Vortex Gallery was created by myself and John Robertson-Dwyer back in 2015. It’s based on the first floor of an old listed building in the centre of Huddersfield which had been totally abandoned for 30 years.

We were lucky to strike a deal with the landlord if we promised to make it workable again (we had previously rented a small studio upstairs for 2 years and were on good terms). So with two small children in tow, we set about removing ceilings, repairing plasterwork, added a kitchen, refurbishing the bathrooms whilst removing skips & skips worth of old cement piles, rubble and rubbish. We found some hidden treasures and by magic even a door that led to an outdoor quadrangle!

We had our own studios for our individual art practice and these ran from a main square cube-like room we named Vortex. This was going to be a play space for ourselves and the artists we had started to meet in the town. We renovated where we could, made and sold furniture and 2nd hand clothes, which we continue to do to pay the rent and fund the events and renovations. A year in we took the ceiling off the corridor and created a long gallery space, a few years later we finally opened the door at the end of the corridor and John found more rooms to renovate which are now rentable artist studios (this new extension goes by the name Unit 54).

All the Vortex Gallery events have been not-for-profit and many were co-directed by Joshua Dwyer and Rosa Lucy and we continue today as an independent artspace in the centre of Huddersfield.

Vortex Gallery provides private studio spaces for hire, so if you are local to Huddersfield and interested in renting a space, feel free to send a message for myself or John via the Vortex Gallery page.

Please scroll down for a curated selection of Vortex exhibitions & events

Interiors//

Live Art & Music Art Exhibition by Rob Miles and Alice Gauthier

This event included an art exhibition, live projections and music from Paris based artists and performers Rob Miles and Alice Gauthier, with support from Huddersfield band Birds and Beasts.

Rob and Alice created a unique exhibition for this event, using their tools of drawing, lithography, painting and collage. The art on show explored their processes, looking at their mutual theme of the Interior and how their take on this concept differs. Where Rob looks at interior space in an architectural way: the poetry of how it is lived in, interactions that take place between people, objects and their settings, Alice looks into the interior of living beings: images that are invisible to the naked eye: microscopic cells, plankton, inside the body/earth.

Iridescent

Exploration of Genre: A Surround Sound Exhibition by Carl Mills


Iridescent is an individually composed surround sound piece 16 minutes in length, the aim of which was to transition through multiple genres while still retaining a sense of coherence. This piece was exhibited as an installation at Vortex Art Gallery, Huddersfield in December 2016 to local artists and friends.

Psytrance, Rock, House, Dub, Reggae, Gypsy Jazz, Drum & Bass and Folk were all blended into the piece. An automated visualiser was created and projected across multiple translucentstrips across the room to coincide with the audio.

The full composition is available to enjoy here.

Metrix


Metrix is hard to describe. This one off experience developed over a year by four of us (Joshua, John, Sameena, Chris). The idea was to reflect upon the world as it was at that moment in time.

The night was a performance, an installation, an interruption. People began by filling out questionnaires to help the gallery achieve funding, and within two hours they were helping to destroy the gallery itself. It was magical.

VIBE

A series of Art, Installation, Spoken Word & Music Events hosted by Rosa Lucy & Joshua Dwyer


Vibe was set-up to create an entertaining night promoting the arts in Huddersfield. Photography, painting and graphic design were all displayed. The nights were full of acts, ranging from musicians, spoken word artists, and dancers, to magicians, performers and even yoga.

This all took place in a safe, comfortable space, where people were encouraged to socialise, relax, drink, eat and learn. The nights were special, and were a hub of creativity during the year they took place.

Kweer

A night of entertainment and open mic for LGBTQ+ humans to come express themselves in a unique town centre space.

Performance art, poetry, music, storytelling, political polemics, drag kings & queens, and all that falls in-between are welcome to take the stage. Plus the open mic is available for people who just want to stand up and share some thoughts, ideas or feelings in a safe, creative environment.