Putting into Practice

It’s an exciting time in the cultural life in the North West at present. Abandon Normal Devices Festival kicked off in Liverpool last night and tonight, Manchester celebrates the opening events of Asian Triennial 2011. I planned to be The Shipping Forecast in Liverpool for a special AND ‘Happy Endings’ (good music, good people) but have received some not too great news tonight. To be honest, I am only writing this now to keep my mind distracted.

Liverpool had a buzz for the first time in a while last night. Glorious weather rolled on the back of the Labour party conference and Newsnight being filmed at the CUC. Down at FACT, their staff masterfully talked up the fantastic experience of their new installation on social media, only to have to turn away visitors due to the need to pre book. This denial only seemed to increasing the desire to go back and see it. The free wine compensated for the inconvenience for many. Outside of AND, the Bluecoat had an opening of their new show and Mercy rounded the day of with the vibrant Spectres of Spectacle at Static Gallery.

I am particularly looking forward to Brody Condon’s performance Level 5 at the Bluecoat tomorrow as part of AND. His talk this afternoon introduced me to the suprisingly popular Nordic interpretation of LARP (Live Action Role Playing). Condon will be running and part of a ten hour performance where participants will assemble new personalities in a critique of 1970’s method ‘self actualisation’. From his past work, the relationship between Condon’s performance work and present physical forms intrigued me. Twentyfivefold Manifestation (2008) is a direct example of this, with him using LARP performers to carry out rituals on outdoor sculptural works at the Sonsbeek International Sculpture Exhibition in Holland.

I have documented the remaining pieces in my studio and will be moving out tomorrow. It’s good to go out on a high note by having work alongside fellow Royal Standard members in the exhibition ‘Space Exchange’ at Aid and Abet in Cambridge.

My first week of classes on my course ended today. There is a good mix on the course, from recent BA graduates to experienced professionals working within various arts bodies. There are diverse backgrounds as well with event managers, economists, literature graduates and outreach specialists. A classmate from America is the only student apart from me from a practice based background. I look forward to speaking to her in depth.

Just a word about Arts Management as a discipline. One of it’s key factors is that as a subject, it is a shape shifter – it is not tied down to a rigid framework, and is able to dip in and out of subjects, from arts practice to economics to sociology. It is this energy that convinced me to study it and look forward to tackling it in a creative manner than dispels preconceptions of dryness.

>> I can’t seem to upload a video link using A-N option so here is a video of Condon’s performance; http://vimeo.com/23955790

This is a rather delayed post I must say.

It’s been an eventful few weeks. Started University, I am currently 80% cleared out of my studio space and I managed to acquire a flat in Manchester after being privy to the dark world of letting agents.

Anyway.

Last week I managed to get over to Leeds to see ‘Black Dogs present Next To Nothing: An Exhibition on The Price of Nothing and the Value of Everything‘

The exhibition is held in an empty level in a modern multi purpose entertainiment centre with a distinct smell of popcorn in the foyer from the cinema below. The show is a great example of collective drive and is an excellent use of empty commercial space. It was good to meet a few of the artists who were involved on my visit. I recommend catching it before it finishes.

One of the works on show is a seemingly low fi printed text on paper. The general content of this text is the artist explained what he would have done for the exhibition if other circumstances hadn’t intervened. It is a clever work. One of the reasons offered for the ‘lack’ of a ‘work’ is being unable to secure leave off work to make and deliver the work for the exhibition from his job. This cleverly constructed text offers us reasons why the artist didn’t deliver a work but presents a meaty critique of the processes employed in the process of production. A nice touch to the work is the high quality paper and printed technique, further at odds with the apologetic facade.

I planned to write a lot more on this piece but having lost my trusty notebook whilst flyering for upcoming event I am working on, I’ve had to go from my rather dodgy memory. If anyone could provide me with any details of the work (mainly the name of the artist) drop me a line and I will add it to the next post.

Tonight’s question that I am working on is ‘What is cultural policy and why should we study it?’ I will leave you with a small exerpt from Tessa Jowell’s 2004 paper ‘Government and the Value of Culture’ and will follow this post up at a later date.

It has been said that art is what anyone who calls themselves an artist produces, and the definition at least does not suffer from being exclusive. But when government spends the nation’s marginal income – taxation – on “culture” in the sense that I have indicated, it cannot avoid, whether by delegating the task to quangos or making direct decisions, the making of value judgements. Why is it right for the Royal Opera House, to receive huge public subsidies? Why do we subsidise symphony orchestras but not pub bands or pianists? Why do we subsidise performances of Shakespeare and Mahler but not Coldplay or Madonna? Why do we spend millions on a square foot or so of a Raphael? Why is the Madonna of the Pinks more important than the Singing Butler? Is it, actually, and if so why? Why is mass public demand not the only criterion of perceived cultural “value” – indeed the lack of mass demand often mocked as the criterion for subsidy?

