Barney Francis

Upper Space is an award winning not-for-profit arts activism organisation based in Manchester. Our practice includes urban intervention, outreach, exhibition and we represent a selection of non commercial public realm artists. Statement: It is important to understand how the boundaries which shape our society are constructed and how these boundaries are applied, interpreted and discussed in institutional and political spheres but importantly within social and public realms. The first rule of guerilla warfare is to know the terrain and use it to your advantage. The political topography of today includes the ephemeral ground of signs and symbols, images and expression, narratives and dreams. This is the terrain of artistic activism. As insurgent arts activists, we aim to change certain things in society – to work towards an end, therefore the boundaries that construct our society may need to be transgressed in order to foster new dialogues to understand their shortcomings. Consequently, our team focuses on a variety of social problems, and our practice encompasses different approaches through partnerships with non-arts organisations. The most important part of our process is to work with others to facilitate shared learning and self education using Upper Space as a platform. Upper Space is focussed on promoting alternative ideas and perceptions of public space at a time when democracy is highly contested. Manchester