User:Kane Cunningham

Kane Boyd Cunningham, born in Crumpsall Hospital, North Manchester on June the 9th 1961. Kane moved to Unsworth in Bury in 1964. Father Thomas Cunningham ( from Dundalk, Ireland), was an Irish folk singer and lead singer in an Irish Showband. Kane's mother is Linda Cunningham-nee Clare from Bristol. Kane has two brothers Carl Cunningham and Dean Cunningham who still live in North Manchester. Kane went to Parr Lane Primary School in 1966. He moved to Keswick Drive in Redvales, Bury in 1969. Kane went to Unsworth Comprehensive School in 1972 to 1977. He then attended Rochdale School of Art from 1977 to 1979. Here Kane was taught by the tutors David Eyre, Keith Chadwick, Sam Sutcliffe, and Rod Bailey. These formative years prepared him for Leeds Metropolitan University from 1979-1982. Here is tutors included Geoff Teasdale, Terry Shone and Jeff Nuttall http://jeff-nuttall.co.uk/ Kane moved to Rochdale and lived on the Guinness Trust Estate and had two children Dale Cunningham ( 1982 ) and Ben Cunningham ( 1986 ) with Louise Cunningham-nee Downall.

In 1982 Kane helped set up Rochdale Artists workshop a studio space for graduating artists. In 1984 moved into an old victorian mill just off Kingsway Rochdale  and used it as a studio. Kane started to teach at Rochdale School of Art in 1982 and is presently the course leader for BA in Fine Art in Scarborough North Yorkshire.

Kane recently received international attention for his 'House project" at Knipe Point in Scarbororugh. The house is expected to fall off a cliff due to natural erosion. Kane bought the house to create a work of art, an installation and performance work. Kane is essentially a landscape artist, painter, sculptor and printmaker. He had a studio on the pier in Scarborough which was previously used as a baiting shed for the local fishermen. His work has political undertones and informed through social, historical and cultural perspectives. His main influences on his work are Picasso ( due to his approach to painting), JMW Turner, Matisse, John Piper, Ben Nicholson, Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron and Henry Moore.

He recently completed a series of works ( some of which are on display ) upon the large country estates of North Yorkshire, to include Castle Howard, Thirsk Hall, Hovingham Hall, Sledmere House and Scampston Hall. This was over a five year period and remains a subject he constantly returns to. Recent work is in collaboration with the nationally acclaimed photographer Joe Cornish for an exhibition of works responding to the North Yorkshire Landscape. This work will be shown at Scarborough Art gallery in October 2011.

In January 2011 he was featured on BBC breakfast television in a programme looking at the happiness and what makes people happy. The House Project at Knipe Point was central to the feature. In March 2011 Kane's studio was broken into an ransacked of 60 paintings, these included 28 paintings by Mik Godley. The work was eventually traced and brought back to the studio in a low loader truck through an intermediary. Kane was recently featured in 'Town" with Nick Crane on BBC 2. ( 4th of August 2011). This program in association with Open University focuses on the history of the town, it heritage and its arts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFBlTwV2Mak, www.kanecunningham.co.uk http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/8429152.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/8577957.stm The Last Supper with Clare Short http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/feb/24/house-falling-into-sea-art http://www.nvcc.org.uk/2010/12/scarborough-evening-news-‘last-christmas’-for-house/ http://www.boulbygeoscience.org/ http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/live+%26+public+art/art77602 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PGcQsy7t8 http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/818435-artist-hosts-last-supper-in-cliff-edge-house http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/mar/23/scarborough-kane-cunningham-mik-godley-rspb-hague-gayle-manchester-bradford-textiles http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/mar/23/scarborough-kane-cunningham-mik-godley-rspb-hague-gayle-manchester-bradford-textiles www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/may/09/kane-cunningham-mik-godley-scarborough-knipe-point-marsden-old-quarry-bridgewater-hall. Explosiv TV Germany, featured August 2011 Town (BBC2 4th of August 2011) with Nick Crane in association with the Open University. Tern TV productions.