My new series of ‘Creative Conversations‘ shows has been picked up by Soundart Radio 102.5 FM. This is an independent radio station based in Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon. If you live in the area of its reception you can hear the show every Friday at 6pm.
It is great to be a part of Soundart Radio, as they, like these shows, is part of the movement towards the local and the global existing together. The radio station is very community focussed and welcomes everyone to make imaginative, innovative radio programmes.
It is great to think that people in Devon are listening to the experiences of local artists and art groups from West Dorset. That the issues that face us here can resonante with the people in the neighbouring county.
www.soundartradio.org.uk
My latest installement of recorded conversations between local artists has just gone live. On this show I talk to Olivia Nurrish, one of the founding members of artwey, who are an artist led group from Weymouth & Portland.
I see artwey as a very active arts group in the borough. In a town that is not known for its cultural bent. Weymouth & Portland has no public art spaces, only some spaces in a few galleries. There isn’t really any support from the council in anyway. Artwey have done around twelve shows this year. Their logo their name is really out there and people become more and more aware of them. They have built a very good relationship with the local press.
artwey become a CIC, A Community Interest Company, in 2009 and I was interested in why they had chosen to become a CIC rather than just be a constituted group. That this entailed extra work, specifically greater records and audited accounts, which also means the group needed extra income to fund these additional jobs. They had been greatly guided by Weymouth & Portland arts officer at the time. They have since discussed if it was a good idea on becoming a CIC. But looking back, though yes it is an extra burden, Olivia feels like it was a good idea to have become a CIC so early. That it helped them secure some funding, and helped them formalise the group structure, its aims and objectives. Artwey are now just about to revisit their constitution and their ethos.
You can hear the show here: http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/cre…
Mark Dunhill talking about the spaces that remain, & how stone from the island has gone all over the world.
Interesting talking to Mark about Portland, of how its this unique landscape and how its history is very dominate in its landscape and which makes it such a unique place. Also funny thinking of how its a mixture of international place, as its stone has been transported all over the world, and quite insular, especially in its near past history, when it could be quite inhospitable to strangers.
http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/cre…
My latest conversation with Mark Dunhill has gone live at http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/cre…
Go there to hear my 30 min chat with Mark about his show Stone Appreciation #2. Mark is one half of the collaborative partnership Dunhill and O’Brien.
Mark has worked with Tamiko O’Brien since 1998 making exhibitions, installations and residencies. Combing art practice with busy schedule teaching. He is now Dean of Art at Central St Martins. Together (Dunhill and O’Brien) they have exhibited in galleries and project spaces in the UK, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Germany and Japan.
I found out that he had long connection with Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust (featured in last weeks episode), having a connection with the trust since its very early days. He had exhibited in Tout Quarry in 1984; this show was in a way the birth of the trust. Mark has continued his connect with the trust and had discussed with Hannah & Paul about his using the space to try something out. They were happy to collaborate and help install the work. Spending a couple of weeks to adapt to the space and the materials.
Again this is another example of how doing this project has opened up doors and allowed me to have these privilege conversations with artists. I really wish to thank all the artists who have given up their time freely to talk to me and been so open and accessible in their conversations.
More conversations here; http://creativedialog.wordpress.com
Been preparing my next Creative Conversations with the artist Mark Dunhill during his exhibition ‘Stone Appreciation 2’ at the Drill Hall.
‘Stone Appreciation 2’ was the first exhibition I saw at the Drill Hall, and caught me by surprise. I was really taken with the show and brought a few friends back to see this show. The exhibition revolved around their investigations into Bowder stones and involved three videos, a collection of postcards and sculptural shapes that I initially thought was made from clay. It was wonderfully laid out, with one object leading you to the others. I liked their use of trestle tables for their sculptural objects, as it felt like the clay shapes were part of a separate workshop that had been going on. This I felt utilised the space and connected with the stone carving workshops that the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust runs. I like this aspect of confusion that the work initially through up. Unsure of what bits were the exhibition and what weren’t. It was only after I spent some time that I realised it was all part of the one show.
I was impressed that an exhibition of this calibre was staged down here in West Dorset. How Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust manage to continue show work of this stature will be interesting to see.
