august-2009

Sight Specifi c
Must-see miscellany this summer
THIS IS ENGLAND
UNTIL 27 SEPTEMBER
Don McCullin didn’t have the
most promising of starts
for a world-famous photojournalist.
Having grown up
on the mean streets of
Finsbury Park in north
London, he bought his fi rst
camera while on National
Service in the 1950s but, losing
interest, he pawned it on
returning home. Fortunately,
his mother retrieved it and
later McCullin used it to take
pictures of the Guv’nors, the
gang he ran with, standing in
a bombed-out house. When
one of the gang murdered a
policeman, McCullin sold the
photograph to The Observer,
beginning a highly successful
50-year career.
McCullin is best known for
his images of war zones
from Vietnam to the Middle
East but the In England
exhibition at the National
Media Museum in Bradford
showcases his work on the
home front. From derelicts in
the East End to debutantes
in Mayfair, all are subject to
the unflinching gaze of his
lens. These high-contrast,
black-and-white photos
make England seem outlandish
and deformed, bringing it
closer somehow to those
distant confl icts.
WWW.NATIONALMEDIA
MUSEUM.ORG.UK
THEATRE OF BLOOD
2–12 SEPTEMBER
When a production comes accompanied with warnings of
“scenes of a frightening nature not suitable for those with a
heart condition” you know it’s going to be a bit more interesting
than a few luvvies strutting up and down the stage.
Part of the No Boundaries season of innovative theatre
at The Lowry, Manchester, They Only Come At Night:
Resurrection starts with the intriguing premise that
the audience are VIP guests at the launch of a creepy graphic
novel about a night when shadowy creatures take over a
multistorey car park. The only trouble is that the blood-sucking
beasties aren’t content to stay on the page.
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
TEXT CORMAC BAKEWELL
SOMETHING OLD
THINK AHEAD
Hunt out an heirloom at the
Harrogate Antique Fair
(www.harrogateantiquefair.
com) and you could fi nd anything
from a decadent silver
teapot to a suit of armour.
A showcase for the British
Antique Dealers’ Association
(BADA), the event brings
the country’s leading collectors,
and over 50 dealers, to
the Harrogate International
Centre from 2-6 October.
Stands will include furniture,
fi ne art, silverware, jewellery,
sculpture, antique glass
and work by Lancashirebased
painter, Helen Bradley
(see painting above).
Bradley was famous for
documenting life in the 1900s
in a small Lancashire mill
town through a child’s eyes
…though this Supergran
only started painting at the
age of 65. In 1979 she was
awarded an MBE for services
to the arts but died
shortly before the Queen
could do the honours.
Snap up a Bradley and
raise an Earl Grey to her talent
in the International
Centre’s restaurant.
FYI – there’s ample parking
for loading up that suit of
armour.
FREE TICKET OFFER:
The Harrogate Antique Fair
is giving away 100 pairs of
free tickets. To enter, simply
email your name to: lmw@
harrogateantiquefair.com
by 16 September
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