Well Done

Well done everyone. I thought the opening went really well and that you had collectivley used the space sensitivley and with an awareness of your audiences. Hopefully lots of lessons were learnt. My only issue was that the white wine was so horrid, even I couldnt drink it.
Hopefully this is just the start of long exhibiting careers.

Today's meeting

Image above. This is how your exhibition space looks at the moment. I hope you are checking what works and what doesnt.

I was very aware that as there was a low turnout this morning there could be problems. Any joint enterprise is fraught with difficulties, most of which stem from poor communication. It did seem that the main problem is who can take responsibility and in what form does that responsibility take? So perhaps a little reflection on stakeholders and why we have such a complex system of laws is needed.

Every joint venture will have stakeholders. At the start it's always a good idea to set out who those people are, what everyone gets out of the venture should be detailed and that means everyone. The people who own the Bond St Centre, the people who work in there, (cleaners, security guards, health and safety officers etc) other people who use it (shop keepers, shoppers etc) college staff, students and their immediate social group.
You might have noticed when we did a tour of the site before Easter I made a special point of talking to the security guards. From that conversation I found out that they also deal with H & S and that in case of emergencies there is a central control with a telephone number and that it is there that keys are kept. I was aware that the security guards are stakeholders in this and at sometime you may need their help. If you have started a dialogue with them well before opening, they are on your side. Their stake in this is that they have to work as security guards during the time of the show. Any trouble and they have to solve it. If you look at what had happened with the last show in the old TK Max space, security people were already annoyed and starting to believe that art events are not a good thing. I.e. people smoking, bottles being left everywhere, no one clearing up, no one available first thing in the morning to deal with shoppers wandering into the space etc. This also will eventually get back to the owners of the centre. The property developers would have initially have been persuaded that the gifting of spaces to arts groups was a good idea as it kept those spaces in the public eye and raised their profile. But that goodwill is easy to lose and all it takes is an irate member of the public complaining and they can pull the plug.
However the stakeholders of immediate concern are your peer group and already I have the feeling that difficulties are not being tackled. The main issue is that a small group is taking responsibility for organising, communicating and generally supporting the development of the show. They feel open to criticism by those not in that group and also that others are not pulling weight or worse not accepting decisions made by the steering group and arguing over the right of a steering group to make decisions on their behalf.
I’m afraid this is a common situation. This is why stakeholder agreements are drawn up at the start of enterprises like this. People sign these and if they do not agree, then they don’t take part.
For instance communication is as I have stated usually at the core of problems. Because there was no initial agreement as to communication protocols, no one is sure how to communicate with other people. Is it e mail, if so have all members agreed to read their e mail and how frequently? If by text message has everyone signed to say that the number to text is their current number and that they are responsible for responding to messages sent? If by message board are people agreeing to be in college on a regular basis and being responsible for reading messages. You can’t let people get away with saying “I didn’t know about it”. There should be no excuse for ignorance. So get protocols set.
As to the authority of the steering group. This is usually agreed and signed by all. What do different stakeholders get out of this? Well those on the steering group get experience of real world projects; negotiation, working with publicity, organisation etc. etc. Those outside the steering group get more time to focus on their individual work. This is the trade off, but it has to be agreed. People who are spending more time on their own stuff, can’t expect to come in at the last minute and complain about their space. However the steering group needs to make sure it has considered the needs of the whole group and has set up effective systems to find out what requirements are. Again these systems are usually agreed. The overarching theme of the show is agreed to be ……, the format for putting in proposals is…., deadlines for images are etc.
Other roles that need agreeing are responsibilities for hanging, technicianing, invigilation, cleaning, supervision, security, communication with the public etc. What are people getting out of this and if they are not prepared to do it, do they lose out on space? Again agreements are usually signed off.
This all seems very authoritarian and freeform structures are of course fantastic. But if you look at anarchist texts, at their core is the issue of personal responsibility. This is at times reinforced by the taking of oaths to the effect that you will not disabuse the group. Individualism leads to a breakdown in civil intercourse, which can be blamed for many of the evils in modern society. (See http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/individualism-and-consumerism-reframing-debate ) The old idea of the individual genius is still however very powerful and as artists we are prone to fall for its seduction very easily. So be on your guard and take social responsibility for what you do. Your life can either be one of responsibility and commitment to something beyond yourself or a hedonistic ride. But free rides don’t last forever.

This is really good

THE ILLUMINATED ROOM


The Illuminated Room is a series of monthly screenings exploring the moving-image as an open-ended art form and critical practice. Each programme positions the work of contemporary film and video artists alongside key works from the rich and often overlooked histories of experimental cinema. An opportunity to experience how artists have worked with, and thought about, film and video.

