Arts club 14/11/06 Dave Notes
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Hello and introductions.
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We’d like to tell you about some of the things we’ve been thinking about in relation to tonights themes. We don’t intend to present this as if we are in any way authorities on these matters but instead to introduce some ideas which might be good points for discussion and further consideration, (hopefully).
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With this in mind, we’d like to begin by outlining some of the things which have come up for us through our own practice. * Black Dogs image
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We belong to an arts collective called Black Dogs. There are six of us collaborating and we’ve been working together for the past three or four years.
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When we first started working together we decided to put on some exhibitions which were pretty much formal shows. *Arte et Labore image
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The first of these shows was called arte et labore. It was a collection of works that we produced as individuals that had common themes. That being our use of time as individuals and the reclamation of that time which would otherwise be spent doing meaningless work for others, forming our identities etc. *His grubby fingers… image
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These are two of the works we had on display, (v. brief description – maybe just titles)…… *This year I’ll make my own…. Image
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The second show was called Technically Wrong and was pretty much more of the same except by this point we were far more intent on attempting to demonstrate within the objects themselves the amount of time and labour that was invested in
them. We wanted very much for the viewer to identify the possible time to create in their own lives. *Mont Bic image [V. brief description.] *Chimney image These are some images from around the same time of Andy attempting to do a similar kind of thing with his Chimney Project (briefly describe). *Chimney image 2 *Chimney image 3 -
At around this time we began to identify the fact that our aim of involving the viewer in the process and time of creativity could be impossible through the manufacture of mere artworks. We began to initiate projects, such as this one *Art Shanty image 1
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….where the actual substance of the work was executed by the viewers who then became participants. In the Massive Tiny Art Shanty, Black Dogs merely set up a * Art Shanty image 2
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……situation where potential participants were provided with the means to make and exhibit. Without their participation there would be nothing to see.
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As a consequence of the fact that our output was becoming more and more participatory for the audience, and the fact that our practice was clearly bound to the curatorial, we came up with “How to put on an art show”, *How to… image 1 The work was a commission from Vitrine and situated in Leeds train station. It was a straightforward breakdown of the process, as we understood it at that point, of bringing ones art to the public in a step by step guide.
*How to…. Image 2 This, in some ways, came from the realization that, in the same way as we were thinking that the act of creation was a good use of time for others, so was the act of curation, which for us is a process intrinsic to the production of artworks. -
More recently we have been curating one night events. This was first of all an acknowledgement that for most of us, the only night where people actually come to your show and as a consequence validate its existence, is the opening night where you give them free booze. The rest of the two weeks may as well not happen. So these are one night shows – and people buy their own booze. *Night at pub image
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More to the point though, we were beginning to identify that we can increase the value of the time as we all spend it, not by necessarily changing what we do but by transforming our approach to the preexisting minutae of life. *Night at pub image 2
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In this way we are suggesting that we may be able to transform simple acts like going to the pub, or * Dogs dinner image ….in the case of A Dogs Dinner, making a meal artworks, and that life can be a constant process of reclamation of time and productivity according to how attentive we are to our actions. *Andy salad image Here is a picture of Andy making a salad attentively with the assistance of contact mikes.
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So in this way, we are suggesting not only that everyday acts can be transformed into artworks, but also that the process of bringing about such a transformation is a curatorial one.
*Chinese food image. -
When a chef cooks a meal attentively, they must select an appropriate shop; ingredients and elements that compliment one another; prepare and organize; cook with care and present attractively. This can be apparent when it comes to posh restaurants…… *Roast image.
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But it can also be true for a humble home cooked meal. *Wardrobe image.
The same principles apply for the selection of clothes before going out. The snappy dresser must select from a range of styles, colours, utilities etc in order to be dressed most appropriately for their purpose. This can be a great success… * Jennifer Anniston image. -
…in the case of Jennifer Anniston… Or a total failure…. * Compo image
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In the case of Compo.
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Similar principles apply to the making of a mix tape, …. * Mix tape image 1
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….a process which most of us have undertaken at one time or another. The important thing to notice about all these things though, which is perhaps best illustrated by the mix tape, is that they are all loaded with intention. The chain of decisions that culminate in the meal, the outfit or the mixtape are all made with a specific set of aims in mind. They describe how you want to be viewed by others, how you view them or how you describe a situation or event. The giver of the mixtape has a vested interest in how the tape is received. * Mix tape image 2
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When we present someone with the metaphorical mixtape we desire a particular thing to happen as a consequence. *Idealist image ………….. Andy’s bit……………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………… [image: Green economy] Conclusion -
So, to bring this back from the very large so that we might be able to locate ourselves a bit more…….
We can probably best illustrate our possible position as art practitioners within the context we have outlined by describing two extreme examples. * Artist / businessman image. On one hand we have the totally pragmatic artist: they have readdressed their practice as a ‘profession’ investing time into researching funding, attending ‘network events’, ‘working with businesses’. In order for their practice to continue as a full time occupation they will adjust their vision to suit any brief. At the end of the day, there may be very little of that vision left. *Starving artist image. On the other hand we have the starving artist: They represent the romantic view of the artist. They refuse to bend their vision to suit anyone. They doggedly pursue their art, willing to sacrifice anything. In the end, they can generate no income from their practice and must live in squalor or go to work in some shitty warehouse. *Chemist image
We must obviously find a middle route. And there is a middle route through all of the examples we have given, be they in the minutae of everyday life or the big issues that concern the development of society. It is the curator or the curatorial aspect of ourselves which is the arbiter between the two poles of idealism and pragmatism and it is the effectiveness of our decisions as curators that will determine the effectiveness of our actions as artists.