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Alex Macdougall

@alex_macdougall

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Artist / Furniture maker @paradiseworks_
Drumset @mandyindiana
e ~ [email protected]

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It’s been a crazy summer … chaotic, brilliant, exhausting, very funny… and completely worth it 🫶

After a busy few months behind the scenes, it’s been so good to properly kick off our new programme again, welcome some brilliant artists through the doors and make the most of everything else happening across Manchester and beyond ✨

So, in no particular order, here’s what you might have missed this summer…swipe for the context….

And somehow, amongst all of that, we’ve also been planning what comes next.

As we head into the colder months, I’m feeling incredibly excited about what’s happening behind the scenes at Paradise Works… new ideas, new collaborations, a growing team and plenty more to come as we approach our 10th birthday next year! 🥳

Sorry About the Mess opening - kicking things off exactly as the title suggests! 🫟

@fleuryearsley doing what Fleur Yearsley does best 🌈

@_adamrawlinson @manchesterunionbrewery cans and, naturally, some very official Paradise Works branding 💁‍♀️

Summer nights at @paradiseworks_ are just 🤌

the bromance reunited 😭 @alex_macdougall @studio_critical

@lauriedriver99 spotted in the wild 🤪 @homemcr

@_texture____ new space opening 🔥 excited to see hw things go @_will_marshall 👏

forever grateful for the love, generosity and support that keeps me going iykyk🫶

A Manchester Art Fair tour with Selfridges, followed by a very good lunch at Kallos ✨

Fun Home at @rxtheatre … genuinely don’t think I’ve cried that hard in years 🥹🥹🥹

Cubitt adventures. Still feeling incredibly privileged to be on the board of such an important organisation. They need your support right now, so please head over to find out more @cubitt_gallery @cubittstudioartists

just a bunch of Nik Naks 🧡 @gwenevanswork @gwensenhui

Town Hall meeting… and a promise to never do that particular setup again @maisieapritchard 💀

A surprise visit from down under 🇦🇺 @amberrosecronin @tomborgas

Our Haworth Trust scholars this year @_adamrawlinson @freya.wysocki @kelan.andrews — so exciting to see this programme develop and to support the next generation of artists 🤠

a genuine pleasure to finally bring this one together after a year in the making 🥲 Than

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Apr - Jun 2️⃣6️⃣

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A few moments from the opening night of Sorry About the Mess 🫟

Thank you to everyone who came along, spent time with the work, and made the PV such a memorable evening. The conversations and support meant a lot to all of us! ✨

Missed the opening? The exhibition is open every Saturday and Sunday, 12–4pm, until 12 July. We’d love to see you there 🌴💗

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SORRY ABOUT THE MESS 🫟

An exhibition of unfinished works, failed attempts, prototypes and ideas still in progress.
Rather than presenting finished objects, Sorry About the Mess opens up the processes behind making. Bringing together sketches, tests, temporary solutions and ‘unresolved’ works; the exhibition transforms the gallery into something closer to a studio, rehearsal or group crit. Playful, awkward and deliberately open-ended, the exhibition celebrates experimentation, improvisation and ideas still taking shape.

📍 Paradise Works, East Philip Street, Manchester M3 7LE

🗓 Opening Event: Thursday 18 June, 6–9pm
🗓 Exhibition Open: 19 June – 12 July
Featuring: Isaac Jordan • Fleur Yearsley • Gwen Chen • Maisie Pritchard • Laurie Driver • Alex Macdougall • Emma Illingworth • Cain Casson • Lydia Marshall • Jessica Bennett

Curated by the Paradise Works Team 💓

@isaacbjordan @fleuryearsley @gwensenhui @maisieapritchard @lauriedriver99 @alex_macdougall @emmaillingworth_ @caincasson @lydia.marshallllllllllll @jessicabennett_art @_adamrawlinson @mikesian.studio

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Mandy, Indiana and BUFFEE at the Brudenell, Leeds.

After picking up Mandy, Indiana's 'URGH' album released in Feb, I was excited to hear how it would translate to a live gig, and they did not disappoint. Confrontational and energetic, every band member pushed the limit. Cathartic stuff.

Extra special surprise was the last minute addition of BUFFEE who smashed it as usual. Excellent choice of support.

@mandyindiana
@buffeeeeeee
@greylanternmcr
@nath_brudenell

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Mandy, Indiana - YES, Manchester - 26/03/2026

—-

[Live music photography by Der Fotoautomat]

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nothing better than seeing your mates making cool stuff🕺🏻

It’s the @sweltband release day for their lovely new record ‘bones’ - thoroughly recommend giving it a listen. Also hyped to finally spin the @mandyindiana album ‘Urgh’. two sides of very different coins, with a little bit of ‘ereford thrown in for good measure. get on it🔥

album artwork and design on the swelt record by the legend that is @bureaudefatigue plus a cheeky tee by my own hand. the album is also recorded by the amazing @jamie_greenmount_lamigobay who we recorded a couple of Talons records with way back when.
A really nice coming together of people met along the way.
Muuuuzik 🖤

#muuuzik #swelt #mandyindiana #legendsinthegame #aura

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Delighted that Jazz House, Hereford, has been shortlisted for a RIBA West Midlands Award 2026!

It is an honour to be recognised alongside such respected peers and a diverse mix of ambitious projects across the region.

