I'm not sure that's strictly right Simon.
While the AHRC have pulled the particular funding stream for
"practice-based" research, my understanding is that there is still space
within research bids to include art practice as a means to an end.
We've just received substantial funding for 2 projects that include
practice so unless something has changed within the last 2 or 3 weeks
AHRC are still committed to supporting art-making as part of a research
process.
Unless you know otherwise, in which case we might as well pack the whole
thing in....
bw
tom
On 31/03/2011 17:14, Simon Biggs wrote:
> The AHRC has been clear that they and ACE are working together to better
> distinguish their activities and the things they fund. That means ACE funds
> art and the AHRC funds research. Both may involve practice and creative
> activity but art and research are considered mutually exclusive, in respect
> of funding, not complementary. If you are supported by one route do not
> expect to be supported through the other.
>
> However, looking through the list of ACE awards, I note a number of research
> based organisations being funded, even some HEI's. This raises the question
> whether there is a policy in place or not?
>
> Best
>
> Simon
>
>
> On 31/03/2011 16:09, "[log in to unmask]"<[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> Simon makes a good point which also reminds me of another observation I made
>> gradually yesterday ie that with a couple of notable exceptions there appears
>> to be a connection between being cut and being research orientated. Rather
>> than viewing collaborations and connections with the higher education sector
>> as an advantage and positive factor in terms of assessment it would appear
>> (and I say this tentatively as am interested in a broader analysis) that it
>> has been disadvantageous. How accurate is this? If it is then it would seem to
>> run the risk of ACE building its own form of conservatism that can only deal
>> with the established avant garde and in failing to grasp why research matters
>> fails also to allow any sort of space for critical practice to grow...in which
>> case it makes sense to be outside the regularly funded portfolio or indeed the
>> system....
>>
>> When we made a successful case for regular funding in 2004 for
>> onedotzero,forma, proboscis, mongrel and arts catalyst we said they needed
>> core funding to underpin their research and development periods which would
>> then inevitably produce results in future years and also argued that these and
>> other organisations like them brought new partnerships into the system,
>> working nationally and internationally across domains and with very small
>> office base. It seems that recent assessment have demanded quantitative
>> outputs over very short time periods with no regard for the overall life cycle
>> of companies....
>>
>> with best
>> Bronac
>>
>> Mar 31, 2011 10:48:54 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>>
>> ===========================================
>>
>> One example I'd like to put forward is New Media Scotland. They lost their
>> core funding as the Scottish Arts Council morphed into Creative Scotland,
>> which no longer "funds" the arts but "invests" in creative initiatives and
>> start-ups (they hope to get their money back).
>>
>> NMS still has devolved responsibility for running Alt-W, which is the main
>> revenue stream that artists can apply to in Scotland for developing new work
>> with digital media. But NMS receives no funding to run itself, pay staff or
>> rent. It is expected to be responsible for these devolved funds for no
>> reward (Creative Scotland are indeed very clever).
>>
>> NMS solved the problem by going into partnership with the University of
>> Edinburgh, who needed somebody to run their new Inspace art/science
>> facility. This provides NMS with a physical home, salary costs and a venue
>> for supporting artists developmental work and to present exhibitions,
>> performances and other events.
>>
>> This has worked brilliantly as Edinburgh now hosts one of the most dynamic
>> and best resourced venues in the country for new media work across the
>> creative arts and at the juncture of art and science research. In this sense
>> the loss of State funding has led to a better outcome than otherwise might
>> have been the case. Mutual need led to something greater than the
>> constituent parts.
>>
>> Whilst it is bad that organisations and groups south of the border have lost
>> funds it might be possible that a few can find a silver lining and develop
>> new ways of functioning through various novel partnerships.
>>
>> Best
>>
>> Simon
>>
>>
>> On 31/03/2011 14:42, "honor" wrote:
>>
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> Like Marc, I have been reeling from the news of yesterday and conferring with
>>> colleagues about what has happened, and what we should do.
>>>
>>> Drew Hemment (director, FutureEverything), and I touched base yesterday, and
>>> Marc and I touched base this morning, and we feel we need to reach out to all
>>> the organisations hit so hard.
>>>
>>> It seems clear that nationally, the media arts / digital arts landscape has
>>> been
>>> completely ravaged with funding cuts to a wide range of significant
>>> organisations who have helped shape and define the field over many the years.
