Ever since we started out as a zine and poetry event in Liverpool, we’ve been guided by the network of artists, writers and designers that surround us, and the things that really get us out of bed in the morning – that’s meant that we’ve delivered a massive range of work over the years, from brand identity and digital campaigns, to copywriting and live illustration. Right now, we have a fantastic roster of clients for our design, and an arts programme that produces new language-led commissions in performance, new media and the public realm.

The central strand of our arts programme is currently Electronic Voice Phenomena, it’s about really engaging with the technological interface, and seeing how it can be a kind of tool for experiencing language in new ways. We’ve been experimenting with and developing some new interfaces, such as LiveWriting which allows us to create live-written text animations. Working collaboratively with artists as we did with Sam Meech for LiveWriting is at the core of our values and is a key reason why we’ve been able to stick around for so long.

The Electronic Voice Phenomena theme is going to be part of our collaboration with Liverpool Biennial 2012 this Autumn, where we’ll again be working with Anat Ben David, Steven Fowler, Hannah Silver and Scanner. We’ve worked with the Liverpool Biennial since 2008 and have always aimed to present a completely new Mercy event for each festival. We always say this year will be our most ambitious, but it’s probably more honest to say that we’re always challenging ourselves and the Biennial is a great way of identifying how much we’ve grown over a two year period.

As soon as we’re finished with the Biennial (5 -7 October) we move straight onto the Manchester weekender where we’ll be creating a huge self-generating feedback loop of spoken word, live sampling, processing and projection at The Cornerhouse.

Between then and our EVP Spring tour with Penned in the Margins, we’ll be working closely with Young Pines, our pilot scheme to identify new ways for young talent to break into the creative industries. This year alone we’ve worked with FACT on a network where poets can learn coding, called Syntax, organised documentation from a 48 hour performance by Mark Greenwood, presented an EVP free for all at Cafe Oto and are now getting towards the finishing post with some work with public artist Laurence Payot and designer Scott Spencer.

All this is part of a GFA from Arts Council, which we supplement with workshops, other grant funds, and tickets, and partnership other galleries and festivals like the Biennial, FACT, Ideastap, Cornerhouse and AND Festival – as well as more independent organisations like new music curators like Deep Hedonia, Hive and Samizdat in Liverpool. We’re really proud of these partnerships, and we try to keep up with them all while building new ones. Just now, we’re chatting with super-cool curators Trigger in Scotland.

We were once told Mercy are generous which is something we’ve really clung onto. We wouldn’t grow if we didn’t actively seek opportunities to work with new illustrators and developers, artists and promoters. There are so many opportunities available if people are willing to step outside of their comfort zone.

It’s satisfying to make your living from ideas, but to make it work, it has to be intense most of the time.

Mercy are curating a Liverpool Biennial weekend on 5 – 7 October
.

Mercy Present:

Composite: Feedback
Sat 12th October 2012 | 3 – 6pm | 
The Cornerhouse Manchester.

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In their first four months they’ve worked for clients ranging from local arts organizations to massive corporations, providing all kinds of creative work from drawing and writing to video and web branding. Originally Young Pines was going to be a 4 month long zine project but the project has mutated and evolved over the past 15 months into something much bigger.

The Shipping Forecast Murals by Young Pines

The Shipping Forecast approached Young Pines to liven up their outside smoking area. Sticking to the nautical theme of the bar, but with no set brief, they went to town on the back wall. Armed with buckets of white and black masonry paint and brushes, they decorated the smoking area with sea critters great and small, along with the seafaring wisdom of Hemingway.

Young Pines have had the opportunity to build extremely strong, close bonds with some insanely talented emerging talent and they are genuinely attached to them all now in a way that makes it difficult for them to end the project (hence the fact that its dragging on into its 16th month). Young Pines have had the opportunity to identify firsthand what happens when you give a creative mind a completely open brief and an extremely modest budget to work with. Also, some of the participants have hunkered down and created their own new exciting things.

One of these projects is Deep Hedonia formed by Thom Isom and Jon Davis. Their remit is to produce intelligent, worthwhile music happenings that combine artists booking with the perfect venues, artwork and eventually installations. Thom is one of the most driven Young Piners, pouring bucketloads of energy into every project he tackles.

Thom worked with Christine Gore, Will Daw and Greg Gibson to build a post apocalyptic hotel installation. No Vacancy was the third piece of work delivered by Young Pines (after a book and exhibition of mythological creature pornography).

Mermaid Octopus by Michael Cottage

They’re still to produce their final round of Young Pines work, with Jon Davis, Emily Salinas, Jonathan Summers Muir and John Biddle and who were finishing their degrees until last month. It’s exciting to see what they come up with and how they learn from the past two groups.

Michael Cottage | Young Pines project- Dream of a Fisherman’s Wife. Worked alongside Milos Simpraga, Svea Carney and Emma Hammond:

“Being part of Young Pines gave me the opportunity to work with like-minded people, combining our creative strengths, whilst working with the lovely Mercy crew. What initially started as an exciting brief, evolved in to a group of mates getting together to produce numerous given and personal projects, which both Young Pines and Mercy could be proud to put our name to.

The internship has given me the opportunity to meet a group of very talented people who serve as a constant pool of inspiration to me, and to work with an agency of industry professionals, who I would be ashamed to introduce to my nan.”

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