Funding for international travel and exchange

The problem with working with groups of artists is that you always get one or two who will do things to fit in with themselves, rather than stick to the brief.

No major problems – just the said one or two turning up on the wrong day ( as in today!) to install, when all of us are in work and can’t get access to the gallery!

Luckily, the Bridewell is also a studio complex and there were a few artists about to today to let people in.

Yesterday, we were there for quite a few hours – just me and Julie Dodd there for a while waiting for others to turn up. ( read Julie’s blog here: www.a-n.co.uk/p/648002/ )

Carol Ramsay and Jacqueline F Kerr came later. Both had other commitments ( Carol installing another exhibition elsewhere and Jackie had a children’s birthday party to go to first – such is the life of being a mother and artist ) all were great though just getting on with sorting their own work.

Two (male) artists from Leeds arrived pretty late ( their excuse had something to do with drinking and Greyspace galleries… ho hum) But nevertheless, they did turn up!

Today, I’m in work, so there’s not a lot I can do other than respond to frantic texts – how do we get into the gallery??? And to pass on contact details to others who appear quite calm…. As in the case of Jean McEwan ( who’s blog you can read here: www.a-n.co.uk/p/2382475/ )

So to cut a long story short, all the work we had was installed. Day one was fine ( sort of)



I woke up several times in the night , thinking of things that needed doing. They probably don’t need doing at all, but for some reason, they feel hugely important in the middle of the night. Decided to get up at 6am to ‘fiddle’ with my work that I will be installing tomorrow.

Felt very tired in work. Read two responses to another blog I’m doing about my own work and felt that I should respond with a deep and meaningful reply, but I was too tired to think up the right words. I hope they understand and I will respond within a few days.

Got home and decided I should go out again to buy some wine for the PV night, trying not to tot up what this exhibition is actually costing us all……..

The work from Sweden still hasn’t arrived.

Today, the work arrived from America – which is quite amazing as Debra only asked for the best address to send it to, a couple of days ago. ( I opted for my work one as sadly I’m there more than I am at home!) Her work isn’t what I expected, but then we are all ( hopefully) doing something that makes us feel slightly uncomfortable and unexpected. I like it though.

Uncomfortable is a bit of an understatement in describing the preparations. When discussing invigilation of the space today, we realised we are going to be short for two days. We are just going to see if anyone else can help out.

Apparently we also need risk assessments for the two venues before the students are allowed to step inside. Although I’ve done several risk assessments for exhibitions, I don’t think I’ve ever had to arrange one for a space before going in.

I rang Jacqui today and asked if we could meet up at the weekend and discuss some last minute things for the exhibition, to which she replied ‘But aren’t we installing at the weekend?‘ Oh my God – how can it be Thursday already???

Debra’s blog:

http://dryadart.wordpress.com/tag/liverpool-independent-biennial/

The strange thing about so many events and exhibitions going on at any one time- as in the Liverpool Biennial, sometimes has the knock on effect of ‘arting’ people out. I’m a little concerned that the exhibition that is presently taking place in the venue we will be installing in at the weekend, has had so few visitors. I don’t why that is, as it appears to have had a lot of publicity.

Now I’m worried that the press releases I have sent out will go unpublished on someone’s desk – or worse still, end up in the bin.

Why is it that the Biennial and Independents Biennial are getting so little attention from the media after the initial burst at the opening weekend?

That is something else to worry about as we start working on an invigilation rota. We have managed to get some students from Leeds to come over to do a few hours invigilation each, if we provide accommodation and let them look round the Biennial. Seems good to me, though it has taken time to sort out where they can stay.

The other thing to stress about is that we have invited artists from ArtMobile : http://www.artmobile.se/ to join us for the exhibition. They were in the next booth to us at Supermarket. Really lovely people – but had a really annoying sound installation of someone whistling ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’, which was on a loop and we wanted to scream after listening to it constantly for three days! But still – we somehow want to work with them again!

I’m now waiting for their work to arrive…plus the work of Debra Eck from just outside New York.

I am not even going to think about the second half of the exhibition which will be held in one of the shop units at Albert Dock. I will sign the license on Monday, pick up the keys and hand them over to the artists.

This is turning out to be such a complicated affair – I really hope people come to see our work.

One week before the exhibitions kick off and only now, am I thinking about publicity. It has taken an enormous amount of work to set up these two exhibitions and I feel absolutely drained. So apologies for going down the easy route – but here is our press release to kick start my blogging again:

Inhospitable. A Two part exhibition by Merseyside, Leeds and international artists

Bringing back to the UK, a Stockholm experience. SCIBase are a collaborative project between Merseyside based SCI and BasementArtsProject, Leeds.

The first exhibition at The Bridewell studios and Gallery, Liverpool, features the work of Kimbal Bumstead ( UK) David Cotton (UK), Andrew Crighton (Sweden) Kelly Cumberland (UK) Sarah Dale (UK) Bruce Davies (UK) Julie Dodd (UK) Debra Eck (USA) Phill Hopkins (UK) Jacqueline Kerr (UK) Jean McEwan (UK) Matthew Merrick (UK) Carol Ramsey (UK) Alfie Strong (UK) WalkerHill (UK) Stephen White (India) and Wendy Williams (UK) All of the artists were involved in SUPERMARKET the Stockholm art fair earlier this year and were funded by Arts Council England.

The group have invited members of the Swedish Arts group ARTMOBILE – fellow exhibitors at SUPERMARKET to join them at The Bridewell.

The full list of SUPERMARKET artists, groups and venues can be found at : http://www.supermarketartfair.com/

Private View: Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 1830 – 2030 Closing Event Sunday 14 October 15.30 – 18.30.

Bridewell Studios and Gallery
101 Prescot Street
Liverpool
L7 8UL

This exhibition will work in conjunction with SCIBase & DWF present INHOSPITABLE: the collaborations ( unit 8, The Colonnades, Albert Dock Liverpool 2 Oct – 14 October )

‘INHOSPITABLE – The Collaborations’ draws into the SCIBase fold a new selection of artists associated with both Liverpool and Leeds, and for whom collaboration is an important aspect of their practice. The exhibition will feature new work by Matthew Merrick & Alfie Strong, Alan Dunn & Martyn Rainford, WalkerHill, Kaye & West and Lydia Catterall.

Alan Dunn was shortlisted for the 2012 Liverpool Art Prize, Alfie Strong was shortlisted for the 2012 Woolgather Art Prize, Sean Kaye and Jenny West were nominated for the 2013 Northern Art Prize.

ENDS

For more information, contact Wendy Williams at [email protected].