Five Years is a collaborative artist-run project in London. Its activities include exhibitions, a reading group, publications and workshops in local libraries. This profile includes a video interview, recorded at Assembly Thamesmead, with Five Years member Phill Wilson-Perkin, who outlines the project’s aims and explains why its co-operative and collaborative nature has contributed to its longevity.
Laura Yuile is a London-based artist whose practice is concerned with issues around domestic and urban space and how changes in the built environment and technology affect our everyday lives. This profile includes a video recorded at a-n’s Assembly Thamesmead event in October 2019.
Art Licks is a London-based platform that supports artist-led activity and grassroots visual culture in the capital. This profile includes a video recorded at a-n’s Assembly Thamesmead event in October 2019, in which Director Holly Willats introduces the organisation she founded in 2010.
Bow Arts Trust is an arts education charity which provides affordable work space to artists and creative businesses in London, alongside an award-winning education programme that works with over 100 schools. This profile includes a video interview with project manager Joss Taylor, recorded at Assembly Thamesmead in October 2019.
Our 2019 programme of one-day artist-led events continues with Assembly Thamesmead addressing how artists, drawn by opportunity and affordability, are living and working in new parts of the city, while Assembly Stoke-on-Trent throws into focus the idea of the artist as activist, activator and change maker.
Underpinning is the project of Aberdeen-based artist Kirsty Russell. This profile includes a video interview, recorded at Assembly Aberdeen, in which Russell introduces her practice, which often involves ‘creating spaces where there’s room for other people and ideas.’
D2 is a DIY event space in Aberdeen with a focus on experimental music, performance and immersive club experiences. This profile includes a video interview recorded at Assembly Aberdeen with D2 member Jack Ryan, who highlights the importance of building relationships and sharing skills.
A+E is a Glasgow-based multi-disciplinary collective who work at the intersection of art and ecology. This profile includes a video interview, recorded at Assembly Aberdeen, with A+E members Lucy Watkins, Maria Sledmere and Finn Arschavir, who introduce their practice and describe the benefits of working with others to find new perspectives.
Dundee-based project Dain’ Hings was initiated by Duncan of Jordanstone fine art students Jek McAllister and Saskia Singer as a way to invite fellow artists to ‘just dae hings’ This profile includes a video interview, recorded at Assembly Aberdeen, in which they explain how they got started using readily-available resources, including their local pub.
Gaada Projects works in venues across Shetland, offering platforms and support to local communities. This profile includes a video interview, recorded at Assembly Aberdeen, with Gaada’s co-directors Daniel Clark and Amy Gear, who outline the challenges and opportunities of setting up an artist-led initiative in a remote, rural location.
Naoko Mabon, who works under the name Wagon, is an Aberdeen-based freelance curator. This profile includes a video interview recorded at Assembly Aberdeen in which Mabon introduces her work and offers advice to artists thinking about setting up their own initiative.
Jo Capper is an artist educator and Collaborative programme curator at Grand Union in Birmingham. This profile includes a video interview recorded at Assembly Aberdeen in which Capper introduces her work and describes the importance of collective action.
Artist and co-director of Salford-based organisation Paradise Works part of cohort to receive bespoke professional development opportunity that seeks to develop leaders from across a wide range of cultural disciplines and sectors.
The second a-n Assembly event of 2019 took place in Aberdeen with a day of talks, workshops, activities, curry and a film screening.
Artist Jane Simpson, who runs Swansea gallery GS Artists, describes the challenge of maintaining relevance as an artist-led initiative and her optimism for the future. In a video interview recorded at a-n’s Assembly Swansea event in May 2019, which was programmed in collaboration with Simpson and explored the difficulties and advantages of running artist-led projects in the city.
With a background in gallery education and working with communities, and in research, Cardiff-based artist Thomas Goddard introduces his practice and describes the necessity and benefits of working with other people.
Artists Jason & Becky introduce their socially-engaged practice, outline the advantages of working together, and discuss their PhD research which focuses on collaborative practice.
John Byrne introduces the aims of Arte Util, an international body that promotes ways for art to work effectively in ordinary life. Recorded at a-n’s Assembly Swansea event in May 2019.
Roger Lougher shares his experience of running artist-led project Rhôd in rural Carmarthenshire. Recorded at a-n’s Assembly Swansea event in May 2019.
Karen Mackinnon, curator at Swansea’s Glynn Vivian Gallery, introduces her work and talks about the importance of art having a social purpose. Includes a video interview recorded at a-n’s Assembly Swansea event in May 2019.
Members of Aberdeen artist-led project Tendency Towards – Yvette Bathgate, Jessica Barrie and Jake Shepherd – describe the challenges and opportunities of working in a place that “people pass through on their way somewhere else”. Includes a video interview recorded at a-n’s Assembly Swansea event in May 2019.
Swansea-based artist Owen Griffiths introduces his socially-engaged practice in a video interview recorded at a-n’s Assembly Swansea event in May 2019.
The first a-n Assembly event of 2019 kicked off in Swansea with a day of talks, soap boxes, performance and a game of bingo, culminating in the creation of a manifesto for a Swansea union of artists.
Low Profile is a collaboration between Plymouth-based artists Rachel Dobbs and Hannah Jones. This profile includes two videos, recorded at Assembly Cardiff, in which Dobbs and Jones discuss how living in Plymouth has shaped their attitudes as artists and cemented their commitment to making things happen in their city.
The Sustainable Studio is a creative co-working space in a former munition factory in Cardiff. This profile includes a video, recorded at Assembly Cardiff, in which co-founder Sarah Valentin explains how a large warehouse space became a catalyst for working collaboratively and building creative relationships.
