A.M.Hanson / biography outline

Alexander Mark Hanson. Born:1969. Adopted and raised in Bardsey, West Yorkshire; a semi-rural mix of motorways, ancient earthworks and haystacks.

1970 -1974: Earliest memories are formed of flying away from a rainy Luton with the `cheap n' colourful` Court Line to the Med. At nursery school (Bardsey Village) Hanson soon resources the dressing up box and starts singing to the other kids.  Becomes avid collector of Ladybird books. Various early `creative visits` made to mum Sandra Hanson's Leeds pottery workshop.

1976 - : Leaves Bardsey Primary and starts at Moorlands School (nr.Leeds). The Victorian building was once used in the opening credits of the Hammer House of Horror TV series and Hanson is inspired by the quirky layout and surrounding woodland. Also inspirational are trips to Salcombe area of Devon, Hanson responds with drawings after 7 hour car journeys of the hilly landscape. Miniature moss gardens and paintings often appear (and sometimes win!) in local village shows. A neighbour, Hettie Lonsdale's love of art and an art teacher friend of his mothers, Rita Whisker encourage his development.  

c.1980: Music teacher encourages him to join local church choir (St.Edmund's, Roundhay) where he sings treble until his voice breaks a couple of years later. Starts to make first structured photographs with Kodak instamatic and polaroid cameras.

1982- 85: Leaves Moorlands with `senior` art prize. Goes to St.Peter's School (York) where he is interested to find out Guy Fawkes once went there, so not allowed to burn effigy on bonfire. Gets into trouble for showing off a picturebook called "Art Since Pop" bought with pocket money (`probably because of its edgy nude action photos`). Given key to art block at weekends and experiments in various media and formats, including polaroid `blow-ups` and collage based `cut-outs` pictures. Other photographic work made in local environment (inner city Leeds and West Yorkshire suburbia) and further afield (such as landscape layouts at Bramham Park, Harewood House and Castle Howard), building `journey and found object` photo-notebooks. Researches image and architectural projects at York and Leeds city art galleries, libraries collections, beyond and elsewhere.

1985-88. Starts at Park Lane F.E. College (Leeds) studying fine art and drama. Wins a placement with the National Youth Theatre, attends courses in London. Makes BIRD'S NEST ON WINDOW LEDGE (1986) and other related photographs before leaving home and moving to central Leeds, sharing houses with college friends Roy and Alice and others. Holds happenings in basement of a shared property in Harehills district. Performs in several public productions with Leeds University Theatre Workshop. Designs production posters and makes photo-folios of performers and `street action pictures`. Photo-montages (BRIDGE WITH SWIMMING POOL) appear in group show at Leeds City Art Gallery. Makes BOY WITH GUN (b/w print and photo-copy billstickers) during royal visit to art gallery. Photographs inner city Leeds and surrounding locations, folio exploring urban open spaces, derelict buildings and streets and hybrid wastelands. Spends summers visiting London galleries, exhibitions and events.  

1989: (Jan) Moves permenantly down to London on a National Express coach with "one suitcase. a notebook and a tripod". Initially staying with various friends throughout town. Travels by car with a friend across Europe (PAN EURO photo-notebook). Records interiors and the grounds at the old Sitwell residence Montegufoni near Florence. In London present at various rave events. Later in the year documents the collapse of the Berlin Wall, including series LANDSCAPE IN SERIAL SHADOW made from window of the plane approaching Berlin, alongside folio of other images made during historic moment. Lives in Earls Court, London for a brief period.

1990- 91: Moves to Nunhead and Lewisham (S.London) with friends . First pictures published, in i-D magazine (Jan.`91 issue / under credit Alex Sparks) of revellers at the Clink Museum in Southwark. First solo exhibition held at Soho Brasserie of large b/w portrait prints (BERLIN FOLIO & B/W PROFILES). Makes THE PICNIC group of pictures in collaboration with Ian `Bunty`Thompson. Conceptual 35mm projection work is produced, derived from details shot in Berlin and London.  

