Wow, that is quite something Gary.

I am in agreement with Bronac regarding advocacy in within the digital/
visual/media arts sector. That often it massively misunderstood and
that the arts groups and organisations that were cut and others like
it, for example Trampoline who I work with are in the best position,
embedded, knowledgable, innovative and critically aware to play at the
policy level. When it comes to informing policy on digital rights,
digital economy bill, identity, network processes and the socio-
political / cultural ramifications of an expanded technology sphere; I
can't think I would want anyone other than those cut, those still
existing and the artists/researchers we support to sit on those
discussions.

It is time to present our collective case, build solidarity and make
visible the invisible networks that we populate; to affirm our status
and attempt to remove the stigma and confusion around our practices as
organisations and artists. Like Ghislaine from BODY>DATA>SPACE,
Trampoline made a conscious decision to not join the portfolio and to
retain the level of flexibility that we have become accustomed to
since 1997. Similarly to NMS we are strengthening our established
partnerships with universities, this does not however detract from the
need for us to take an active role in shaping the Arts Council's
'digital' policy.

All my Best

Mathew


On 31 Mar 2011, at 16:19, Gary Thomas wrote:

> I got a call from our ACE person yesterday morning at 8.35 - sort of
> asking how i was taking the news - and she offered to send our full
> assessment.
>
> She's just sent this legal note..I think it's saying, you can ask
> for your own assessment report, but if you ask for it under FOI,
> we'll show it to anyone.
>
>> It is our policy to make full assessment reports about an
>> organisation’s own application available to that organisation upon
>> request. We have therefore not dealt with your request for a copy
>> of your assessment report under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
>>
>> If we treated your request for a copy of your assessment report as
>> a Freedom of Information request, the information would then be
>> available to all other people requesting the same information, even
>> though it may contain confidential and potentially commercially
>> sensitive information about your organisation. We would of course
>> seek to withhold any information which appeared to be confidential
>> or the disclosure of which could damage your commercial interests,
>> but the exemptions available under the Freedom of Information Act
>> are not absolute.
>>
>> In order for us to ensure that we are able to protect your
>> confidential and commercially sensitive information, please do not
>> disclose your assessment report to any third party. Should you make
>> this information available to anyone else, it is likely that we
>> will also be required to disclose the information should it be the
>> subject of a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
>>
>
>
> On 31 Mar 2011, at 15:26, Bronac Ferran wrote:
>
>> Sorry I do of course mean the Freedom of Information act!
>>
>> Mar 31, 2011 10:24:08 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>>
>> ===========================================
>>
>> I'm numb and getting number..
>>
>> I can say without doubt that a reason for this happening will have
>> been lack of advocacy within the arts funding structure for this/
>> these specific area/s of practice.Without sustained advocacy
>> carried out internally and also externally at multiple levels
>> including in policy arena, press area and public domain any artform
>> area/s will be disadvantaged. It is a lobbying war/jungle when it
>> comes to arguing for reasons why certain things should be funded
>> rather than others and unfortunately there has been a focus within
>> ACE recently (as rightly identified in earlier emails) on 'digital
>> marketing', on getting larger companies and venues to buy into
>> 'digital' as ways of increasing audiences and on partnerships with
>> mainstream broadcasters which carry low risk and are arguably not
>> best use of arts subsidy.
>>
>> One thing that could be done is you could all ask to see the
>> assessment reviews made last autumn and other reports by offices
>> responsible for media arts clients - using the Data Protection Act
>> and also ask to see internal reports recommending why they were cut.
>>
>> It is also an issue of scale - there was reference in the Observer
>> last weekend to David Cameron's enthusiasm for Schumacher and his
>> small is beautiful agenda....I felt in reading this that there was
>> a high likelihood that in a few days time the small and dynamic
>> organisations who led the development of media related practices in
>> the past fifteen years would be on the cuts list. At the same time,
>> this week ACE was savaged by a select committee in Parliament which
>> criticised it heavily for various things including spending too
>> much on itself, The Public being misjudged etc. It would be a wise
>> time to build some kind of narrative that counterpoints and
>> critiques what is happening there now (notwithstanding that it has
>> retained some organisations in the portfolio that they can argue
>> perhaps more easily into audience development scenarios with
>> festivals and buildings clearly just about OK - at least on this
>> occasion). It has taken Watershed decades of arguing, lobbying,
>> demonstration, negotiation, rejection, counterrejection, sustained
>> delivery, to make any kind of mark on relative levels of funding
>> return.
>> I go back to first point - lack of advocacy is at the heart of
>> this....if there is something that people think can be done to now
>> address this please count me in.
>>
>> Bronac
>>
>>
>>
>> Mar 31, 2011 09:43:20 AM, [log in to unmask] 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-funding
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 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
>

Mat Trivett
[log in to unmask]
Tel: +44(0)115 8507813
Mob: +447738879173
Skype: mathewtrivett

http://trampoline.org.uk
http://trampoline.org.uk/tracingmobility
http://www.radiator-festival.org