Ivan Smith and Nick Hersey are currently half way through a month-long, self-directed residency in a disused chocolate factory in Derby. The building first came to light as a key venue for the last edition of QUAD’s FORMAT International Photography Festival.
Louise Clements, QUAD Artistic Director, tells of “a new city-housing development in an area called Castleward, in which there are a number of empty industrial buildings. After discussions and support from Compendium Living, the developers, QUAD negotiated access to the factory for around 18 months.”
Knowing about Smith and Hersey’s established interests in ‘the architectural detritus of industry’, QUAD approached them and offered them the venue to undertake a project. On one level, this is an opportunity for two artists to develop a large-scale public project in an interesting venue. On the other, both artists see this as an opportunity to address certain things they currently feel to be lacking in their locality, namely a proactive DIY sensibility amongst the arts community and the existence of what they describe as ‘dirty studio spaces’.
“There is one studio space which requires you to have a business plan,” Smith says of Derby’s current studio provision. “Therefore, there is no provision for young artists to cheaply develop their work. There are, however, plenty of empty spaces.”
On this point, Smith touches on the nationwide debate of access, temporary or permanent, to the many empty buildings in most of Britain’s former industrial towns and cities. “Once students leave college,” says Hersey, “they are almost forced in to a Whittington-esque quest, through lack of local provision. Where are the Tea Building-type developments? They are surely cheaper and more practical in Britain’s industrial heartland.”
Opening up the debate
Derby City Council are a partner on the project, providing a small amount of cash funding. But more importantly, Hersey says, the council have opened up the debate: “Their commitment to resolving the issues we raised in our proposal will go a long way to realising a legacy.” Smith adds that the council have already stated a desire to survey artists in the area to gauge support for dirty studio spaces.
The idea of the Chocolate Factory, says QUAD’s Artistic Director, is to facilitate access and support activity, in order to inject a new vitality into the local arts scene. The space is being programmed through an open call for ideas for self-managed projects, alongside QUAD programmes such as residencies, film screenings and cross art-form collaborations.
“There is a distinct lack of messy and open art spaces in Derby, where artists and creatives can experiment and test out what’s possible,” says Clements. “We are keen to encourage and facilitate the DIY energy for artists in the city and beyond. We hope that this project will inspire other spaces to set up in Derby.”
Both Smith and Hersey are also firm advocates of the need for networks to exist physically, not just online. “It’s strange really, as neither of us live or work in the city, but it’s our nearest connection,” says Smith. “Therefore we rely on an energy and dynamic which I think is currently lacking. Since I moved to Derby in 2001, I have been an advocate of the need to generate an energy in the city which, from my experiences of other cities, centres around studio spaces and artist communities.
“As we now have a developer on board, as well as QUAD and Derby City Council, this project is a good way to address this lack and the artists will for change. Most artists presently working in the area are self-sufficient and the students leaving the university move to cities with better facilities, so there is an impasse which needs addressing.”
Born of frustration
So, out of this frustration and a desire to add to Derby’s visual arts landscape, In Residence was born; a month-long residency that will culminate in a one-night event. “[The intention is] to reach commuters, old people, unemployed, Mr and Mrs Average Joe. Go knocking on doors and talking to local businesses,” says Hersey. “It’s something you can do when you’re staging an intervention at this level.”
“It’s an opportunity for us to be proactive, both as artists platforming our own work, but also exciting a potential audience,” adds Smith. “This is the thing we get off on, looking at empty discarded environments. If we can push this along and get access to more spaces regionally, then all the better.
“As the final event runs for only one night, it’s important that the project is seen by as wide an audience as possible to, hopefully, propagate the success, which in turn may enable us to repeat a similar project next year. It’s an opportunity for us to show our work, but it is also an indicator for other artists as to how it can be done.”
In Residence: At The Chocolate Factory runs until 27 July, with a closing event that evening, 6pm-midnight. www.smithandhersey.com