>>>
>>> onedotzero, folly, Proboscis, Lumen, Mute, Isis, Lovebytes, SCAN,
>>> Labculture/PVA, AccessSpace, Vivid, Picture This, and several others have
>>> lost
>>> funding, as far as we know. Several other organisations who have been very
>>> influential in the digital art space, including our friends, ArtSway in the
>>> New
>>> Forest, Quay Arts on the Isle of Wight, and Moti Roti in London, have also
>>> been
>>> cut. In addition, many other organisations who have been doing valuable work
>>> -
>>> including Animate Projects - were not funded.
>>>
>>> It seems to us that that half the digital visual arts organisations active in
>>> the UK have been cut.
>>>
>>> This is a massive shock and loss to us all.
>>>
>>> It is clear there will be more need than ever to form partnerships, and work
>>> collaboratively, and there will be huge pressure on those organisations who
>>> have emerged in one piece.
>>>
>>> We am not sure yet how precisely we deal with this, or whether we need to
>>> formalise our solidarity, but I think it is so important for us to
>>> collectively
>>> recognise that media and digital has been a serious loser in the past two
>>> days.
>>>
>>> We believe now is a time to stand up to be counted, and to extend the
>>> collaborative ethos and goodwill that already characterises our sector.
>>>
>>> Do people feel we could usefully swap notes on tangible ways we can better
>>> work
>>> together?
>>>
>>> Best wishes,
>>>
>>> Honor Harger
>>> Director, Lighthouse
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Quoting marc garrett :
>>>
>>>> Hi Sarah& all,
>>>>
>>>> I have been discussing the subject myself on other lists such as
>>>> netbehavour& to others privately through email...
>>>>
>>>> I am extremely angry.
>>>>
>>>> Yesterday was a significant day. A big shift politically, where the
>>>> ideology of an neo-liberalist agenda successfully disarmed half of the
>>>> media art orgnizations in the UK. Some excellent groups who were grass
>>>> roots, doing amazing stuff were attacked. I can't even bring myself to
>>>> mention their names at present, because it feels too raw. Already in the
>>>> UK, artist groups have been just about surviving on minimal amounts of
>>>> income. Yet due to generous dedication, enthusiasm and imaginative
>>>> approaches we have all witnessed an expansive and valuable contribution
>>>> to society, as well as towards the arts across the board. Our endeavors
>>>> collectively and separately have influenced many of the younger
>>>> generation to take on and consider the practice of media art in their
>>>> own practice. But also, (of course) it has been watered down by the less
>>>> critically engaged sectors of art culture also. This more reflects the
>>>> vulnerability of media arts (related) practice, in respect of its
>>>> presence and status in the art world and every day culture.
>>>>
>>>> There has been, and still are excellent digital and media art
>>>> organizations and groups receiving revenue in the UK from Arts Council
>>>> funding, actively changing things via their own, critical approaches.
>>>> Media art organizations across the board deserve more attention and
>>>> appreciation regarding its high output and intelligent production. By
>>>> closing over half of them down, cutting off the supply of revenue when
>>>> these organizations have been offering so much quality to our culture,
>>>> whilst receiving a reasonably modest sum is not only short sighted, but
>>>> serves in sending us all a message that there exists an active bias
>>>> towards more established and privileged sectors in the art world. Gone
>>>> are the days when art was supported because of its challenging contexts,
>>>> it is now more about what fits in via a top-down agenda, not the
>>>> criticalness of the art or culture itself, as a whole.
>>>>
>>>> As some may have noticed, our funding is at the lower end of the scale,
>>>> and obviously fails to reflect sufficiently the amount of hard work we
>>>> actually put into getting everything up and going. A seven day a week
>>>> job, with thousands of hours missing from our personal lives. We were
>>>> lucky to slip through and somehow remain funded. But, to be honest - it
>>>> does not feel that positive when looking around at what's left, as half
>>>> of our culture has been deleted in one day. I have always valued the
>>>> networked elements of having peer practitioners out there to share
>>>> ideas, as well as be challenged, informed and re-educated by them.
>>>>
>>>> The recent cuts are unethical and declare a shallow contempt towards
>>>> others who wish to explore more adventurous solutions creatively.
