Impact Arts is a national community arts charity based in Scotland. They work with a diverse range of people, helping them to use the arts to create positive lasting change in their lives. We come up with creative solutions to social challenges like improving future life prospects, reducing youth unemployment and preventing isolation amongst older people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLhPhfN7oN0

Impact Arts are crowdfunding for The Young Gallery project. Based in Glasgow’s East End, it is Scotland’s first and only space dedicated to exhibiting children’s art work. 92% of children in areas of multiple deprivation do not take part in any arts activities and in the East End between 30-50% of children are living in poverty. The Young Gallery is Impact Arts’ vehicle for helping children experience the importance of creativity and for celebrating their boundless imaginations.

The Turner Prize nominated artist, David Shrigley is supporting The Young Gallery project. He said:

“I became involved with The Young Gallery because I want to give something back to the city that I live and work in. Through The Young Gallery, Impact Arts gives a quality artistic experience to 300 children living in the East End of Glasgow each year, and to over 1000 members of the local community and I’m excited to be involved with such a brilliant project.”

Lynne Carr, CE Impact Arts said:

“We are over the moon to have David as the patron of The Young Gallery… We’ve got some exciting things planned with David, including an exhibition and auction of postcard sized artworks at The Young Gallery in 2014. Individuals supporting our Crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo will have an exclusive opportunity to be invited to the exhibition and auction event. We can’t thank David enough for his invaluable support.”

Please visit here to support the campaign.

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But what did he do before all this? Find out below.

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1. Suppose the first job I had where I was paid money was being a busker on the streets of Liverpool. I used to play Bunnymen, Teardrops and even Soft Cell on the acoustic. Youth by the latter sounded really good unplugged. But i guess my choice of music was too much of a niche to rake it in. My other competitors would play the Beatles and I’d be history. Also, I spent a lot if time being attacked by body poppers, religious nuts and small kids. I’d keep going with blue cold hands. Only stopping when i’d snapped all of my strings.

2. My second pitstop on my illustrious career saw me coming up with the notion that I ought to get real job. So I signed up to work at the sickness benefits department at the department of health and social security in a poor part of Liverpool.  I worked in an oppressive red building that looked like a stazi outpost. I worked with Pete Best’s brother, Rouge, he was a drummer too. Mentioning Ringo was a no no at the tea break. Anyways, I’m not allowed to talk about it but rest assured that there was a very eccentric bunch used to sign on. One time somebody thought it was funny to play “Money money” by Abba. By the time the track hit “must be funny – in a rich Man’s world” – all of the claimants were smashing the place up. I’d never seen chairs embedded in concrete ripped out of the floor before.

3. About this time I thought my creative life was over until my old tutor Dave Clapham gave me the chance to work in his Liverpool studio. You can see Dave in Bad Night For The Blues, he plays the lord mayor. I used to cut promos for him for the likes of Deaf School, Icicle Works and The Farm. Working for with Dave was my third job. I made a little animated film called Safari. With that I got into art college.

4. My fourth job was weekend job while I was a student. I worked in Farnham Hospital. I was a cleaner and gave tea to geriatric patients. I’d steal the daffodils from the hospital garden and give them to the old ladies who would burst into tears. Most of the patients thought I was the gas man. I of course would oblige pretending to read their gas meters. I really enjoyed working there. I love talking to people.

5. My fifth job was the one which really connected me with animation. After college I was taken on as a runner at Paul Vester’s Speedy Films. They were the production company that made lots of ads. Milky Way two cars racing, Reach flip top man, Vitalite and Paxo the rooster booster. I became the production manager and worked on a film about New Yorker’s who had been abducted by aliens. I managed to escape the invasion and I’m thankfully still here to tell the story.

Photo by Louise Haywood-Schiefer

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We’ve asked professionals in creative industries what jobs they have had in the past to get their foot through the door (or at least pay the rent). For more in the “My First 5 Jobs” series look here.

This first kiddies event was Bookbugs, and I was in awe of the performers’ energy and enthusiasm.

After a few miraculously dry days, the skies went dark and wet. The nice thing about Edinburgh though is that it often looks lovelier just after a rainshower.

Onto Jeremy Hardy then, who pointed out only half in jest that his followers, mostly Radio 4 listeners, were a rather fragile fanbase. Since the Book Festival is basically Radio 4 listeners, this was a bit close to the bone. I hear the goal is to get Radio 2 listeners…

A couple of behind the scenes glimpses for you here. Firstly, “Anon‘s Colin Fraser” who is operating the @EdBookFest Twitter account (he’s usually on @AnonPoetry). Here we see him editing a recording to post on AudioBoo.

And here’s one of the big containers out back. This is where books come in from the publishers etc. in preparation for an author event, before going back if any are unsold. The amazing thing is that it’s constantly in motion. The boxes of books never look the same from one hour to the next, which left me with an urge to set up a month-long timelapse next year. Somehow.

