I spent a great deal of yesterday hanging out in the exhibitors lounge yesterday, I spoke with some exhibitors who I know and some of those who will be moderating meetings … most of my time I spent with other staff – Alice and I drove to the northern outskirts of the city to pick up new banners from a ’logistics park’. We chatted the two hours we were in the car … I don’t think that in the eight or nine year that we’ve worked together we have ever spent so much time together and talked so personally as friends – it was really nice. Late afternoon into evening John and I chatted while he kept the coffee and beer flowing. We are much more familiar with each other having had time to hang out over the years when both of us had roles where our work was done in advance of the actual fair – website design on John’s part, and proofreading on mine. And then of course we had our early mornings together in the kitchen the week that John was visiting the Riga residency. I am really enjoying the deepening of my friendships with both Alice and John.
John pointed out that one of the meeting moderators is the partner of his best friend in Estonia – who was also a guest workshop leader in Riga … I thought that her name sounded familiar and now I know why.
In chatting with the team from Eulengasse they casually mentioned the artists and arts organisations that they would like to introduce me to “when [I] am in Frankfurt” … it would be great to visit them … they are one of the groups who I want to ask about the possibility of working/showing with. It’s very nice that Kött Inspektionen from Uppsala are exhibiting this year, and of course I have been chatting with them. It’s always a delight to catch-up with Niamh and everyone from Ormston House, and this year Alannah Robins’ Interface, also from Ireland, has a booth – sometimes she attends the Meetings Expanded networking programme. Kristjan, who was also on the Riga residency, is here with his King og Bong project (Iceland). I also spoke with the collaborators running the education workshops and moderating three meetings.
This year there seem to be quite a few exhibitors who are doing things in collaboration with each other … or perhaps as I get to know them better the collaborations are becoming more obvious … or it that where the interest, and funding, is? I am really interested in this kind of thing and would like to get collaborations going either through the artists club or the studio in Uppsala. I am a bit concerned that both organisations are a little too large and unwieldy but I don’t have to work with everyone I guess … but does it have to be open call? … perhaps I just pick the other members who I want to work with!
Today is ’Forum Day’ – internal networking – it’s always chaotic and it’s always fun … as John said it used to feel stressful now after five years it doesn’t. More of the meeting moderators arrive today – three of them are on the Meetings Expanded programme – which has caused them more than a little confusion.
I guess my hanging out chatting, answering questions about the programme, directing people to my colleagues responsible for specific areas, helping those colleagues with things that just need to be done, and even making coffee when John was away from the lounge are all part of my work at Supermarket. And it’s work that I really really enjoy.