Programme 5

DOUBLE TIME: MICHAEL SNOW, CARL BROWN, WILLIAM RABAN, SALLY POTTER, DAVID PARSONS


Thursday 18 March 2010 at 5pm
Leeds College of Art, Vernon Street Lecture Theatre, LS2 8PH
Free and open to all

Now a common convention in video installations, the roots of double and multi screen projection works lay in the expanded cinema of the 1960’s and 70’s. This programme offers a rare chance to see an entire programme of double-screen 16mm films projected live and in their native format. Including experimental works that emerged from the London Filmmakers Cooperative in the 1970’s by Sally Potter, William Raban and David Parsons. As well as a recent exquisite corpse collaboration between Michael Snow and Carl Brown, in which their independently made films are brought together in the moment of projection.

As this is in college you should make an effort to go.

Interesting stuff at Pavilion

Check out Pavilion. http://www.pavilion.org.uk/ It's a Leeds based agency that supports fine art photography and has its own gallery/showing space. Pavilion is located in Saw Mill Yard which is on Saw Mill Street, off Water Lane. Go down the side of the Leeds city rail station, under the bridge which houses the Hans Peter Kuhn light spots and Water Lane is on the right, just after crossing over the river.


In an Ideal World

In an Ideal world is an ongoing research project by Frederico Camara, designed to create an atlas of man-made animal enclosures around the world. The gallery press release states: Devoid of life, yet profoundly revealing, the photographs turn our attention to the visual representation of natural habitats and, ultimately, to the act of looking. This exhibition presents over thirty projected images from the series, taken at zoos in the UK, China, Japan, Singapore and Norway. The UK leg of the project was commissioned by Pavilion in 2009.

In an Ideal World will be open to the public every Thursday, 10am - 6pm and by appointment until 30 April 2010

Event: Frederico Camara in dialogue with Jo Longhurst
March 17, 6 - 8 pm

This event will bring Camara into dialogue with artist Jo Longhurst whose work with British show Whippets also deals with human-animal relationships and the nature of looking. Longhurst was commissioned by Pavilion in 2008 and recently completed a PhD at the Royal College of Art.

Viewing of In an Ideal World at Pavilion: 6 - 7 pm

Dialogue at the Cross Keys Pub: 7 - 8 pm

£4/ £3 (concessions) including complimentary drink at Pavilion

To book contact gill@pavilion.org.uk or 0113 242 5100

Essay: Beauty and the Beast
A commissioned essay by Stephen Feeke accompanies the exhibition and is available to view online: http://www.scribd.com/doc/27117405/Beauty-and-the-Beast
Gill Park | Programme Producer (Interaction)
Pavilion | 7 Saw Mill Yard | Round Foundry |
Leeds | LS11 5WH
E: gill@pavilion.org.uk
T: 0113 242 5100

The idea of having an essay commissioned for a show is an interesting one and you may consider this as something to do when developing your own shows.

Exhibition Openings to go to

The'second round' of Art In Unusual Spaces exhibitions
will launch tonight (Thursday) at Leeds Shopping Plaza from 5-7pm.

Now Then by Guiseppe Lambertino, Kathryn Cooper, Lesley Child, John Scurrah,
Jamie Wardley, Luke Owens, Tim Curtis working with Clapgate Primary School

Playground by Sameeha Akudi, Sarah Baumann, Gaia Rosenberg-Colorni, Tania
Flewitt, Aoife Flynn, Alice Lea, Andy Nizinskyj, James Noonan, Laura Ruehl
and Hannah Parker-Smith.

SLICELand by SLICEArts (upstairs in the old TKMaxx unit)

Also - the opening of On Your Wall by Leeds Met Gallery and Studio Theatre

Details of the shows can be found at www.artinunusualspaces.co.uk

This is also a great opportunity for you to see and look round the spaces in
the shopping plaza which might be available for you, as artists, to use!

Check out:
www.lightnightleeds.co.uk
www.secretleeds.com

Artists Book Fair

As this is on the doorstep it's a must when writing about exhibition opportunities.
13th International Contemporary
Artists’ Book Fair
Friday 12 & Saturday 13 March 2010
The Parkinson Court, University of Leeds
Friday 11.00–6.00 Saturday 10.00–5.00

Intrim

Tonight is the opening of Interim. This will be down in the Vernon Street building and is a competition that invites 2nd year fine art BA students who did their foundation course at Leeds to submit work for exhibition back in their home town. This is a great chance to see what is happening in Glasgow, the Slade, Goldsmiths etc. in relation to students in your year. The opening is a chance to network as well. Are there any students working collaboratively who would like to join in with projects that link Leeds with elsewhere?
It opens at 6pm tonight, (Wednesday) and will be open up until the 26th March.
This is of course another opportunity for your blog. How does the work sit in a very difficult space? As you are the ideal audience, does it communicate to you and if not why not? What are the examples of best practice that you could learn from?

Also. Now everyone has been to the retail exhibition space, I would hope that this gives you an opportunity to reflect on the reality that now confronts you. Those of you filling in proposal forms could if you wish also put those on the blog as well. (They could be scanned in)