S p e a k e r s I n c l u d e :

G e o r g e A l a g i a h

M o a z z a m B e g g

M e l v y n B r a g g

M i c h a e l F r a y n

V i c t o r i a G l e n d i n n i n g

A . C . G r a y l i n g

R o m e s h G u n e s e k e r a

R o y H a t t e r s l e y

R e g i n a l d H i l l

S i m o n H o g g a r t

J a n e L a p o t a i r e

F i o n a M a c C a r t h y

A n n a M a s s e y

A n d r e w M o t i o n

R u t h P a d e l

C l a i r e T o m a l i n

S a l l e y V i c k e r s

S h i r l e y W i l l i a m s

W o r d s b y t h e W a t e r

A C u m b r i a n L i t e r a t u r e F e s t i v a l

T h e a t r e b y t h e L a k e K e s w i c k 9 - 1 8 M a r c h 2 0 0 7

0 1 8 0 3 -8 6 7 3 7 3

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a e s t h e t i c a  a e s t h e t i c a  issue 16

News UK arts news and round-up

4

New Works Poetry 10 Art 16 Fiction 16

Features Ruth Padel

8

Ali Smith & Rebecca Brown

11

Wendy Cope

15

Manchester International Festival 24 Melik Ohanian 27 Outside the Cube 28 Wellcome Trust 32 Liverpool & the Avant Garde 34 Urban Regeneration 36 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 38 747s 39 Tunng 40 Kate Nash 41 Field Music 42 Lupen Crook 43 Single Shot Film Festival 44 Karen Cunningham 46 London to Brighton and Beyond 48 Comic Art 50

Reviews Books 17 Music 41 Film 47

Cover Image by Jim Stafford. www.arcade-image.com

Aesthetica is an independent publication. We endeavour to reproduce the work in this issue to the highest standard.

ISSN 1743-2715 © Aesthetica Magazine Ltd 2007. All work is copyrighted to the author or artist. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without permission from the publisher. Published by Aesthetica.

Aesthetica PO Box 371 York YO23 1WL UK01904 674500 info@aestheticamagazine.com www.aestheticamagazine.com www.aesthetica-online.com

Ali Smith 11

Stewart Lee 50

Lupen Crook 43

London to Brighton 48

Editor’s Note Happy fourth birthday Aesthetica! It’s a very exciting time. I look at these modern times, and remember back to when I was a child, and things actually do seem different. I was around before the mobile phone, home PC, and the Internet. Now, it’s almost as if I couldn’t live without them. As the world changes, so do I. It’s strange though, because I don’t really see myself as any different. Alas, I digress; it’s our fourth anniversary. I cannot believe that four years ago, I had an idea to start a magazine, and that today Aesthetica is still here to tell the tale. Over the years, we’ve had several learning curves, trials and tribulations. However, the best past of building Aesthetica has been the process, the friends, and most notably the self-discovery. I learned that as a founder and editor, if I really wanted this magazine work, I needed to work harder and truly dedicate the time to make Aesthetica a valuable asset for the cultural arts in the UK. I am pleased (and surprised) to report that in 2006, I won the York Young Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award. It was an overwhelming moment and still is. This issue is very special. Within these pages there is new writing and artwork, features on light installation art, postwar art in Liverpool, urban regeneration, comedy as art, great interviews with new musicians and artists, as well as up to date arts news and reviews from around the UK. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you, the reader for supporting Aesthetica over the years, and to my team, I appreciate all your hard work, wonderful ideas and effort. Here is to a superb year and the future.

Cherie Federico Editor

The Aesthetica team are: Cherie Federico: Editor Dale Donley: Advertising & design David Martin: Fiction editor Kate North: Poetry editor Deborah Ellis: Development officer

Interns Laura Sandy: Marketing & copy writing Leanne O’Hara: Design Keely Griffiths: Copy writing & sales Shona Fairweather: Marketing & copy writing Edward Fortes: Marketing & copy writing Laragh Gillen: Marketing & copy writing Anthony J. Williams: Marketing & sales Miles Howe: Marketing & administration

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