sign is missing an 'S' hence just 'OSWALD'. Carl decided to alter the order of the words during the rubbing, the frottage process and to move it from an horizontal to a vertical reading.

It is a voluntary artwork out of a feature initially identified as an 'involuntary painting'.

The New Parks community involuntary painting group is linked with a group of artists in New York who exchange comments and encouragement with them via the internet.

Involuntary Painting 1 New Parks : New York is a project conceived by artists Millree Hughes (New York, USA) and Paul Conneally (Loughborough, UK) with and for Soft Touch Arts and New Parks Library with support from Arts Council England.

Note: Involuntary Painting is a term invented and coined for use in this context by Millree Hughes and further developed by Hughes with Paul Conneally:

'If an alien landed on Earth programmed with all the knowledge of modern art and painting what might they as they wandered around mistake for a painting?'

These mistakes are what Hughes and Conneally call 'involuntary paintings'. Surfaces and objects marked by time, mould, human and natural activity as stand-ins for the pigment, ground, support etc of voluntary painting, voluntary art.

April 2015