MAD GYMS AND KITCHENS AT WARWICK ARTS CENTRE
Wednesday 22nd - Saturday 25th February 2012 (post-show Artist's Talk on 23rd February)
Helen Martin Studio: 7.45pm
£10.50 (£8.50), Under 26s £8 (+ booking fee)
Click here to buy tickets
Mad Gyms & Kitchens will also be touring the Black Country:
WOLVERHAMPTON
1pm, Tuesday 28th February
Blakenhall Community and Healthy Living Centre
Bromley Street, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton WV2 3AS
Promoted by Women’s Wellbeing Centre supported By Black Country Touring
Tickets cost £5; £3 concessions. Please call 01902 454130 or email to book.
WALSALL
5.00pm, Wednesday 29th February
New Art Gallery Walsall, WS2 8LG
Tickets cost £2.50. Please call 07757 254852 or email to book.
WEST BROMWICH
2pm & 8pm, Friday 2nd March
The Public, West Bromwich B70 7PG
Promoted by Make a Difference (MAD) supported By Black Country Touring
Tickets cost £5; £3.50 & £2. Please call 0121 533 7161 or visit the website to book.
Supported by Windows with a Difference
MAD GYMS AND KITCHENS: THE UK TOUR BEGINS!
"You leave feeling better than you came in, aware as you walk down the road whistling that what Baker is offering is not a show but a priceless gift wrapped in a theatrical box of tricks." **** Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Art Direction: THIS IS Studio
WEND YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS!
Prepare to be surprised and delighted, moved and enlightened as Bobby demonstrates how she achieves that ultimate 'wellbeing' factor. From working out to chilling out, via the kitchen sink, Bobby's wellness roadshow investigates how to get better at feeling better- cup of tea included.
Bobby has developed this brand new show out of her own experiences of illness and hard-won recovery. Designed in collaboration with sculptor Charlie Whittuck, an extraordinary set of fantastical 'recovery' apparatus promises surprises galore developed with wellbeing in mind. Follow Bobby's expert example and join her on the road to wellness- and beyond.
Approximate running time: 80 minutes
Mad Gyms and Kitchens premiered at Bath ICIA on Friday 14th October.
Dates will soon be announced for 2012, starting at Warwick Arts Centre in February.
Mad Gyms & Kitchens has been commissioned for Unlimited, a project celebrating disability, arts, culture and sport on an unprecedented scale as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The project is principally funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, and is delivered in partnership between London 2012, Arts Council England, the Scottish Arts Council, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the British Council.
BOBBY BAKER, ARTIST'S TALK, WEDS 12TH OCTOBER
Bobby Baker’s diary drawings chart her experiences of day hospitals, acute psychiatric wards, 'crisis’ teams and various treatments. They convey the ups and downs of her recovery from mental illness, family life, work as an artist, breast cancer and just how funny all this harrowing stuff can be.
Bobby’s illustrated talk will explore how painting, breathing and madness led to her remarkable drawings forming a critically acclaimed exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, London, touring internationally and eventually becoming a book.
Bobby was first encouraged to exhibit 30 of the drawings at ICIA by Dr Daniel Hinchcliffe (Head of Visual Arts) as part of the University’s Mental Health Week in 2006.
'On the Drawing of Breath,' Artist's Talk
Wednesday 12th October, 7pm
BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath
Admission free
Bobby Baker’s diary drawings chart her experiences of day hospitals, acute psychiatric wards, 'crisis’ teams and various treatments. They convey the ups and downs of her recovery from mental illness, family life, work as an artist, breast cancer and just how funny all this harrowing stuff can be.
Bobby’s illustrated talk will explore how painting, breathing and madness led to her remarkable drawings forming a critically acclaimed exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, London, touring internationally and eventually becoming a book.
Bobby was first encouraged to exhibit 30 of the drawings at ICIA by Dr Daniel Hinchcliffe (Head of Visual Arts) as part of the University’s Mental Health Week in 2006.
'On the Drawing of Breath,' Artist's Talk
Wednesday 12th October, 7pm
BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath
Admission free
'Diary Drawings: Mental Illness and Me' WINS MIND BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD!
We are proud and delighted to announce that Bobby's moving and beautiful book, chronicling her struggle to overcome severe mental illness has been announced Mind Book of the Year 2011. Available from all good bookshops.
Watch a short film published on the day of the Award, and follow the link to an audio slideshow of Diary Drawings selected by Bobby for World Mental Health Day, both at Guardian Online.
DAILY LIFE LTD HAS MOVED
Daily Life Ltd has moved to Bradbury Studios on Kingsland Road, where our new neighbours include Graeae Theatre Company and Epic Arts.
BOBBY BAKER'S DIARY DRAWINGS: Mental illness and me, 1997-2008
Photo courtesy Wellcome Library, London
Comprising 158 high-quality photographic prints of watercolour paintings, this exhibition shows one person’s experience of severe mental and physical illness and recovery.
These figurative drawings use various styles such as caricature, surrealism and the more classic techniques of life painting. The images, carefully selected by Bobby with her daughter Dora Whittuck, a clinical psychologist, are drawn from 711 drawings made over 11 years. The drawings are captioned by Bobby and present a clear account of her journey. The exhibition displays the harrowing realities of living with mental illness and society’s lack of understanding, using artistry and humour to break down the barriers commonly associated with talking about mental health.
Diary Drawings has toured to: Wellcome Collection (March - August 2009), Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (February - March 2010) and Dr Guislain Museum (October 2010 - January 2011), and Het Dolhuys in Haarlem, Holland (March - August 2011)
For enquiries about the tour of this exhibition, please get in touch. A smaller version of the exhibition is also available to tour. A book of all 158 images from the exhibition was published by Profile Books in 2010. Limited edition prints and digital images of the diary drawings are now available to use. Find out more.
"Visitors’ comments reveal how powerfully the artist’s protests connect with the widespread experiences among others who are struggling with problems themselves... The Diary Drawings form a graphic autobiography of rare emotional directness. They also tell of ties that held against unimaginable strain, and so give an extraordinary story of damage and repair." Marina Warner
“I work in mental health and feel [the Diary Drawings are] a unique record of what the experience is like... The visual lightness and humour makes it all so accessible. Brilliant!” Child & adolescent NHS psychotherapist
SELECTED PRESS
'The Interview: Bobby Baker', interview by Kate Kellaway in the Observer.
'Bobby Baker: a beacon of hope', review of the exhibition by Charles Spencer in the Telegraph.
'Bobby Baker's diary drawings', review of the exhibition by Julian Sheather in the British Medical Journal.
'Drawings from life', review of the book by Colin Martin in the Lancet.
FOLLOW BOBBY ON TWITTER
CONTACT
email:
Daily Life Ltd
Bradbury Studios, 138 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8DY
T: + 44 (0) 20 7613 6447