20 Jan - 2 Feb build pathway
3 Feb - 19 Feb pathway open
20 Feb - 3 March dismantle pathway
For Making Up, The Lowry invited Lathwood to spend 6 weeks in residence developing, building, and ultimately deconstructing a new sculptural installation made especially for our galleries. Lathwood began by building a raised pathway that connected to a circular rotating platform, made from recycled timber. The audience could view this pathway being built via live broadcast from The Lowry’s workshop. When it was finished, visitors were invited to make a simple journey along the pathway and pause at the end. Rather than feeling at a dead end, the rotating platform allowed visitors to physically turn around. In a world of growth and consumption, where the mantra ‘onwards and upwards’ is often at odds with environmentally friendly living, the turning circle symbolically links the idea that progress towards a sustainable future is not linear, but circular.
Lining the gallery is the phrase 'WE ARE ALL IN A CYCLE' painted directly on the walls. The paint is leftover from previous exhibitions at the Lowry galleries, continuing her strategy to be as resourceful as possible. Lathwood wanted to include this emotive phrase in order to connect us to the wider ideas of climate change, and to encourage a conversation about these ideas. The font used is Handel Gothic, mirroring the logo of Veolia, one of the biggest waste management companies in the UK. The green lighting is a nod toward the colour that is synonymous with the recycling industry. This environment aims to set itself apart from the stark white space normally associated with exhibitions that showcase finished artworks. The coloured gallery instead references a space that is in flux, revealing production and fabrication.
The title of the show is taken from a ‘maker up’, the job title for someone who packaged things made in the cotton mills and factories into boxes. This was a necessary role before containerisation boomed and Salford Quays stopped operating as a working dock. The final stage of the exhibition involved the pathway being dismantled in front of the public. The timber was then reformatted and repurposed into 76 reusable boxes which were given away, leaving no trace and minimal waste.
