Artothlon, Summer 2009

Continued from last post…

Tom’s team did a performance that articulated the US outsider artist Henry Darger. One of the jurors suggested it had been done before (what hasn’t?) but Rafal had never performed anything before and he did the whole thing. They won the audience votes this week and got the prize. (A massage. Each.)

Pavel tattooed a stencil of the face of the host (art student turned pop producer) on to belly pork and invited him to eat it at a set table in the studio. Pop will eat itself, etc. They also took an unpopular public sculpture and covered it in a popular free newspaper called “15 minutes” – to the annoyance of the local police, the entertainment of onlookers and, of course, the delight of the camera crew.

My team, sadly, was the runt pup of the week. We invented a new brand, a product. It was a drink, we named it after a play on the Lithuanian word for possibility (Galimbe: switch the light on), and the strapline was that with this product, you can do anything if you want to, or not – it’s up to you. Of course, there’s nothing in the product – it’s 20 per cent packaging, 80 per cent you. It reminded me of Omid Dhajili’s story about Beckett in The Times not long ago. Anyway, the jurors – and presumeably the viewers – felt that this was lost on them – we came last.

There’s more to say on the project in general – the resources, which can be fantastic if you have the wherewithal to ask for them, the relationship between reality TV and making art and the attitudes of the jurors who have been picked to talk about what we do. But these will have to come when I have more time.

There was a local dispute in my team, too. It didn’t involve me directly, but, after a cry to me for help from one of these very young people, I tried to keep it from the damn cameras who were sniffing around like terriers down a rabbit hole. And in my attempt to protect, the camera focused on me. Horrible. Anyway, there have been some team changes and I don’t want to go through that again.

It was an utterly exhausting week – a real head-f**k. I very nearly came home in despair but for the support and understanding of the group – the artists who I’m living with.

I’ve been asked to be involved with making a book of the project. I think there’s a good one to be written about collaboration – using this project as a hook and narrative. Eero’s the man to write it. We’re going to talk to the man with the money next week. It’s another good reason to stay on.

ps Gotta go with Saulius to a laser company and then the forest, so pics will have to come later…

Sometimes, the things that can really tire you out are the ones you least expect. Hence the recent silence – sorry ’bout that.

And I don’t have long… once Saulius has finished his freelance work, we’re off to some forest by some suburbs (of soviet-era apartments) to play with lasers. We’d been out in town till four this morning to find out what their limitations and capabilities are, and we want to try and find somewhere with less light so that the lasers are stronger.

Work is being made. Justin, Eero and Monica are getting right in to confronting a few local controversies, like homophobia, which I can only stand back and marvel at. It’s what I’d thought about before I arrived, but they have the combination of artistic and technical experience and a strong team connection. Their work this week was a performance, in private (you could look through the window) where they were to spend 20 hours together, communicating by any means other than using speech. Documentation was a minute-or-so video (as Eero said, who would want to see any more than that?) and a huge print of a polaroid they took of the three of them touching tongues. It was fabulous – not least because it emphasised the importance of the experience of learning to connect with people who you don’t know well and gaining something very strong and intimate as a result. It’s the basis, surely, for making very strong work. And of course, editing documentation is crucial.

I observe and try to learn. It’s easy to think of documentation as an afterthought, but so much gets missed that way. But then… When Saulius and I were playing with lasers last night, should we have made more effort to record the process of what we were doing, or was it more important to just get on with the job in hand?

More on next immediate post…run out of space…

TV studios this afternoon and this evening. Some teams are stronger than others, for sure, and I think the key to that has been to be really clear about how they have decided to work together – either by doing their own thing and bringing it together, or by concentrating on building their team.

The point is, always, to be clear about your team goals. Sounds like management-speak but it makes complete sense.

A bunch of us went to see off the winners on their balloon trip yesterday evening, only to find that two of them were still working and had handed their flights over to others. One of the others had work to do too, so I jumped at the chance to hitch a ride.

Never taken a balloon ride before and it was GLORIOUS.We landed in a field by a small family’s homestead – and the look of wonder on the seven year old daughter’s face was a joy. She was very shy, so I didn’t catch it in a picture.

Watch the second Artothlon TV commercial.

We only got it this afternoon – it looks more erotic than life really is…

Ania and I were having a private discussion in my room and in comes Skirmatas, the cameraman, asking for some footage.

We said no for nearly ten minutes and he looked like he was going to cry – and be sacked if he didn’t get any to take back to the TV people.

So we gave him some lezzie action – thinking it wouldn’t be used.

It was. I’m not sure whether this puts the TV production people up in my estimation or not. But the whole thing is as camp as Christmas.

It was mashed potato (and pork) this evening for dinner and it was a joy.

Some early thoughts on collaboration.

Had a chat with Eero last night -we were talking about brainstorming and how, if you’re used to it, it’s easy to not realise that many people haven’t been taught the basics – you know, every idea is heard, none are criticised, you’re safe to be as outlandish or far-fetched as it comes and so on.

He explained how so much valuable time can be wasted with ‘this probably seems like a stupid idea’ or ‘you’re probably not going to like this’ – sound familiar?

I’ve done much brainstorming over the years, in professional situations where I’m brainstorming ideas alongside people I don’t know. I’m used to it.

But Eero pointed out that art is different, since when you offer up an idea, you’re offering up something quite deep inside of you – it’s a little bit of your soul, really.

So it’s important that people feel safe.

He stressed to me the importance of getting to know the people you’re working with – so that you can trust each other, before any brainstorming on projects can begin.

If I’ve learned one thing this week, it’s that it’s easy to assume too much – and that proper time needs to be spent between you, to feel comfortable and familiar and safe with the people you’re working with.

Eero’s done much collaborative art work over the years and I think there’s an awful lot to learn from him – and from the experience of this project.

I also learned today that the KGB really did some nasty stuff. I knew this in the abstract, but the KGB museum in Vilnius really does knock the hard facts into your head.

A free organ concert in the baroque St Casimir Church this lunchtime was packed, with people standing and sitting on the floors once the pews were full up. Uplifting.