Today was the last of my series of my community workshops in Barton.
In the blurb describing my practice I listed loads of things I work with, and on that list I said 'idiots'. Well on this particular job the idiots label could be won by the local press!
I wanted these pupils efforts triumphed in an article, following on from one already printed which had started this project. The Headteacher was worried that his school would be putting themselves at risk of derision by the local paper, as this had happened to him on several occasions before. I said that 'Fusion' the organisation who were commissioning me had a full time PR person on their staff and we would put together a press release highlighting the input by school pupils on this project. I wanted to big these kids up and make them feel they were achieving things. As it turns out Fusion had had projects possibly deliberatly ridiculed and misrepresented by the paper as well, suggesting they were encouraging squatting or something and taking bizzare angles on their activities. (I had this 'Freddie Star ate my hamster' vision of reporting style.) Their advise was to keep a low profile and may be send a press release at the end including all the community groups involved when all the park and equipment had been installed.
How sad is this story.
What does it reflect….a general confusion over what is art?…. that public money is not used in the way the paper want?
The result is that bit of badley needed social capital I wanted to put in place is reduced.
