network as rhizome
I’ve started to a attend the reading group at Salford Restoration Office. Artists get together weekly to read philosophy articles and look at work and possibly make work together at some point. Its like a brain gym for me. We were reading Deleuze and Guattari from One Thousand Plateaus. It was really relevant to the thoughts I’d been having about networks that are seen as theoretical defined structures – like CN4M and how networks actually work – like a rhizome ………spilling and spreading and improvising new streams, nodes and amalgamations across the ground, unlike a heirarchical structure of say a tree.
Good when two things come together – the reading feeding the project like that in an unexpected way.
Centres
As well keeping up to date with artists’ progress, I’ve been getting out and about researching some community centres. It’s an area I am familiar with as I spend a lot of time in a community centre where I’ve been running an open studio for some years.
It was interesting to look at all the different types of location and the variety of buildings, where voluntary and community projects are based. There are a few distinct aesthetics going on, though not I guess deliberate – and as you look at all the associated materials, websites, leaflets and speak to individuals, the ethos or character of each place emerges. So there are the places that are make-do-and-mend and there are those that are lottery backed and corporate feeling.
I’m hoping that each can play a part, and contribute to the story of the project – so we have a spanking new library, a semi-updated skills training centre, church halls and places on the brink. The journey to and from to see all the work will be part of the experience of the project….
Now I am hoping to coordinate the timing of the show with all the venues.
