Comic creators and locals team up for Lakes Festival's "Windows Trail"
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Kendal, 25th June 2014: In 2013, the Lakes International Comic Art Festival ‘Windows on Art Trail’
made an incredible impact, involving both business and locals in the
inaugural event with fun displays of comics and comic-related ephemera.
As with all such activities, the aim was to draw in the local community
into the enthusiasm visiting comic creators have for their art - and the
plan was a huge success, echoing similar 'outreach' work that is part
and parcel of long-establish European comic festivals such as
Angoluleme.
In 2014, Kendal's citizens and local businesses will again collaborate
to create a unique "Windows Trail", encouraging visitors to explore the
town. It is a unique element of the Kendal comic art festival, and
organisers are adamant it is an essential part of creating a comic art
town.
The "Windows Trail" will run from 3rd to 24th October, taking over the
windows of over 30 businesses stretching across the town, from Youdells
to Kendal Fisheries and Oxfam to Waterstones.
The Trail involves schools, colleges, community groups or artists
pairing up with a business/shop and creating an original comic art
display. These form a trail to follow through the town and animate the
festival, offering a free and colourful window on comic art from two
weeks before the festival until one week after it has finished, a month
in total.
Two of the groups are taking advantage of an exceptional opportunity to work closely with Festival Patrons Bryan Talbot and Sean Phillips. Bryan is mentoring First Kendal Cubs and Sean the Queen Elizabeth School.
Other creators involved in the trail include local newspaper cartoonist Colin Shelbourn, artist and 2000AD writer David Baille, Sally Jane Thompson, author of the coming of age graphic novel Atomic Sheep, and Team Girl Comic founder Gill Hatcher.
Beales Department Store window will form a centrepiece for the trail, hosting an exciting display featuring Poblin and The Lakes Gang – the all-new festival mascots. The Lakes Gang have been designed by Jonathan Edwards, a regular contributor to The Guardian and made by Louise Evans, the Felt Mistress who has created window displays for Selfridges’ Christmas display.
Poblin will also feature highly in the competitive element of the trail,
as the winners of the Best Window will receive a spectacular Poblin
trophy. There are two awards – one for the People’s Choice for Best
Window – anyone enjoying the trail can cast a vote. One for the Best
Window voted for by the Kendal BID – sponsors of the Trail.
"European comic festivals fully involve the host town in their
activities," notes comics web site publisher John Freeman, whose site,
downthetubes.net, promotes British comics and is on of the Festival's
presenters. "I've always been hugely impressed by the window displays
you see at these events, the choice of display often designed to raise a
smile even from non-comic fans.
"This is the kind of project that really makes the Lakes International
Comic Art Festival stand out, and comic creators I spoke too last year
were hugely impressed and some even a bit humbled by the support the
project has gained so quickly from the people and businesses of Kendal.
It was a welcome reminder of how much comics are still enjoyed by the
general public, as well as fans."
This year, the trail has been made possible with support from the Kendal Business Improvement District.
"The Windows Trail is a great way for Kendal businesses to get involved
and involve the whole town in embracing the festival," says Simon Thomas
of Staff of Life Bakery and Vice Chair of the BID. "The Trail will
encourage visitors to discover all that Kendal has to offer and to shop
in the town."
• The Windows Trail runs from 3rd October to 24th October 2014.
Maps and voting slips will be available at participating shops and at
the Brewery Arts Centre and the Comics Clock Tower.
• For more information contact Sandra@comicartfestival.com
• 2013 Lakes International Comic Art Festival Windows
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Tickets for all the events at the Lakes International Comic Art
Festival (17th - 19th October) are on sale now. For the full guest list,
details of events and exhibitions and bookings visit: www.comicartfestival.com
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Trailblazer: Sally Jane Thompson
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Sally is a freelance comic creator and
illustrator. Her work has featured in publications from IDW, Image
Comics, Black Mask Studios, Kerrang! magazine, and more, as well as
self-published work. Her graphic novel Atomic Sheep, about a
teenager who tries to find direction for her life by starting an art
club at her new school, was released by AAM Markosia in 2013.
Other work includes the minicomic “Now and Then” and travelogue webcomic From, and the Magical Girl illustration series Blood and Roses. She creates gentle, thoughtful stories about the depth of experience underneath the seemingly mundane.
