NORTHERN EXPOSURE
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 photo-journalist. Having grown up on the mean streets of Finsbury Park in north London, he bought his first 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 conflicts.
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.
SOMETHING OLD
THINK AHEAD
Hunt out an heirloom at the Harrogate Antique Fair (www.harrogateantiquefair. com) and you could find 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, fine art, silverware, jewel-lery, sculpture, antique glass and work by Lancashire-based 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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