1992- 93: Lives in Fitrovia area of central London, where his tiny flat fast becomes a studio and ideas centre. Makes series based on the individual's urban existence. Documents HIV/AIDS awareness marches for various concerns. Begins collaboration with Honolulu, recording texts and songs based on `photo memories`. Appears in a French TV commercial (as a photographer) for a hair care product. Starts NEW DISCO PORTRAITS series, making unique and small edition picturebooks with photo-text. The series is made mainly with disposable cameras, often bought by the dozen late at night from Joe's Basement in Wardour Street. Also uses a tungsten/daylight studio in Camberwell for various portrait sessions. Starts to exhibit print and poster work in a variety of venues, mainly in shops, bars and project spaces across Soho.  Theatrical portraits created for Broadway and West End impressario Mark Bramble and his production team.

1994- 95: Makes photographs of action and audience at performer and art star Leigh Bowery's legendary last show. The event sees a coming together of various `movers n' shakers` at a time when London is witnessing the brit-art/pop explosion. Documents and appears in the award winning `brit-flick` short "A Smashing Night Out" (dir: M.Glamorre / BBC 10x10). Makes `semi-iconic` image PINK SHEILA for the photo-notebook series. Photo work appears in various style, music, scene and listings magazines and periodicals. Series includes an infamous portrait of Alexander McQueen on the verge of fame. Work shown in retrospective for Bowery at the Fine Art Society, New Bond St (London). After a stint in Notting Hill, moves to Kentish Town, turning garden flat into `inside/outside` studio/gallery (Willes Road Shows).

1996- 97: Begins development of `photo-concept characters` in print, notebook and mixed media formats. TOWARDS THE SHANGRI-LA COMPOUND sees new works on paper (felt pen and pencil drawings and other works) alongside related photographic material. I'M GOING ATOLL CRAZY (drawings,notebooks) and later COUNTRY TRAMP GOES TO TOWN (plaster wall drawings,objects,photographs) are thematic concepts made in response to life in the city and countryside, and other desires. Photo work continues to be shown in various venues and project spaces. His `Country Tramp Goes To Town` series gradually formulates into larger body of work. Makes FLAG POLE, in response and public reaction to death of Diana, which becomes part of a sometime photo series (Flag). Starts occasional documentation of London's parkland, canal system and the city's nature tracks and open spaces. Presents SUSAN TRIPOD/MISSY ISLAND mixed media work and actions (Willes Road Shows and elsewhere).

1998- 99: Two large format international picturebooks appear containing Hanson's work. "Leigh Bowery" (Violette Editions) sees the last show pictures, prompting publisher Robert Violette to call it; "a crucial, defining moment of the nineties". In "We Love You" (Booth Clibborn) he contributes images of sometime collaborator Richard Torry's living/work space (including INTERIOR WITH FRIDGE) made especially for the publication. The work is shown alongside more established art world figures, such as Gilbert & George and Tracey Emin. Performs action SUSAN TRIPOD at Lux centre, Hoxton and `poorforms` `My Higher Pyschic Master Hello` at Andrew Logan's Alternative Miss World. Also records song for photo-book `Dalek 16`. Moves to larger workshop space in West London. Shows drawings of fantasy maps, wayward flight routes and photo-ephemera in `Aerial No.2 (Simon's Playpen)` at Vexed Generation, Berwick St. (London). A `maximalistic mixed media presentation` in a lightbox/dressing room. Records action song REBEL AGAINST THING for concept character of the same name. 

2000- 01: Spends the millennium moment taking and giving away polaroids. alexcalledsimon projects formed to develop and produce solo and collaborative work. Creates and publishes PHOTO-CIRCLES series of urban/rural `momentary images` (under simonsplaypeneditions imprint). Mixed media PAPER HATS FOR A COUNTRY TRAMP which begin to be worn (filmed and photographed) `on the heads of people at various locations around town`. Makes series THE PENNY DROPS (PLASTIC THINGS) and GHOST TRAIN INTERIORS at various English seaside locations, including Brighton and Southend-on-Sea. Begins ongoing series "A Walk With...", photo stories made during time spent with one person.

