Description

Admin History:

Kane Cunningham

Kane Boyd Cunningham was born in Manchester in June 1961. He attended the Rochdale School of Art between 1977-1979, before studying Fine Art at Leeds Metropolitan University where he graduated in 1982.

He has been an artist since 1982 when he helped establish the Rochdale Artists workshop. He is primarily a landscape artist, painter and sculptor, and cites Picasso, JMW Turner, Matisse, John Piper, Ben Nicholson, Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron and Henry Moore as the main influences on his work. His work has political undertones and is informed through social, historical and cultural perspectives. He has exhibited his work in galleries across the UK.

Kane began teaching immediately after completing his university studies, initially at the Rochdale School of Art and later as the course leader for the BA in Fine Art at Yorkshire Coast College, Scarborough. He retired from teaching in 2017.

He has completed a series of works on the large country estates in North Yorkshire including Castle Howard, Thirsk Hall, Sledmere House and Scampston Hall and collaborated with photographer Joe Cornish for an exhibition of works responding to the North Yorkshire Landscape.

The House Project

In December 2009 Kane purchased a bungalow at Knipe Point, Scarborough, for £3000 using his credit card. It was expected to fall into the sea due to natural erosion and was used as a studio, an installation, and as a location for performance work.

In March 2010 twelve guests were invited for a meal and discussion, The Last Supper. Guests included Clare Short MP; Fred Normandale, President of the National Federation of Fishermen; GP Taylor former vicar and writer; and James Mackenzie chef.

In March 2011 the house was broken into and 60 paintings, including 28 by Mik Godley, were stolen. All items were subsequently located in Sheffield and returned to the house. This resulted in a prosecution at the Crown Court in York.

The house was demolished, for a cost of £3000, in February 2013.

The Knipe Point House has been featured in a BBC programme looking at 'happiness' with David Sillito, Front Row on BBC Radio 4, and in the BBC2 programme 'Town', a series with Nicholas Crane first broadcast in August 2011.

Kane's work was also featured in the popular television series 'The Salvage Hunter', filmed in 2011.

Description:

The material relates to all aspects of the House Project including photographs, artworks, ephemera, and the coverage of the story in local and national media.