Just over a week to go until I start my course. I’ve been steadily reading books from the suggested reading list although I keep being corrupted by the shop at the Cornerhouse. The latest purchase is Frieze d/e, a new half English/half German dollop of Frieze. I like the idea of it and issue two has an interesting essay about the approaches to the pedestal/plinth in recent sculptural practice but I can’t help but think ‘why?’.

Aside from blowing the last of my wages on art publications, general schemes haven’t been going quite as smooth this past week.

I still don’t have accommodation in Manchester and have had my first exposure to the bizarre world of flat hunting in a large city in the peak time in September. It is apparent that living spaces are traded like playing cards with properties released and let on the same day. Having never been involved in this scenario before, I am fascinated by this chicken shoot. Characterised by poorly taken/uploaded ‘point and shoot’ digital camera pictures, ‘the game’ as my friend termed it (I’m not convinced that this is a suitable term) involves a fast-paced, musical chairs like frenzy with people scrambling to secure ‘their’ space retaining their autonomy as consumers.

Aside from this bemused fascination, it’s bloody frustrating.

The most significant event of my week has been regarding my studio space at The Royal Standard. I have submitted my notice for my space and will have vacated my space by the end of the month.

This is a decision I have not taken lightly but having rotated the metaphorical rubix cube in every combination possible, it has been the one square that hasn’t fitted in the next step for me. Financially, I cannot possibly maintain it, especially when I am limited in terms of hours that I can work and with rent to pay on top of that.

Needing physical space to create sculpture has always been a necessity of my practice since I graduated. Not having this outlet worries me but looking at the other side of the coin, perhaps not having a studio space will force me into positive changes artistically. I’ve often lapsed into casual thought about this idealist scenario, me shedding my need for the studio and embracing new ways of working.

I guess for the foreseeable future I will have to put this into practice but until then I have to document new works and clear my space. It’s not one of my favoured activites, if anyone wishes to help, I make a cracking cup ot tea…

For the last few years, I have regularly logged onto A-N and read some excellent ongoing blogs written by both strangers and friends all tackling interesting subject matters and touching on aspects of what it means being an artist today.

I have always maintained that writing a blog in the public domain of A-N was something that didn’t feel necessary, no matter how much it appealed, at the time and would probably quickly descend into navel gazing without bringing anything meaningful to the table.

At this moment however, the time feels right to start a blog. Before I crack on I think it’s important give a bit of context to my motives for caving in and starting a blog here.

My current situation.

In a few weeks I will be starting a MA in Arts Management, Policy & Practice at the University of Manchester. (I’ll no doubt be coining an acronym for future posts perhaps AMPAP – I’ll work on it folks) To enroll on the course which is full time, I have recently left my job at the Bluecoat in Liverpool where I have worked in various capacities for the past four years. I am flat hunting at present and will be moving to Manchester. Having lived in Liverpool all my life, it really is an exciting time at the moment. There really is nothing better than slightly scaring yourself shitless with a trek into the unknown.

My practice.

I am apologetically drawn towards sculpture and installation work. The majority of my output is sculptural punctuated by drawing. I am currently a studio member at The Royal Standard in Liverpool and have been for well over a year now. A proactive and forward thinking group, TRS is a great place to make work and hosts some very interesting artists. Since leaving the Bluecoat, I have been splitting my time between the studio making work and sorting out Uni ‘business’.

The course.

I spent the last few months of 2010 trying to plan my next step. Feeling jaded and unchallenged I felt it was the ideal time to return to studying at Masters level but the main question was whether or not to apply for a practice based MA. I studied Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores graduating in 2007 so my experience of higher education is synonymous with producing work. Although I greatly enjoyed my time at LJMU, I was left highly frustrated by the failure of the course (and the majority of Fine Art courses) to equip students with the basic necessary skills needed to realistically enter the art world.

It really did involve having to do things off your own back during and after university. While this isn’t a moan or whine (I believe it was a critical part of my student experience) it’s an acknowledgment that volunteering and getting involved in artistic projects set me on the path to why I am about to studying this MA now.

My working life saw me become actively engaged and interested with the management and policy aspects of the cultural world.

Why I have started this blog.

Using my experiences over the next year as a catalyst, the main aim of this blog is to show the impact that other commitments and career orientated choices have on artistic practice.

I do not have any idea how the blog will pan out. I am committed to maintaining my practice but realistic enough to realise that changes will occur as my priorities shift. These changes will be documented here.

As well as this, I will be touching on how artists produce work and balance varying commitments (e.g need to earn money, pay bills, childcare…) and what support structures are in place to help artists.

I am also interested in the relationship between artists and the ‘administrative’ sector that my course falls into. I have already has some interesting discussions I’ll go into further down the line.

Anyway, that is my introductory post to the blog. I’ll be posting again soon, I won’t be short of material for the next few weeks anyway that’s for sure…