Keeping It Going

‘What is an object worth? How much do you want it and what are you prepared to give in return? ‘ 

‘The very act of bartering adds an emotional reality to the process of exchange that currency somehow lacks.’ 

Kate Murdoch, 2008

10×10 explores the theme of value and worth. An ongoing project, it was launched in 2008, a year fraught with financial challenges as the stock market crashed spectacularly, the worst market fall since 1929.

The 10×10 project consists of an ever-changing display of 100 objects. Wherever it goes, people are asked to take one item and leave something in its place. To date, only one of the original objects has stayed in the cabinet – others have been exchanged over and over again and the overall appearance of the cabinet has changed dramatically since I first put up my own 100 objects for exchange, fifteen years ago.

The last exchange event was at the Firstsite gallery in Colchester in 2015.  Eight years on and in just eight days time, I’ll be reintroducing 10×10 as part of the Deptford X Arts Festival in London, SE8. Given that ill health prevented me from presenting it in 2018, I am very excited to be a part of this year’s Deptford X fringe festival, with 10×10 being included as part of a group show in the ArtHub, London gallery.

I’ve written a lot about 10×10 in this blog since it was first launched. I’ve also had a lot of conversations with people about the many different aspects of the project over the past fifteen years. As well as ‘a comment on humanity’ a phrase given to me by a friend at the very start, the theme of value and worth is ever present in 10×10. I’ve been  reminded of a conversation I had with artist/curator, Jane Boyer way back in 2012, in relation to this.

‘What is an object worth to you?’ is a question I ask in text I’ve written about 10×10 – the narrative around the candle exchange sums up the question of value and worth perfectly, I think.

Below is an extract from my conversation with Jane in 2012, a conversation that came about in response to the ‘This Me of Mine’ ACE funded group exhibition:

JB: In your blog Keeping it Going on a-n Artists Talking, you speak about value, both the perceived value of an object which you have made available for your audience to take (Going for Gold) or the associated value to exchange with something of similar value (10 x 10). It could be said the value we associate with an object is in relation to the depth of emotion we experience in any given situation.  Do you feel this to be true and what have you observed about this relationship through the interactive aspect of your work?

KM: I’m not sure there’s a definitive answer to this question but in terms of my observations of how the majority of people have interacted with 10×10 so far, then yes, I would say it is true. The emotional attachment we make to any given object can determine its worth in emotional terms as opposed to its monetary value. The very act of bartering adds an emotional reality to the process of exchange that currency somehow lacks. ‘What is an object worth to you?’ is one of the main questions posed by 10×10. ‘How much do you want it and what are you prepared to give in exchange?’

I can give you many good examples of the varying degrees of value and worth; they are contained in the stories people leave behind when they give their objects up for exchange. The woman who gave up a genuine diamond bracelet at the launch of 10×10 for instance demonstrates a really good example of value and worth. On the face of it, the value of a real diamond was high; from her story however, it was clear that the bracelet, in spite of its monetary worth, had become of little personal value to her.

An exchange made by an international student at Lewisham College has an equally poignant ring to it. He exchanged a small candle stub for a larger, unused candle. Living on a very tight budget in order to afford college fees, this student told me that he was doing his best to avoid having to pay for electricity. It was a practical exchange, then on one level – a used-up candle for one with many burning hours – but in terms of value in this case, the new candle represented a kind of life-saver for him.

It’s a bit like the proverbial London bus – wait for ages and then three come along at once. As has happened with blog writing this month – three posts in quick succession (scroll down to read).

There’s nothing like feeling a bit squeezed for time to get some proper focus and motivation. I have a break coming up at the start of September and so have been busy trying to clear the decks so that I can enjoy a week of rest.

The posts focus on work that’s currently on show (HOPE at the narture cic studios in Ayr) or, is about to be – ‘Sweet Nothings’ at ArtHouse, Jersey, opening on September 6th (launch event September 5th) and 10×10 as part of the Deptford X Arts Festival, opening on September 22nd.

It’s the 25th anniversary of Deptford X this year and past participants have been encouraged to get involved with the fringe festival. ‘Dear Nan’ was a collaborative piece I did with artist Sam Jones in 2007: this year, I’m delighted to be able to show 10×10 at ArtHub (London) studios, the place where I first launched the exchange project in 2008, in response to a call for work responding to the theme of barter and trade.

My ‘Sweet Nothings’ work is to be included in a new and exciting group show, ‘No Place Like Home’ curated by artists and curators, Rosalind Davis and Laura Hudson. They have this to say in the publicity about the exhibition and its theme of home:

‘Home can be a sanctuary or a place of danger, it might be stable or temporary, intimate or shared, rooted for generations or a refuge in times of need. This basic need can be charged with political, social and economic realities; borders shift, relationships fracture, rules change, and forced migrations can impact the incredibly fragile place that we call Home.‘

Those of you who are familiar with this particular piece of work will know that my response focuses on the more sinister side of home – what goes on behind closed doors – the secrets and lies – matters that cannot, dare not, be voiced.