Signings, signings, Ian Rankin photocall…

David Shrigley sharing book space with Barack Obama…

Signings, signings…

Alastair Darling’s event should have been dramatic, but due to a slip by his press people, everybody knew what he was going to say before he got there. What I did enjoy were the salute from Brian Taylor:

…closely followed by a mimed moustache from Mr Darling:

David Shrigley was a bit of a disappointment to me. Nothing to do with his work, just that he was a bit tall, clean and well-spoken. Perhaps expecting a mangled stick figure to come to the Book Festival is a bit much?

And then the day closed. I pointed a camera at someone whose face seemed familiar and afterwards realised that it was David Bishop (former editor of 2000AD, tutor of a well-respected Creative Writing course at Napier University and more, I’m sure) and that Anna from Edinburgh City of Literature had popped up in the background. Nice!

If you’re having Kay-Unit withdrawal symptoms like we are…(oh how we miss those snazzy tartan breeks and that lovely beard)…don’t fret. It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright, becuase you can see exactly what he got up to right here. Bye bye Phil, it’s been a blast. We’re knackered, we’re beat, we’re in need of a good night sleep….but at least we got our bike back :)

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See Phil’s insights from GI 2010 here.

After a quick bite to eat we headed to 212 West Princes Street to see Jane Nicoll’s curated exhibition HALLelujah 2 which brings together the work of fifteen artists from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent and North Wales. This exhibition came with a welcome twist as the artwork is set in the hall way of Jane Nicoll’s beautiful flat. It was lovely to see artwork in a domestic setting and let’s be honest (and maybe a bit cheeky), have a wee wander in someone else’s flat. After viewing the artwork Phil ended up singing a song with Sparky the dog and we planned the rest of our day over cups of coffee.

On our drive to City Centre to check out what Le Drapeau Noir at Renfield Lane opposite from Stereo was all about I found out that Phil Kay used to live on the same street that I live on at the moment. The phrase ‘It’s a small world’ comes to mind. At least it wasn’t the same number. When we got to Renfield Lane there wasn’t much happening yet other than Phil unravelling their black flag so we had a nice dinner break munching Stereo’s food and planned to visit the cafe again later on in the evening.

From Stereo we headed to Jim Lambie’s exhibition ‘Neon’ at The Modern Institute. It was bright, colourful and full of all creative, arty types enjoying chat, drink and the artwork. Neon is an exhibition I’d like to visit again when not so busy and take my time walking around in the space. The Modern Institute also had a book shop which seemed to have plenty of inspiring looking books not available in mainstream shops. Their big windows created a sort of fishbowl effect on the opening night as a group of people looked in from the dark Glasgow evening into what seemed like a burst of colour and enjoyment. It all made the world seem a bit drab and boring on our drive to pick up Phil from Stereo where he had cycled using a White Bike to see The Trembling Bells.

Our next stop was Guantanamera Record launch event at The Grand Hall at Trades Hall. Unfortunately due to visa and volcano issues, artist José Andres Ramirez hadn’t been able to come along as planned. I spent most of my time in there trying to get a signature from someone who had been filmed. While I finally succeeded in my task, but only after being asked to draw a shoe (who said that being a runner/assistant isn’t glamorous), Phil had a wee dance in the light of two big screens showing the two artists singing Guantanamera.

We finished the night at Le Drapeau Noir, a venue rumoured to be THE place to be during the festival. We entered the absolutely packed place about midway through Gummy Stump’s energetic set. The night continued with ‘Love Alien’, an artist Michelle Hannah dressed in silver skintight spandex taking the stage, or top of the table to be correct. After her spoken word performance she walked around in the crowd sharing her alien love by giving hugs and bringing a smile on people’s face. Phil Kay then improvised song about volcanic ashes before people dressed as bushes took over the dancefloor. This was our cue for the exit and some well deserved sleep before another GI day on Sunday.

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See Phil’s insights from GI 2010 here.

When we got there, we watched a man playing a big organ…he was good…obviously practices. I did my very own song too from one of the balconies overlooking the foyer. Surprised people having their lunch. Then we visited the David Shrigley exhibit where I had a chat with a lady called Ang. She said it was surreal, I thought it was fun.

Next stop is a fringe festival event called Hallelujah 2in West Princes Street. At some point in their life, everybody in Glasgow lives on West Princes Street. It’s the Andy Warhol of Glasgow. We’re going to someone’s flat….a lady called Janie Nicoll. She invited us by Tweeting at us. I hope she has tea. You’d think she would, since she’s invited 15 artists into her living room, plus all the GI visitors too. Might put a wash on while I’m there.

If you want us to visit your event next, then leave me a comment or tweet us an invite @Censta tagging it #GIPhil

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See Phil’s insights from GI 2010 here.