COPY

JL: I’m already feeling the benefit of the trip, sitting on the train reading through notes and website pages I printed off on current projects and activities of those we will meet. I also have my copy of The Perverse Library by Craig Dworkin – as I have barely had chance to turn its pages and sink into the catalogue of books listed their since the launch at The Perverse Library Exhibition at Shandy Hall supported by In A Word.

Time to keep up to speed with the small but industrious collectives, writers and publishers involved in art writing is now quite a task. Since 2008 activity seems to have grown, Antepress similar to Critical Writing Collective was founded in 2008 and ‘AND Publishing’, was devised in 2009.

How art writing projects are funded and managed and how texts are commissioned are of interest to us this weekend, but also what direction the work of these individuals, organisations and collectives is taking in 2011, we are equally interested in exploring.

My own personal mission is also to get writing again. Having taken something of an un-planned sabbatical from writing my own texts, I’m hoping this weekend of meetings and seeing work will help to kick start my own writing practice for the summer. There will definitely be lots to find inspiration in, just leafing through these papers on the train, the enthusiasm and diverse practices surrounding what we have come to call ‘art writing’ is clear.

CM: Back from a great and really useful weekend in London of planned and chance meetings, as well as having the chance to view and discuss shows and events.

Here’s a brief round up of the people we met, things we visited and some of the issues that were raised in our discussions, more details to follow!

David Berridge (verysmallkitchen)

Andy Abbott (Black Dogs)

Antepress

AND Publishing

Rosemary Shirley (Interface)

Metropotamia, Hilary Crisp

Fred Sandback, (& bookshop), Whitechapel

The British Library

Tamar Guimarães at Gasworks

Young London, V22

Cally Spooner, The Calder Bookshop

Freedom Press Bookshop

Simon & Tom Bloor at South London Gallery

Flat Time House

…………………………………………………

art writing/performance writing/writing practice/linguistics/narrative/self publishing/DIY/role of the critic/zeitgeist debates/mainstream art press/writing online/writing architecture/selling/distribution/representation/collaboration/editorial control/authorship/authority/structures/platforms/flowers/experimentation/research in practice/pets/jobs/pubs.

…………………………………………………

A very productive sunday meeting! We have refined our planned activity for the next 18 months, subject to some tidying up. We have also ideantified some points uregntly in need of research, which will be helped by the a-n bursary. Projects cover our three main aims:

Network / Platform / Dialogue.

More details to follow…

Part of our activity includes developing COPY, which aims to explore the boundaries of critical and experimental art writing through publishing submissions of writing as or around art practice, and page based works with a critical / textual element.

COPY was launched at The Plaza Principle, an exhibition that took place within the partially vacant 1980s Leeds Shopping Plaza scheduled for demolition. In response to this context, the first edition of COPY was based around notions of the understudy or stand in – the examined, inquired or performed; the temporary, theoretical or illusory. You can see documentation of COPY at The Plaza Principle here…http://criticalwritingcollective.wordpress.com/projects/copy/

We intend to use our bursary to meet other groups working in the fields of self publishing and explore writing as art practice, as well as organisations that provide a platform for reviews and critical texts online. Some of the discussion will need to be practical – we need to conduct more research into the print and design options that would best suit us as well as better understand efficient editing, commissioning and administrative processes.

An Introduction…

Critical Writing Collective aims to promote critical discussion around regional contemporary art and performance activity, create a platform for experimental art writing and support artists and writers through events, publications, projects, opportunities and an open network of contacts.

The collective came about after we met while taking part in a writing project in Berlin, organised by Open Dialogues. Being from Leeds and Sheffield, we noticed a lack of space for dialogue around activity in our respective and neighbouring cities and connections across the region.

Over six meetings we met with artists, writers, curators, educators and representatives of organisations and institutions, and used the this research to develop a course of action for the collective.Since this time we have established stronger connections, taken part in rlevant projects, innitiated our own projects and produced a pilot publication, and are now developing plans for the year ahead.

We’ll be updating very soon with details of our travels!

Until then you might want to watch this video in which Charlotte talks about the collective with Axis.