Loved watching the Turner Prize announcement on C4 last night while also keeping up with the plethora of tweets on the student protests at the Tate.This is how social media should be! News from those on the inside, and tweeting back what we were seeing on TV, so everyone felt they knew both sides.
I thought this protest was a really smart move, not only because it was strategically placed at the best known art institution in the UK, but also at the most media friendly event. Not to mention the fact that it was peaceful.
The way the protestors had the education issue acknowleged live on C4, first by Nick Serota, then by Susan Philipsz in her acceptance speech wouldn’t have happened without the protest. Who knows if they had been planning to say those things – maybe Phillipsz, but the protest forced the issue, after all, what would we have thought of those people if they had ignored the chants from outside? That they were philistines of course. That they were complacent people made rich who were out of touch. Perhaps that they were now voting Conservative because it suited their newly lined pockets better *cough, Tracey Emin, cough cough* I don’t know about you, but I expect my company in the art world to be pretty liberal, open minded, and able to empathise with others less off – to see the bigger picture. Humanists basically. Luckily, they did support the protests, so hopefully we will see their support continue. One of the Otolith Group gave a speech outside too, but apparently she couldn’t get back into the party after doing this.
During a visit from the Urban Interventions project to Liverpool, I overheard the bar bill after we’d been to see a film screening together. My little head suddenly starting adding up entertainment – just for one organisation – and I felt like it might explode trying to fathom just what their budget might be. Massive. The Turner Prize was far far more swanky, and may be sponsored, but it all just seems in very bad taste given the current austerity. The contrast between the protest and those inside seems like a bit of a ‘them’ and ‘us’ situation in many ways.
Some blog posts on the protests here:
Penny Red: http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/201…
Charlotte Higgins:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/dec/06…
Excellent quote from Ed Vaizey in this one –
“They have every democratic right to protest. I just wish they’d do some work.” Awesome.
It is time we stopped the schmoozing? That’s what people expect somehow isn’t it? Those being schmoozed to buy work that is. An opening has been the stalwart feature of exhibitions for as long as I’ve been studying or doing art. As a student in Edinburgh and London, they were amazing places to see art, talk to artists and also, get free booze. I never considered how much it all cost as it was so normal. But recently there have been far fewer free bars and instead of openings, there seem to be more closing events and events that mix viewing and talking – perhaps it’s already been changing. I made me think about my own show at YSP. We’ve talked about an opening event, but as their big exhibition is in Jaume Plensa in April, that will also be the one big event of the year; we’re talking helicopters an all. They need collectors to travel internationally and to do that, it needs to be glitzy.
After my recent experience in Milan, where there was no booze and just lots of targeted curators and artists, I have been converted. I loved actually talking about my work to people who were interested, not feeling that sinking feeling as I watched people raid the bar, stand directly infront of the work chatting about last night’s Corrie, dump plastic cups everywhere and then bugger off. I’m exaggerating, but you’ve all seen similar. Anyway, I plan to go Italian-style, but I might need a little glass of something alcoholic!
p.s. I sold my first ever piece of work from a gallery! The eggs (pictures) don’t need picking up at the end of the CUBE open! Amazing.
