Inaugural ‘Art Coven’ meet up last week in Leeds with artist Louise Atkinson (http://louiseatkinsonblog.blogspot.co.uk/) Debi Holbrook (http://debiholbrookartist.wordpress.com) Helen Harrop (http://letcreativitybegin.co.uk) and Emma Bolland (http://youwillhearmecall.wordpress.com) -getting together to talk loosely about ideas of gift/exchange/value/reciprocity
Three happy and lively hours spent talking, listening, laughing.
Here’s is a very partial snapshot of stuff we talked about. There were so many ideas and conversations flying it was impossible to keep track of everything (so apologies to the others for stuff I’ve missed out) but here are some of the things that have stuck in my mind:
Value and worth of artworks (Helen) Pricing work. Ambivalence for some of us around the market: comfort/discomfort with naming a price for an artwork. Is it easier to put a price on your time as an artist than a piece of work ?(depends who is paying) Attachment to artworks we make- not wanting to let them go (Lou)
Grizedale Arts Honesty Shop http://www.grizedale.org/ Selling locally produced produce, crafts and baking… Pay what you want. The shop contains artworks and other donated items objects become re-contextualised/aestheticised as a consequence of the nature of the space. The local community are involved and support it. (Emma)
Debi: exchange/ gift economy going on informally in her neighbourhood in Leeds.. thinking documenting this via blog..
Thinking about the possibility of running a temporary popup free shop in one of Fabric Bradford`’s temporary shops http://www.fabricculture.co.uk/blog/fabric-takes-m… (Jean) discussion about how this would work.. How would people use/engage with it? do you impose rules on how much stuff you can take? Can people donate? How clear should this be made? Like the idea of no rules.. an experiment.. but giving stuff away is difficult.
Everyone is an artist.??? professional vs amateur..
Giving attention: (Simone Weil: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity,”)
Idea of project offering attention. (eg offering to meet for coffee) What, if any limits do you put on this? Is putting any kind of limit ungenerous? Discussion about sharing/oversharing –
http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/08/why-we-overs… (link via Lou)
Talking about the framing and documenting of relational/participatory art projects. The artists documents, controls, frames the experience? Then owns the experience and calls it art? Power, hierarchies. Is it art or isn’t it? Keep it ephemeral?Our experiences are always filtered through our own perceptions (Helen) each person will have a a completely different experience of an encounter – so documenting is problematic.
‘The relationship economist ‘ applying economic principles to love http://m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/09/r… (link via Lou)
Alain Badiou’s ‘In Praise of Love’ ( Emma) about the commodification of love
Finishing with a quote from a David Whyte poem Helen tweeted me after the meeting
“Innocence is what we allow/ to be gifted back to us/ once we’ve given ourselves away.”
A great, thought provoking, social meeting – we all clicked – looking forward to the next gathering.
