Where is the value?
I was invited by Susan Jones to attend the debate Dangerous Ground: Reframing Cultural Value at Castlefield Gallery. This was a genuine surprise as I assumed I was asked based on being involved with PAPER gallery, however it was through my artist blog on a-n. The aim of the day was to have discussions based on a number of questions based around ‘cultural value’. The artists could pick what question they wanted to tackle and I felt I wanted to start unpicking the term itself. These discussions always make me feel a bit stressed as I feel a sense of justifying what I do in my arts practice. People within the group spoke about government influencing the direction of value, commerce, the definition of culture and value somewhere between research and entertainment. All the artists felt that with arts projects the artists actually get paid the least although contribute the most to what is actually seen or experienced. In relation to my own practice I feel performance/live art is undervalued even though it can make a high impact on the audience. However I feel my skills are enhanced as an arts educator and in retail from my artistic practice, which I get paid the least for. Although I am rewarded in the way I can change and interchange between these roles. If you would like to find out more about this debate please follow this link: http://culturalvalueinitiative.org/dangerous-ground-project/
‘Value’ is playing on my mind especially in relation to this performance I want to realise. Is the strength in my performances in the live act rather than through a computer screen? The attraction to the live stream is the potential to reach a wider audience and to allow people to view it through the screen of their choosing. From a conceptual point of view I like the assumptions people will make of a provocative women performing in front of a camera from home. If this piece was a live performance in a white cube or blacked out space I worry that it will look too performancey. I am worrying about the technicalities of streaming, and controlling the overall aesthetic of the piece. At the event at Castlefield Gallery I got to chat with Paul Sermon, Professor of Creative Technology and Associate Head of School for Research and Innovation at the University of Salford. I thought it was a good opportunity to ask him about streaming due to his experience within this field. He suggested doing a live test to check the quality by watching the live stream through another device. I need to continue this conversation with him. I streamed live on ustream for the first time last night, running my fingers through my hair. I deliberately lowered the quality which created a pixilated image of myself. I found the pixilation of my face and hands mesmerizing. I am still not sure how the social network feeds link promoting my channel prior and during the performance, I need to keep playing…