• Official Site: http://www.sallyjanethompson.co.uk
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Trailblazer: Gill Hatcher
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Glasgow based comics artist and illustrator Gill is the founder ans co-editor of Team Girl Comic.
Her new book The Beginner’s Guide to Being Outside, will be published by Avery Hill this summer. It’s been listed in Forbidden Planet’s most wanted comics for June.
TGC (Team Girl Comic)
is a Scottish collective of women from a wide variety of backgrounds
and interests, with a shared love of telling stories through comics.
Inspired by a mash-up of retro girl comics, DIY punk and 90s tween
magazines, TGC was founded by Gill in 2009 and has expanded rapidly,
with around 30 contributors to date.
Their
anthologies showcase artists with different styles and levels of
experience, from beginners to professional artists. The stories in these
books can range from fantastical to autobiographical and even
experimental, but always maintain a personal element. In June 2014 the
collective will launch their celebratory 10th issue, which will feature
several special guest contributors including Hannah Berry and Trina
Robbins.
• Gill's Official Site: http://gillhatcher.tumblr.com
• Team Girl Comic: http://teamgirlcomic.com |
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Trailblazer: Colin Shelbourn
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Originally from Dorset, Colin moved to the Lake District while at school and started working for the award-winning Westmorland Gazette in his early 20s and celebrated drawing their regular front page cartoon for 30 years in April.
He'll
be decorating the newspaper's office windows for the Windows Trail,
which will make a change from looking through the week’s news to pick
five or six stories that might inspire his next cartoon.
While not working for the paper, he draws a monthly cartoon for The Cumbria Directory website and drew cartoons for The Student Survival Guide (published by How To Books)
Humour is an important part of Colin’s job. “It can sometimes get under people’s skin better than editorial," he says. "Because it’s a joke it can lull people into thinking about it afterwards.” |
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About the 2014 Lakes International Comic Art Festival
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The Lakes International Comic Art Festival
(17th – 19th October 2014) is a new kind of comic art event in the UK.
Modelled on a European-style festival it aims to take over the market
town of Kendal, on the edge of the Lake District, with comic art
presenting the widest range of genres. Events include a 24 Hour Comic
Marathon, children’s comic workshops, talks, signings, Great War in
Comics art exhibition and a Comics Fair.
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The huge line up of guests that this year's Lakes International Comic Art Festival include acclaimed comics creator and newspaper strip artist Nick Abadzis (author of Laika); Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard; Fables and Sandman artist Mark Buckingham; The Mire and Wolves creator Becky Cloonan; Alec and From Hell artist Eddie Campbell; veteran publisher Dez Skinn; Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons; 2000AD artist Jock; digital comics pioneer Scott McCloud; Japanese artist Junko Mizuno; Drowntown co-creator Robbie Morrison; leading US comics writer Gail Simone; the creator of the multi-award winning Bone Jeff Smith; Grandville and Luther Arkwright author Bryan Talbot, one of the Festival's patrons alongside Sean Phillips and Mary Talbot; and Emma Vieceli will also join other comic creators for Kendal's second comics extravaganza.
• Visit the Festival web site for the full guest list announced so far |
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The 24 Hour Comic Marathon creative team is: Dan Berry, Marathon curator and producer; Kristyna Baczynski (NME), Warwick Johnson Cadwell (Tank Girl), Joe Decie (The Accidental Salad) Sarah McIntyre (Oliver and the Seawigs, shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2014), Fumio Obata (author of the graphic novel Just So Happens) and Jack Teagle.
• For more information about the 24 Hour Comic Marathon visit: www.comicartfestival.com/competitions
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Festival Sponsors and Benefactors
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The Patrons of the Festival are comic creators Sean Phillips, Bryan Talbot and Mary Talbot.
The Festival is supported using public funding by the National Lottery
through Arts Council England, with funding from South Lakeland District
Council and Kendal Town Council working in partnership with the Brewery
Arts Centre and Kendal College.
Commercial sponsors include the Westmorland Shopping Centre, SEQUENTIAL and Knockabout.
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Tickets for the Lakes International
Comic Art Festival (17th - 19th October 2014) are on sale now. Sign up
for the Festival's newsletter here for the latest news!
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