Happy New Year

I’d just like to wish all my readers a very Happy New Year and thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. 2016 has been a pretty fruitful year for me, I started the year curating The Black Path exhibition at the House of Blah Blah gallery and finished the year with the release of the music from the project.

 I’d like to thank all the people who have helped and inspired me throughout the year and look forward to continuing in 2017 where we will see the start of a new project and hopefully an exhibition in 2018.

 All the best for 2017

Gavin

I wish you a merry Christmas,

And a happy New year,

A pantry of roast beef,

And a barrel of beer

*

Trad – Cleveland

Source W. Henderson 1879

 

Tonight is the New Year’s night, tomorrow is the day,

And we are come for our right and for our ray,

As we used to do in old King Henry’s day.

Sing fellows, sing Hagman heigh!

*

If you go to the bacon fitch, cut me a good bit,

Cut, cut and low, beware of your man;

Cut and cut round, beware of your thumb,

That I and my merry men may have some.

Sing fellows, sing Hagman heigh!

*

If you go to the black ark, bring me ten mark,

Ten mark, ten pound, throw it down upon the ground,

That I and my merry men may have some.

Sing fellows, sing Hagman heigh!

*

Trad – North Yorkshire

Source W. Henderson 1879

The Black Path – The Album

 

Linear Obsessional is proud to release this compilation of pieces that almost accidently refer to the demise of the once great steel making tradition on Teesside, in the North East of England.

“The Black Path” was an exhibition held at the House of Blah Blah in Middlesbrough in January 2016. This CD is a recording of sounds, music and poetry from that exhibition.

The download includes a 24 page PDF booklet of notes, photographs from the exhibition, and an essay by Alistair Nixon.

released October 21, 2016

https://linearobsessional.bandcamp.com/album/the-black-path

The Black Path is an ancient route. It has been many things: the northern boundary of an Anglian Kingdom, a medieval sailor’s trod, and a convenient path to work for the steelworkers of Middlesbrough.
The Black Path Project commenced in early 2015 as collaboration between Chris Whitehead and Gavin Parry, they soon realised that a number of other artists in the area had also created work based around the path. They then set about contacting artists and asking them if they would be willing to join the project with a goal of producing an exhibition. Once assembled, they approached the House of Blah Blah, who were very enthusiastic about the project and agreed to work with the group.
The goal of the project was to present a contemporary response to the Black Path, at the time no one could have predicted what events unfold over the following months in terms of the collapse of the steel industry. This project now has an added poignancy; it has accidentally captured the end of an era.
The exhibition and show features, field recordings, paintings, photographs, sculptures and music, all created as a response to the Black Path. The exhibition commences with a performance by two groups of musicians, Ammonites and Warped Freqs. both of who have written music especially for this occasion.