>>>> Already the established art world was content with propping up useless
>>>> and culturally vapid artists via unquestioning protocols and lazy
>>>> initiatives. It has aways been a difficult terrain to deal with when
>>>> having to re-educate those who were not willing to engage with media art
>>>> contexts, even though they ran galleries and art magazines and proposed
>>>> a (supposed) agenda towards new forms of art practice, hypocritically.
>>>> It is not only the Government and its neo-liberal onslaught on anything
>>>> of human value and worth, that has helped in hurting our once dynamic
>>>> and thriving culture - it was the systemic ignorance of a hermetically
>>>> sealed art world also.
>>>>
>>>> marc.
>>>>
>>>> wishing you well.
>>>>> Hi all
>>>>> Yes a letter to journalists as soon as possible is the way to go, can we
>>>> collectively draft it here? With some international input too please from
>>>> those of you on this list who have been followers and supporters of new
>>>> media
>>>> art in England... It would also be good to have some voices from the new
>>>> media art orgs that were successful, such as furtherfield and lighthouse
>>>> perhaps, who could comment on what the loss of their extended networks means
>>>> for their work? Mike, what does it mean for AND fest that one of the three
>>>> orgs behind it was cut; rebecca what does it mean for AV fest that partners
>>>> in the city such as Amino or Isis were not successful?
>>>>> Does anyone have any names of journalists we could contact? it is hard not
>>>> to see it as massive de investment in a little understood or appreciated
>>>> artform.
>>>>> Hurried thoughts from London... If any non British based readers on this
>>>> list have thoughts or need an explanation, do speak up!
>>>>> Sarah
>>>>>
>>>>> On 31 Mar 2011, at 11:08, Gary Thomas wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Ditto what Taylor, Mat and Mike said..
>>>>>>
>>>>>> And I think Ele's suggestion of a letter to The Guardian would do no harm.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> (It was only after the guardian's cutsblog mentioned that our gfta had
>>>> been rejected that ace called us to encourage us to resubmit)
>>>>>> This isn't just about cuts - it's about a lack of balance in their friggin
>>>> portfolio!
>>>>>> gt
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> From: Ele Carpenter
>>>>>>>> Date: 30 March 2011 21:50:33 GMT+01:00
>>>>>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [NEW-MEDIA-CURATING] ACE funding
>>>>>>>> Reply-To: Ele Carpenter
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Here is the list of organisations to be cut on Guardian blog:
>>>>>>>>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/mar/30/arts-council-cuts-list-fu>>
> n
>>> ding
>>>>>>>> It's such a long list it's hard to comprehend - and as Clive says the
>>>>>>>> media arts seem very hard hit within the percentage of visual arts
>>>>>>>> cuts. I'm sure there's someone on this list who can download the
>>>>>>>> Guardian data and do the maths?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Whilst everyone is reeling in shock, could we draft a letter to the
>>>>>>>> Guardian? At don't think it's gonna make a difference - but visibility
>>>>>>>> seems important. Maybe there'll be a Media Arts Block with the
>>>>>>>> http://artsagainstcuts.wordpress.com protests now.... ?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Any ideas?
>>>>>>>> Ele
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 30 March 2011 20:45, Clive Gillman wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Don't want to start a new line, but it feels like some comment is
>>>> needed on
>>>>>>>>> the complete wipeout of ACE-funded organisations working with new media
>>>>>>>>> announced today - folly, PVA, Mute, Access Space, Lovebytes, Proboscis,
>>>>>>>>> Vivid. Been out of the loop in England, but is that it for Arts Council
>>>>>>>>> England support for new media ?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> Ele Carpenter
>>>>>>>> Curator
>>>>>>>> Lecturer, MFA Curating, Dept of Art, Goldsmiths College, Uni of London.
>>>>>>>> m: +44 (0)7989 502 191
>>>>>>>> www.elecarpenter.org.uk
>>>>>>>> www.eleweekend.blogspot.com
>>>
>>> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
>>> honor harger
>>> email: [log in to unmask]
>>> r a d i o q u a l i a:
>>> http://www.radioqualia.net
>>>
>>
>> Simon Biggs
>> [log in to unmask]
>> http://www.littlepig.org.uk/
>>
>> [log in to unmask]
>> http://www.elmcip.net/
>> http://www.eca.ac.uk/circle/
>>
>
> Simon Biggs
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.littlepig.org.uk/
>
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.elmcip.net/
> http://www.eca.ac.uk/circle/
>
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