'EXAM' marks 10 years since the repeal of homophobic Section 28.

On Sunday 23rd May 2010 artists from Ultimate Holding Company premiere their new large-scale project 'EXAM' - with 100's of volunteers and months of research into queer political and cultural history.

The piece, blending visual art, education and immersive performance is the brainchild of 27 year old Manchester artist Joseph Richardson. It will premiere for one day only and commemorates 10 years since the repeal of laws banning the teaching of same sex relationships in schools.

Exam has been commissioned as part of this year's Queer Up North Festival, Manchester's international queer festival of live performance and art.

We are staying tight-lipped about the finer details of this intriguing immersive project. To find out more you need to book a free place, come along and take part. The event is open to everyone and will be free to attend, but advance booking is essential for participating candidates as places are limited to 100.

To book email exam@queerupnorth.com or visit the Queer Up North Website.

You may learn and be challenged; be engaged or be changed. One thing is certain - you will be tested…

For more information about EXAM or how you can get involved please visit the website or call Kate Houlton on 0161 238 8523.

Spring is Sprung

With spring in the air, we've been down to our allotment in Wythenshawe to see how the new season is going to look down there. We're restructuring the plan for the allotment a little bit to try and make the whole thing a tiny bit more productive, and we're putting a new path in, it's all pretty exciting!

Portfolio updates

Check out the latest updates to the Collective Encounters page in our design portfolio.

Eco Certifications

Here at Ultimate Holding Company we're always challenging ourselves to explore every angle of ethical print production. Schemes, certifications and processes change rapidly so its important to keep on top. So having put the work in we thought we'd share a selection of some of the commonly used certifications we have come across recently. We'll also be following up this post with with an introductory glossary of some environmental sound print processes too.

EMAS – This stands for the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, an initiative designed to improve companies’ environmental performance. EMAS sets the highest environmental standards of all the environmental management schemes (EMS).

IS0 14001 – This is an internationally recognised scheme. It provides a framework for environmental awareness, monitoring and continual improvement.

Green Dragon – This scheme is for Welsh companies that wish to improve their environmental performance but don’t have the resources for ISO14001. There are five levels, each one contributing towards the achievement of international and European environmental standards

Greenmark – This was developed by the London Environment Centre (LEC), part of London Metropolitan University and is more appropriate for smaller companies who lack the resources for IS0 14001

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Chain of Custody – If a printer holds the FSC Chain of Custody and the paper being used in a project is FSC certified, the end product can be labelled as FSC certified. This certificate is about the fibre tracking process only and ensures that there is no contamination between FSC and non-FSC material. It is not about environmental standards maintained within the factory.

'Carbon neutral' schemes – Please be aware that so-called ‘carbon neutral’ status is not a good indication of environmental performance. There is currently no regulation in this area and so it can simply be bought through offsetting schemes.

If you found this post of interest you may also be interested in our design newsletter, you can view it here or if your confident you'll like it sign up here! Dont worry, it's not shameless self promotion, its more of a place for us to share our knowledge of the things we find important. Socially engaged and environmentally friendly design to be precise ;)