Exhibitions

Shifting Horizons @ Digital Window Gallery

27 March - 31 March 2024

PLATFORM: ISSUE 6

26 March 2024

Events

Saturday Town: Launch Event

10 April 2024

Exhibitions

Coming Soon: Saturday Town

11 April - 18 May 2024

Past Events

PLATFORM: ZINE LAUNCH EVENT

21 March 2024

Home. Ukrainian Photography, UK Words: Tour

4 March - 28 February 2025

Exhibitions

Home: Ukrainian Photography, UK Words @ New Adelphi

4 March - 8 March 2024

Past Events

CREATIVE SOCIAL: IN THE ABSENCE OF FORMAL GROUND

2 March 2024

Exhibitions

We Feed The UK @ Exterior Walls

8 February - 31 March 2024

Past Events

Contrail Cirrus: the impact of aviation on climate change

7 March 2024

Exhibitions

Tree Story @ Liverpool ONE

16 February - 1 May 2024

Open Source #27: Saffron Lily – In The Absence of Formal Ground @ Digital Window Gallery

6 February - 31 March 2024

Past Events

Contemporary Photography from Ukraine: Symposium @University of Salford

4 March - 5 March 2024

Past Events

Is Anybody Listening? Symposium: Commissioning and Collecting Socially Engaged Photography

29 February 2024

Past Events

Different approaches: Artists working with scientists

15 February 2024

Events

LOOK Climate Lab 2024: All Events

18 January 2024

Exhibitions

Diesel & Dust @ Digital Window Gallery

18 January - 31 March 2024

Events

Tree Walks Of Sefton Park with Andrea Ku

21 January 2024

Past Events

Artists Remake the World by Vid Simoniti: Book Launch

31 January 2024

Past Events

Shift Liverpool Open Meeting

6 February 2024

Past Events

We Feed The UK Launch and LOOK Climate Lab 2024 Celebration

8 February 2024

Past Events

Cyanotype workshop with Melanie King

17 February 2024

Past Events

End of Empire: artist talk and discussion

22 February 2024

Past Events

Book Launch: What The Mine Gives, The Mine Takes

24 February 2024

Past Events

Local ecology in the post-industrial era: open discussion

14 March 2024

Past Events

Waterlands: creative writing workshop

23 March 2024

Past Events

Plant a seed. Seed sow and in conversation with Plot2Plate

16 March 2024

Past Events

Erosion: panel discussion

9 March 2024

Past Events

Waterlands: an evening of poetry and photographs

23 March 2024

Events

Force For Nature Exhibition

27 March - 28 March 2024

Voices of Nature: Interactive Performances

28 March 2024

Past Events

Sum of All Parts: Symposium

27 February 2024

Exhibitions Main Exhibition

LOOK Climate Lab 2024

18 January - 31 March 2024

Past Events

MA Socially engaged photography Open Day event

1 February 2023

Past Events

Tish: Special screening and Q&A

13 December 2023

Past Events

Book Launch: A Look At A New Perspective

23 November 2023

Events

Community workshops @ Ellesmere Port Library

6 November - 5 February 2024

Past Events

Book Launch: ‘544m’ By Kevin Crooks

30 November 2023

Past Exhibitions

Bernice Mulenga @ Open Eye Gallery Atrium Space

17 November - 17 December 2023

Past Events

Bernice Mulenga: Artist Talk

18 November 2023

Past Exhibitions

Local Roots @ The Atkinson

14 October 2023

Exhibitions

Community @ Ellesmere Port Library

26 October - 11 April 2024

Past Events

Critique Surgery for Socially Engaged Photographers

6 November 2023

Past Events

Deeds Not Words: panel discussion

12 October 2023

Past Exhibitions

Deeds Not Words @ Atrium Space

3 October - 22 October 2023

Ode To Our Space @ Digital Window Gallery

29 September - 23 December 2023

A Look At A New Perspective @ Digital Window Gallery

29 September - 23 December 2023

Past Events

Book Launch: Crow Dark Dawn

19 October 2023

Past Events

Exhibition Launch: A Place of Our Own

28 September 2023

Reflections

12 September - 22 December 2023

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MAX GORBATSKYI, 2017
MAX GORBATSKYI, 2017
MAX GORBATSKYI, 2017

REVIEW: F YOU PAY ME

On May 28th, Intern Magazine bought F You Pay Me, their night of ‘alternative’ careers advice to Open Eye Gallery. Sally Slingsby, a second year Fine Art student currently on placement at the gallery, shares her impressions of the night.

 

 

As a Fine Art student so often exposed to the negative stigmas attached to the industry and that of ‘my future career’, it is very easy to become filled with self-doubt. Since starting university, I’ve developed a growing concern in regard to my place within the art world and within the creative industries. Such concerns are frequently discussed in my course, and a lack of direction is well recognised within many creative courses at university.

Reflecting on this last night affirmed the vital importance of events like F YOU PAY ME for navigating the creative industries as a young person. INTERN, in collaboration with Open Eye Gallery, hosted an evening of great opportunity for people working in creative practices to come together in an informal, collaborative, alternative environment. The event acted as a platform for engagement and discussion between specialists, mentors, students and graduates. The evening was an opportunity to converse, meet new people and learn from each other.

Looking around the room I watched creatives exchange details to collaborate in the future, I watched students selling work and buying from others, ideas were shared and and celebrated, conversation was flowing harmoniously, and as a developing student, the response from myself and others was more than positive.

I have to admit that before turning up, I was pretty apprehensive about attending because:

A) It would be my first time attending an event at the gallery as an intern (WILL MY UNRULY FRIENDS EMBARRASS ME?)

B) F you pay me was essentially an evening of careers advice (CAREERS + ADVICE = TERRIFYING).

But leaving the event hours later, I almost laughed thinking of the unnecessary worry I had brought upon myself.

As I made my way around the gallery that evening, immersed in a collective sense of excitement, enthusiasm and aspiration, I felt a wave of confidence. Confidence within myself, confidence within my peers and confidence within the industry. The preconceptions of the ‘careers evening’ I was expecting had been completely extinguished.

Group sessions were available to discuss specific career paths hosted by a number professionals. The freedom of discussion was incredible to witness and the passion for the arts was palpable; I felt a sense of assurance as I watched both students and specialists learn from one another.

I listened to students talking about their successes and failures as the mentors recounted similar stories. The conversations were open yet intimate, the atmosphere in the gallery was energetic, and everyone was eager to get involved.

One conversation which truly resonated with me was one between graphic design mentor Gemma Germains and a developing graphic design student. The student explained of her recent, shall we say, ‘F – up’ for an assessed collection of work in which she felt pretty discouraged. Questioning whether she was on the right path for a future career in graphic design, Germains was quick to neutralize any self-doubt.

Speaking of her many unfavourable choices and mistakes throughout a career as a graphic designer, Germains openly encouraged the group to embrace every mistake that came their way. This was such a simple but important statement for a practicing student to remember. Germains explained how the creative industry doesn’t always pose right or wrong answers: mistakes can often be the best learning curve one can experience. Coming from a designer with such a wealth of knowledge, experience and skill it was a refreshing conversation to be a part of.

F YOU PAY ME was a platform to develop confidence and make connections with peers. Not only did I feel a more familiar understanding in regard to how the industry works, I left feeling more self assured that I myself am moving forward in the right direction.

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