Hi Sarah & all,
I agree it is complicated regarding the Public's situation.
Many who have been connected with the various individuals involved with
this massive project in West Bromich, know that putting it down to
technical hitches is a cover up, an easy scapegoat; so that others can
escape criticisms for their own part in slowing the whole process down.
Yet, I have always been suspicious of the modernist 'big slam' approach
of plonking massive art centres in the middle of areas that need other
resources. Not just this, it creates much tension between the local
artists and other creative endeavours in these city environments, who
have already been trying to succeed in bringing about a more grass roots
engagement, with local people by forming more solid relationships
culturally.
Perhaps in light of the current financial crisis we now need more subtle
forms of cultural adventures. Where projects supported via regeneration
funds or similar, could still go through the process of supporting the
enhancement of creativity but instead spread the funds to groups who do
not aim to be a massive singular entity. Many a time, I have vsited
various cities where there has been excellent initiatives on the go,
only to be quashed by the typical top-down notion that bigger is better.
We need 'more' smaller venues instead of clumsy large mono-cultural
buildings for art to really flourish in a genuine way.
If we have more, smaller venues scattered around each of our cities then
they can naturally include local initiatives and creativity,
democratically. Enhancing a more varied form of competition between
these smaller venues, as well as present projects/art from other cities
and internationally.
These extremely large budgets are so often aimed towards singular
visions that are far too centralized; surely those who take it upon
themselves to engage in building or implementing these cultural
buildings and projects, now need to re-engage in promoting and
supporting varied alternatives which demand less resources. Perhaps it
is time for them to adapt and build creative frameworks and networks -
nodes (small venues) which connect to each other and offer their own
curatorial plans, ideas and concepts on their own terms. The more the
merrier :-)
marc
Furtherfield - online media arts community.
http://www.furtherfield.org
HTTP Gallery - physical media arts Gallery (London).
http://www.http.uk.net
Furthernoise - online media arts music community.
http://www.furthernoise.org
Netbehaviour - email list community for discussion.
http://www.netbehaviour.org
Furtherfield Blog - shared space for personal reflections on media art
practice.
http://blog.furtherfield.org
VisitorsStudio - real-time, multi-user, online arena for creative 'many
to many' dialogue, networked performance and collaborative polemic.
http://www.visitorsstudio.org
Hello CRUMB listers
I write from NZ where the SCANZ residency is underway
(www.intercreate.org) - we'll be developing the theme of the month for
February with the participants here, so stay tuned!
But in the meantime I wonder how many of you heard the BBC midnight news
piece about The Public in West Bromwich and have any other takes on the
situation there? I know it's a deeply complicated thing but I lament,
from afar, that the news media is putting it down in part to the failure
of the digital art inside the building, and that because the opening was
so delayed the works themselves are out of date.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/midnightnews
best for now,
sarah
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