2002: (Feb/Mar) On an extended working trip to New York, Hanson responds to the events of 9/11 with a group of images based around a city winter turning into spring, including a short photo-book story SUNBURST OVER LIBERTY ISLAND, alongside charcoal text drawings EMPIRE STATE ALWAYS FUTURE.  Archive work from the last decade appears in `Queer Nation O2` (curated by Alistair O'Neill), a large group retrospective of 20th century polysexual nightlife at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, Flitcroft Ct. (London). 

2003: (Summer) Contributes work EYE PATCHES FOR THE URBANITE to a vending machine project (curated by Yoke and Zoom) at Rice+ Gallery, Kyojima, Tokyo. In London Hanson documents an experimental film shoot by Wolfgang Tillmans of performers The Paper People (UNTITLED DOCU). A `night-time balloon release` EPHEMERA CLOUD (mixed media with photographs) takes place from The Tattershall Castle, a boat moored opposite the London Eye which during World War 2 was used as a tether-ship for barrage balloons. (Winter): A photo-montage wall-object `SIMON DEAREST...(THEM BUFF)` is exhibited in another group show (`Featuring...`) in reply to the Centre of Attention curators at Century Gallery, Bethnal Green (London).

2004: Finds locations for concept character MISSY ISLAND (GOES HOME) in Greek Islands (Cyclades), series includes RINGS IN SULPHUR SKY and other works, an image cut out of Missy Island is photographed in various locations and situations throughout the islands. Continues documentation of POMPOCALI, a roman earthworks and surrounding evolving environment (BARDSEY VILLAGE folio) near his childhood home in Yorkshire. Makes ENGLISH WISTERIA group of pictures in London, alongside other new work developments and display opportunities.

2005: (Spring) Commences large scale photo-book project BONJOUR MR. BLACKBIRD. A series of photographs celebrating springtime in London and the birds that find bold and optimistic places to raise their young against a backdrop of the city. Selected works from this project are donated to the Beijing Natural Culture Center Archive, China. (Summer) a site specific/interactive work THIS IS FETE / X MARKS THE SPOT is held in a garden (Cathy Hutton / London), a take on the British Summer Fete tradition. In Yorkshire he photographs the giant Emley Moor transmitter and other communication installations. (Nov) Photographic collaboration with Pains Fireworks (COSMOS CONTACT 400) documenting set-up, installation and display over St.Paul's and Tate Modern (for 400th anniversary of Guy Fawke's gunpowder plot). A new group of series, including Aeroplane Aeroplane - a body of images, tracing kerosene and water vapour tracks across the sky and foreground (simonsplaypeneditions).

2006: Continuation of Bonjour Mr. Blackbird project and related series and other project work. Shows work (from "English Wisteria" series - 2004) in a European touring group show 24London (various venues: Berlin, Milan & Barcelona). Other work includes new photo-series and photo-portraits connected with a variety of urban lifestyle stories and environmental issues, amongst other new work for print, show and presentation.

2007: New mixed media project work for alexcalledsimon projects (Missy Island, Country Tramp, Susan Tripod) . Moves to new work space in central London. Begins new photo series of portraits and live performance and related photographs, including large scale study of David Hoyle (including "This is David Hoyle" photo stories, London 2007/08) and photo stories of  Patrick Wolf, Scottee, Bishi, No Bra and others. Develops new electronic screenprint / mono-print imagery (for simonsplaypen-editions printed matter), alongside new raw photographic work. Archive work shown in group photo project "What Haunts You?" at The Photographer's Gallery, London (Nov - Jan 08).

> 2008 / onwards: see news

& selected at: alexcalledsimon blog / alexcalledsimon projects

+ elsewhere, or contact to enquire.

(a more detailed biography is available on request)

© simonsplaypen  2006/07/08

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