Monumental Memories- Write up

by Rocca Gutteridge, 4 Apr 2011

Setting up at Out of the Blue

Me getting far too overexcited!

The essential drink and afterchat.

I began last Wednesday’s Artachat session by unpacking the title of the session itself Monumental Memories.

By monumental I am not necessarily speaking solely of the massive, imposing or plonked public artwork, but making reference more to a work that is physically enduring or physically significant.

And by memories, I am referring to the temporary public art works where something cerebral rather than physical is left.

The Artachat set out to explore the social consequences of these different types of public art along with the way they are commissioned.

Three “catalysts for group conversation” were selected for the session:

Juliet Dean, Director of PACE
(Public Art Commissions and Exhibitions)

Juliet gave a short presentation on her experience of commissioning permanent art works in geographically diverse contexts. From the Comedy Carpet in Blackpool weblink to a Community School Auchterarder and Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.

Claudia Zeiske, Director of Deveron Arts and co-author of ARTocracy weblink

Claudia showed a variety of temporary projects commissioned by Deveron Arts and introduced the methodology behind the organisation.

Craig Coulthard, Artist and musician introduced his Artists Taking the Lead, Cultural Olympiad Commission, Forest Pitch and acted as a case study of a project that encompassed much of what the previous two speakers raised.

Dane Sutherland’s tweet notes are below and slides from both presentations will be able to be viewed by the end of today by going to the Artachat slideshare site here:

weblink

Please note all the notes below are not exact replicas of the conversations, but memories and personal notes on the topics.

Juliet Dean, Director of PACE

• Public Art “consults the audience for or with whom it was made, respecting community and environment” – Lucy Lippard

• PACE’s work is not monumental. To the point where the work may be invisible and provides a subtle, yet permanent, backdrop.

• You could say it’s permanent (non)monumental

• PACE is geographically spread out, working anywhere from London to Aberdeen.

• We have to work hard to get to know the publics and the context, to get to know who the stakeholders are. There is an issue with time and the longevity of the engagement process here.

• Where Deveron Arts initiates projects, PACE responds to existing local initiatives

• What is the future for this kind of work? What is the future for permanent projects?

• We are not only working in a geographic context but a personal context.

• Audience- In working with the children’s hospital, we had to focus on a wide age range – not just provide bright colours and Winnie the Pooh motifs for youngsters. We had to create a vivid language that speaks to people of different cultures, ages, abilities. For example, as well as the children, parents are a significant audience.

• Children are far more visually literate than they are given credit for – adults tend to prescribe what they must look at.

• Health and Safety, and contextual issues are pertinent for developing permanent works of art.
  There can often be unforeseen constraints on this type of working. Interest to compare the constraints on a more temporary way of working.

• Our approach includes consultancies, workshops and engagement with the audiences, to create a strategy.

• To allow for permanence or longevity, we build in and consider a life cycle – we consider the work’s obsolescence, and that people may eventually tire of it.

• A Kenny Hunter piece that was developed for the hospital featured a number of animals surrounding the central sculpture, one of which was a crow on top of a nearby door – this was removed after we realised that the crow was considered to be a Middle Eastern symbol for death.

• Who decides who likes something, when making something permanent?
  - There are so many different stakeholders.
  Also, people can grow to like things.

• Visionary artists are essential in keeping these kinds of projects going.

• “Our island is sinking with the weight of all these sculptures” (Doug Cooke? I think, if anyone knows other wise please comment!)

• I’m being a devil’s advocate here but if we loose our interest in the permanent public art work
  What will there be to mark the lives that we live in?

Claudia Zeiske. Director, Deveron Arts

• We work in one place only, and that place is Huntly, its inhabitants, its issues and its spaces

• The town is the venue

• We operate a 50/50 model, which balances the community/local concerns with the international
  - this conundrum makes Deveron Arts tick. It is key in creating new work, and new criticality. A successful project must fulfill both.

• As we have no gallery, we must show the work in other ways.

• One of our earlier artists-in-residents, Thierry Geoffrey aka Colonel, used the media, and created a piece that was presented in the Huntly Express.

• We also have developed a Town Collection, which is various works or traces related to the projects which are placed parts of the town which were significant to the project itself.

• This is not just about seeing the art, but a new way of seeing the town.

• I have a background in anthropology, which informs the projects.

• A starting point for projects is always topics relevant to the town (the word issues has negative connotations).

• It isn’t the artist that creates the topic – it is something that interests the community, and I find an artist that fits.

• I live in Huntly, and that is why I work there.
  - this model is transferable
  - many of the issues are universal, and not only significant to Huntly.

• Example: Eva Merz, Empty Shop project.

• One of the empty shops in Huntly, who’s numbers have grown particularly since the opening of two large supermarkets in the town, was declared as an Empty Shop Monument by Eva.

• National media covered the project, such as BBC Newsnight, highlighting the national breadth of this problem.

• Also, on the MONO project with artist Jelka Plate, she tackled an issue about ‘cruisers’ or young people who endlessly drive their cars around Huntly. Many middle-class, or older people may have thought of these ‘cruisers’ as problematic and de-socialised.

• Jelka engaged with and befriended them, and showed that their unusual practice is more performative.

• The ARTocracy book shares the idea that this model could be done in any small town. Starting with a cultural audit, we presented the transferability of the model in ‘Anytown’.

• This book is a manual to share the method and present study cases to show how it can be done in other places.

Craig Coulthard. Artist

• Project: Forest Pitch – Artist’s Taking the Lead – 2012 Cultural Olympiad

• Project overview: The construction of a football pitch, in the centre of a commercial forest. The pitch will host two matches during the London Olympics 2012 the participating players will be made up of amateurs from across Scotland, who have taken up British citizenship since 2000.

• After the games, the pitch will all be left to grow back, and native trees will be re-planted.

• For more info see: weblink

• The site is to be left for at least 60 years.

• Throughout the project, and the event, I want to really control the documentation – re-call the culture of replay (youtube, mobile video) and retain an element of mystique about what happens

• In a way it’s going to last forever – maybe not the artwork, but the landscape.

• The project does not respond to a public criteria. It takes place on private land, which I think is something to talk about.

• If it lasts 60 years, that is more permanent than most ‘permanent’ architecture.

• The 60 years is based on the lifecycle of the crop.

• I was surprised at how much I was told to stick to my idea and see it through the way I want to finish it.

• There are different levels of participation and direct involvement with the public
  - the events are community based, but I never set out to make a community arts project.

• If someone is going to be negative about what I do, they’re perfectly entitled. I’m confident in my idea and its ability to cause debate.

• I want people to think about it and talk about it, and not necessarily agree on things.

I would now like to review the session for myself and next post up my summary of the event. Any questions, thoughts, comments please feel free to post on up!