I’m reminded of an extract from an essay by author, activist & feminist Rebecca Solnit in her book.‘The Mother of all Questions.’

‘Being unable to tell your story is a living death, and sometimes a literal one. If … no one believes you when you say you are in pain, if no one hears you when you say help, if you don’t dare say help, if you have been trained not to bother people by saying help. If you are considered to be out of line when you speak up in a meeting, are not admitted into an institution of power, are subject to irrelevant criticism whose subtext is that women should not be here or heard.’

‘Sweet Nothings’ will be on show as part of a group show, opening at ArtHouse Jersey and in unexpected locations around the Island.

It opens on September 5th with a special celebration event at 5.30pm (all welcome). The show will then fully open from 10.30am on Wednesday September 6th and will run through to October 15th at ArtHouse Jersey and in unexpected locations around the Island.

Daily opening times, Tuesday to Sunday, are 10.30am – 6pm. (Closed on Mondays)

I was in Ayr in June, delivering my work, HOPE to narture cic (see below). The connection came about through an exchange of messages on social media. The connection grew stronger as things unfolded and my own familiarity with Ayr became apparent …

My late father, Alexander (Alec) was born and grew up in Muirkirk in Ayrshire and I spent many days as a child on the beach at Ayr with him, my Mum and siblings during our regular trips to visit family. As a result, Ayr has always remained a place close to my heart and so I’m particularly pleased to be able to take my work there.

The work HOPE is a tribute to a much loved Dad – a principled man who believed in and strived for a fairer society. He had an optimistic outlook on life and always saw the best in people.

I created the work during lock down, at a time when the theme of hope had a poignant universal meaning. It’s what got so many of us through each day over the COVID-19 pandemic and for me, personally, creating HOPE proved cathartic and a welcome distraction from news report after news report, bringing devastating statistics of daily deaths from COVID, both in the UK and the world at large.

I’m especially pleased for the work to be shown within the realms of narture cic, an artist collective, set up in 2020, by father and daughter team Robert and Saskia Singer, with the aim of supporting inclusion and community cohesion within Ayr. Narture is a welcoming organisation with hope at its core, alongside a strong commitment to nurturing the arts, respecting nature and making creativity accessible to everyone. If you’re in the Ayr area on September 2nd, there’s an open day of the narture studios – there’s a lot going on in this space (and you can even leave your own message of hope alongside my work!) Further details of this and other narture events can be found here: https://www.narture.co.uk/

I was in Colchester again for the first time in ages last weekend. I visited the First Site gallery and reminisced about how, in 2015, a lively, enthusiastic audience participated in my 10×10 project. For one reason and another, I haven’t been able to present the project since and can’t believe it’s now eight years since the last objects were exchanged, left in the 10×10 cabinet by the general public in Colchester. It was a particularly pleasant day, I recall – the local community engaging with the project in a really thoughtful and considered way.

Scroll on from that time and five years ago, 10×10 should have been part of the Deptford X festival, the Colchester objects up for exchange with an entirely new audience. But I had to cancel at the last minute due to illness. I was gutted at the time, I remember, but I had no choice in the matter and was in hospital throughout the entire run of Deptford X that year.

And so, I’m extremely excited to be able to show 10×10 at this year’s Deptford X fringe festival. This year, the Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary and organisers are particularly keen to include projects from previous festival years.

I’ve always loved this project – love the way it’s unfolded in quite unexpected ways. Many of the stories associated with the objects left behind are quite remarkable. One day I really will record them all. For now, it’s all about sprucing up the 10×10 cabinet and locating the box which holds the 100 objects exchanged at First Site in Colchester. I have very little recollection of any of these objects so it will be fascinating to see what’s there and what I have to display in 10×10′s next public outing. The theme of value and worth runs deep in this project and while on the surface, objects might look pretty worthless, the narrative behind them gives them a much greater value. As I asked in the original 10×10 literature, at a point when I had no idea how the project would evolve: ‘Would it be people’s generosity or meanness that triumphed when it came to the value of the objects that were bartered? Would the piece be ‘worth more’ at the end of the process?’

If you’re familiar with this project, all of the above will make sense. If not, and you’d like to know more about it, this link leads you to a short synopsis of what 10×10 is all about: http://www.katemurdochartist.com/10×10.html

Details to follow re further dates and times but Deptford X has its opening night on Friday, September 22nd from 5-9pm. The 10×10 cabinet will be on display, upstairs in the ArtHub gallery at 5-9 Creekside, Deptford on this date and then open for exchanges to be made on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th from 12-6pm.

Everyone is welcome.