Mel Galley
Studied in Manchester
Living in the Lakes
Contact
‘Through writing my practice examines our collective and individual interactions with cities and landscapes; as changing territories, as absurd creations, as spaces to think through. It is concerned with the subjectivity of the realities around us and asks the viewer to reconsider, however briefly, the places that they inhabit. The shift in my life from North Yorkshire and the Lake District - where I grew up- to living in Manchester (and back again) has fuelled this interest in the urban and rural environments we encounter everyday.
The writing often takes the form of prose poetry, though can be short stories, haikus, questions. Though the form is fairly familiar to the reader, in my practice I approach writing as an ‘expanded field’; equally the walk, the view, the conversation a part of the writing as it’s final text or the booklet it is held in.’
Artist Statement
Group Shows_
Nov 2020 _ Chain Mail _ Corridor 8
Invited writer for the North West with Katy Morrison & editor James Schofield
Aug 2020 _ ‘Off-Centre’ _ Pink MCR
Invited artist to contribute to digital group publication
Feb 2020 _ Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year _ Carlisle Institute of Art
Winner of Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year and invited to complete a residency with Eden Arts in 2021
Nov 2019 _ ‘The words that precede my mouth’ _ Soft Spot
Slow hung group show growing from conversations within the space on collaboration, writing, language and diagrams
Oct 2019 _ ‘MANUSCRIPT’ _ Manchester Art Fair
Curator and artist of the MANUSCRIPT stand, focusing on printed matter emerging from the Manchester School of Art
July 2019 _ Degree Show _ Manchester School of Art
March 2019 _ ‘Matters of Procedure’ _ Curated by Katy Morrison
Participating artist in week-long curatorial project, culminating in a show at the Side Gallery, first introduction to the concept of a ‘slow hang’ and how these discussions can benefit both the artists and the work
March 2019 _ Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year _ Carlisle Institute of Art Shortlisted Artist
Nov 2018 _ Doremi Residency _ Art Gene
Group residency based in Barrow-in-Furness, culminating in a group show
May 2018 _ ‘Syste, m a complicate’ _ Vernon Park Museum
Invited artist to group exhibition on ‘writing as art’
May 2018 _ ‘Two glasses of red and an exhibition guide’ _ Deaf Institute
Participating artist in performance based group show
May 2018 _ ‘Unquiet Landscapes’ _ Plant Noma
Curator and participating artist
April 2018 _ ‘Perambulate’ _ Vertical Gallery
Participating artist
March 2018 _ ‘The Dream Committee’ _ curated by Andrew Hunt
Participating artist
Jan 2018 _ ‘Testing Ground’ _ Curated by Tom Emery
Participating artist
Publications & Digital Presence_
November 2020 / another [...] zine / independent
Launch of the first issue of a [...] z with a film fanzine focused on Eternal Beauty by Craig Roberts
Nov 2020 / Chain Mail Issue 3 / Corridor 8
Invited writer for the North West with Katy Morrison & editor James Schofield
Aug 2020 _ ‘Off-Centre’ _ Pink MCR
Invited artist to contribute to digital group publication
July 2020 / Dark Sands / BBC Radio Cumbria
Poem aired during the poetry segment on BBC Radio Cumbria as part of Upload Festival
July 2020 / Dark Sands / Louder Than The Storm
Poem featured on environmental collective website
June 2020 / Motifs of a City / Wildfell Zine
Contribution to digital zine
June 2020 / The City Builds / Wildfell Zine
Contribution to digital zine
August 2019 / 'but what happened in the summer?' / Bodleian Library Oxford
Artist book held in the collections of the Bodleian Library, Oxford
August 2019 / 'untitled' / Bodleian Library Oxford
Artist book held in the collections of the Bodleian Library, Oxford
Education & Employment_
Manchester School of Art _ Fine Art BA(Hons) _ First Class
Leeds College of Art _ Extended Diploma in Art & Design _ Distinction
Kendal College _ BTEC Diploma in Photography _ Merit
MMU English Literature Department _ Research Assistant to Dr David Cooper _ 2018
MMU Politics Department _ Research Assistant to Dr Adi Kuntsman _ 2019
Symmetry CGI _ Furniture and CGI Designer _ 2014 - Present
MSOA Outreach Team _ Assistant _ 2018 - 2019