An act of small-scale urban repair, the project transforms an array of forgotten derelict garages into a quirky, light-filled, low-carbon home. Built almost entirely from timber and reusing every single brick from the original garages in situ, it pairs a fabric-first, RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge aligned approach with a playful, client-led brief. The build achieves an EPC ‘A’ rating (96/100) and exceptional airtightness of 0.2m³/h/m²

Beyond building conscientiously, the brief sought to create a fun, joyful space reflecting the personality of its owners. Now occupied, the house is delightfully awash with light, colour, artwork, sculpture and music; a 1950s jukebox takes pride of place at its heart. Living spaces channel views toward borrowed treetops, giving a connection to the wider setting, without being overlooked. Jazz House grew from a delightful collaboration between a deeply engaged client, architect and contractor - a home shaped as much by personality as by place.

Main Contractor: @aspire.building
Glazing: @ecohaus_glazing_solutions
Structural Engineer: Nedw Llewelyn @bro_consultancy
Quantity Surveyor: John Crooks
Photography: @alex_macdougall

#architecture #ribaawards #ribawestmidlands #dwelling #design #herefordshire #herefordshire #errandstudio #architecturedaily #architexture #architectshereford #residence #lowenergy #fabricfirst #architecturephotography #architektur #arquitectura

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Archiving Paradise Works, 5.7.25

'Reimagining Paradise is an exhibition and public program that envisions a bold new future for @paradiseworks_ and the role of artist-led initiatives in Greater Manchester. As cities continue to grapple with the effects of gentrification, affordable spaces for artists are disappearing, making it increasingly difficult for creative communities to thrive. As we reimagine our future, documenting and honouring the journey provides a way to dig roots into the Northern arts ecology further.'

After 3 months of immersing myself in the community and the Paradise archives, setting up shop on the third floor kitchen table, Archiving Paradise is a culmination of the people and stories of that make this space so important in the Manchester arts scene. It resulted in an installation and a 40 page zine which launched alongside their summer open studios, multiples shop and Amber Cronin's A Weight to Entice Buoyancy.

A sincere thank you to @jessicabennett_art @kaytwoods_ @hilaryjack_ , Lucy Harvey for your faith and support. Thank you to @mexico_branch , @_secoura and @maisieapritchard for your hard work and to all the artists for welcoming me with open arms.

@paradiseworks_

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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 is an exhibition embedded within the exploration of weight and form, investigating the possibilities, nuances and relationships of these two key themes. With a focus on touch, sound and mark making, ideas around perception are challenged through philosophical enquiry into how the sliding scales of mass (weight) and shape (form) can be experienced. ‘The weightiest thing in the world’ is an analogy used by Isamu Noguchi to describe how a ceremonial cloth is handled during Japanese tea ceremony’s, eluding to the idea that value is not fixed.

Situated between the mundane and the profound of everyday life, this exhibition highlights the importance of essential modes of listening, looking and feeling. From the texture and tonalities of the human voice, to the bodily experience of objects or the atmosphere of weather, these concepts are explored through painting, drawing, sculpture and sound, inviting observation into how we perceive the world around us.

Curated by Adam Rawlinson (@_adamrawlinson)

Ben Goring @venturearts_
Lydia Marshall @lydia.marshallllllllllll
Liusaidh Ashley Watt @liusaidhashleywatt
Alex Macdougall @alex_macdougall
Lotti V Closs @lotti_v_closs
Gregory Howard @gregoryyhoward
Jack Brown @jackbrownwork
Linda Hemmersbach @linda_hemmersbach
Katarina Lalic @katarinalalic_

Video Audio;

Jack Brown (@jackbrownwork)

‘Humming choir’
Audio.
Headphones, stand and audio equipment
Co-created with the ‘Young creatives’ at HOME, Manchester. 2024.

This sound piece was exhibited as part of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙

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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙

A group exhibition investigating the possibilities, nuances and relationships between weight and form. Curated by Adam Rawlinson ( @_adamrawlinson ).

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 is an exhibition embedded within the exploration of weight and form, investigating the possibilities, nuances and relationships of these two key themes. With a focus on touch, sound and mark making, ideas around perception are challenged through philosophical enquiry into how the sliding scales of mass (weight) and shape (form) can be experienced. ‘The weightiest thing in the world’ is an analogy used by Isamu Noguchi to describe how a ceremonial cloth is handled during Japanese tea ceremony’s, eluding to the idea that value is not fixed.

Situated between the mundane and the profound of everyday life, this exhibition highlights the importance of essential modes of listening, looking and feeling. From the texture and tonalities of the human voice, to the bodily experience of objects or the atmosphere of weather, these concepts are explored through painting, drawing, sculpture and sound, inviting observation into how we perceive the world around us.

Ben Goring @venturearts_
Lydia Marshall @lydia.marshallllllllllll
Liusaidh Ashley Watt @liusaidhashleywatt
Alex Macdougall @alex_macdougall
Lotti V Closs @lotti_v_closs
Gregory Howard @gregoryyhoward
Jack Brown @jackbrownwork
Linda Hemmersbach @linda_hemmersbach
Katarina Lalic @katarinalalic_

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Installation images of “The Weightiest Thing in the world , which happened last weekend @paradiseworks_ . Thank you @_adamrawlinson for including my work in this sensitively curated show alongside some wonderful artists. Particularly loved that my work was placed next to @lotti_v_closs and @katarinalalic_ .

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