New Poetry Commission by Matt Abbott

11 June 2018

Inspired by Steve Johnston’s Arts Council Collection work, Punk Portraits (1977), Wakefield-born performance poet Matt Abbott has created a series of new poetry, especially for the Arts Council Collection.  

 

Abbott was commissioned to develop new poetry in response to the artwork and themes in the exhibition Revolt & Revolutions and said of his choice;

I was immediately drawn to the Punk Portraits by Steve Johnston. As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted to write about them, because obviously they’ve got such a striking visual identity.’

The series of photographs were indeed a key work in the Arts Council Collection National Partner Exhibition Revolt & Revolutions, which showed at Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Bothy Gallery earlier this year.

The exhibition explored counter-culture and anti-establishment movements of recent decades alongside work by artists who seek to make a difference, helping to suggest ways that we might contribute to change on an individual, community and even global level.

About Matt Abbott

A poet, producer and practitioner Matt Abbott is also a social and political activist. Having established himself on the indie music scene ten years ago, he is now a rising star on the UK’s spoken word scene and is currently touring his show ‘Two Little Ducks’ which next shows at the Last Word Festival at Camden Roundhouse on the 27 June.

About Store To Tour Film 2

The second film in our Store to Tour film series looks at Matt Abbott’s response to the commission alongside contributions from Yorkshire Sculpture Park Senior Curator, Helen Pheby and Family Learning Coordinator, Emma Spencer. Watch the film in full here.

 

Use the links below to listen to Abbott performing the poems.

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Punk Portrait 1 (2018) by Matt Abbott

Steve Johnston’s Arts Council Collection work, Punk Portraits (1977), provide inspiration for this series of new poetry commissions by Wakefield-born performance poet Matt Abbott, produced alongside Yorkshire Sculpture Parks’ National Partners exhibition.
Punk Portrait 2 (2018) by Matt Abbott

Steve Johnston’s Arts Council Collection work, Punk Portraits (1977), provide inspiration for this series of new poetry commissions by Wakefield-born performance poet Matt Abbott, produced alongside Yorkshire Sculpture Parks’ National Partners exhibition.
Punk Portrait 3 (2018) by Matt Abbott

Steve Johnston’s Arts Council Collection work, Punk Portraits (1977), provide inspiration for this series of new poetry commissions by Wakefield-born performance poet Matt Abbott, produced alongside Yorkshire Sculpture Parks’ National Partners exhibition.
Revolt & Revolutions (2018) by Matt Abbott

Matt Abbott reads the first in a new series of poetry commissions for the Arts Council Collection inspired by Yorkshire Sculpture Parks’ latest National Partners exhibition, Revolt & Revolutions.
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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.