RSA Arts and Ecology - The highlights of 2009.

We are extremely happy to announce that Ext Inked has been selected by the RSA as one of the arts and ecology highlights of 2009!

To see the full list of highlights please visit the RSA Arts and Ecology website.

Picture of the day

Our image of the day shows Ink V's Steel hard at work tattooing Ext Inked ambassadors with their chosen species. Ext Inked, the latest art project from Ultimate Holding Company, in conjunction with the Marine Conservation Society, Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) and the People's Trust for Endangered Species.

To find out more about this project please visit the Ext Inked project page and to see more images of the exhibition and the tattoos please visit the Ext Inked facebook page.

UHC on Twitter

UHC has started Tweeting, follow us on http://twitter.com/Ult_Holding_Co!

Principle Six

Co-operatives UK have produced a worker co-operative Code of Governance with seven principles providing a guide for running a successful co-operative business . One of these principles, number six, advocates co-operation, networking and trading between co-operatives to strengthen the co-operative economy and broaden the movement.

UHC attended a business referral event today, which was based on Principle 6 and organised by Co-operatives North West, giving co-operatives in the north west an opportunity to think about how we can bring more business to each other, or in other ways help with the development of each others activities.

It was a great event in terms of getting to know other regional business better and get ideas for how we can help promote each other or contribute to the growth of the sector. More Principle 6 events are planned for the north west over the spring and we are looking forward to attending the next one!

ExtInked Press

Amelia's Magazine by Adam Sutcliffe
Amelia's Magazine by Grace Beaumont
BBC Manchester
The Guardian by Jenny Jones
The Guardian by Hugh Warwick
New Scientist by Jessica Griggs
The Mule by Samantha Bradey
South Manchester Reporter by Amy Glendinning

Seasons Greetings

2009 is almost behind us and it's been a busy year developing exciting new projects with some old friends and welcoming aboard some great new collaborators. We'd like to say a massive thank you to all our clients, friends and collaborators for a great year, we hope you will have a lovely Christmas and we're looking forward to seeing you in the new year!

The studio will be closed for our winter break from Thursday 17th December and we are opening again on Monday the 4th January 2010. We'll be checking our phones and emails regularly however so please feel free to get in touch!

Thinking Objects features Spring Shrouds

Excellent product design book 'Thinking Objects', written by our friend, designer and university lecturer Tim Parsons, features a short section on 'Design as political activism' which mentions UHC's Spring Shrouds, designed and made for comedian Mark Thomas two years ago. The shrouds were put up around Manchester during rush hour one morning, covering every pavement advertising hoarding in the city centre (80 in total), giving commuters a 'temporary respite from the daily barrage of commercial messages'. The book can be bought from AVA Academia.

Thank You

Since hand delivering the Leeds Plan B Manifesto to key decision making organisations around Leeds city centre back in November we are extremely pleased to have received several thank you letters which we have quoted below;

Councillor Andrew Carter - Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council

“Thank you for your recent letter; I will certainly look at the website to find out more about the project. I am a keen gardener so will definitely use this on my garden and look forward to seeing the results.”

John Thorpe - The City Workshop

“Thank you for delivering the art work, especially as it forms part of the final ten works from your limited edition of 200.I am part of a small group of colleagues who cultivate an urban allotment. My contribution is to turn the full volume of soil - which rests on demolition land- and to introduce to it organically produced compost and horse manure to it. The contents of the artwork ill be used accordingly and the container placed carefully to bio-digrade. With Thanks, best wishes and appreciation of a beautiful work.”

ExtInked book

This 240 page book was produced in-house for ExtInked, it documents all the illustrations included in the project and provides factual information for each species. The book was printed in black ink (with additional colour photographs of the event inserted), using a skin-like cover and was beautifully hand bound by artist Lucy May Schofield.

We are currently looking into producing additional copies of the book which will go on sale shortly at affordable prices. For more pictures of the book, see the ExtInked project page on our website.

Picture of the day

The Budge sign is a 6ft tall art piece that was created by the UHC collective and exhibited at the Manchester Contemporary floor at the Buy Art Fair at Urbis earlier this autumn. It's still up for sale and if you're interested please contact timo@uhc.org.uk.