As part of  Culture Shots( part of the Health and Wellbeing programme at the Whitworth )held during June and July 2016, Alan Birch was resident in Manchester and Trafford Hospitals.

A fantastic printmaking competition was held  and winners work was  framed and  is permanently displayed in Trafford Hospital.  Take a look at the link to find out more.

http://www.healthandculture.org.uk/culture-shots/

Over 500 patients, visitors and health workers spoke to Alan and took a saints pack. 100 brought their engraved plates back and these were printed by Alan and judged at the Whitworth. 40 prints together with St Walking Poles and St 5 ways to Wellbeing are framed and exhibited on the corridors at Trafford General Hospital.

Culture Shots Printing Competition

With Artist in residence Alan Birch.

Alan has created a series of hand coloured prints depicting later-day saints, these first appeared at the John Rylands Library in Manchester in 2015.

Inspired by the medical saints found in the Welcome Collection, the 52 prints bring saints into the 21^st century. Alan’s humorous saints reflect individuals’ obsession with contemporary technology, fashion and consumerism.

As part of our +Culture Shots 2016 programme Alan will be in residence in hospitals. Staff, patients and visitors to the hospital are invited to view the later-day saint prints and to meet Alan and chat about his work.

If you want to see more of Alan’s work click here.

Create Your Own Saint

Packs of materials will also be available and you will be invited to create your own engraving of a saint. Alan will then make you two prints from your engraving. You can either use inspiration from personal or observed obsessions and behaviour or transform an image from an earlier time.

 

 

 

 

 

Video of  engraving and printing process.

Culture shots saints. Instructions
https://vimeo.com/169691373