The statement that Eshun wrote regarding the closure of the Live and
Media Arts department was focused mainly on the Media Arts element as
he was planning that the live arts would be taken over by the
exhibitions dept. His statement at the time (which was not for
internal use only as he stated) reads:
"New media based arts practice continues to have its place within the
arts sector. However it’s my consideration that, in the main, the art
form lacks the depth and cultural urgency to justify the ICA’s
continued and significant investment in a Live & Media Arts
department. Following discussion with theICA Council and the Arts
Council – and agreement from both bodies – I have decided to close the
department."
Media Arts (or New Media Arts or Digital Arts) were not on the list of
art forms that the ACE RFO funding was dependent on, however Live or
performative work was, hence the distinction.
I hope that this helps to clarify things.
best
emma
Emma Quinn
45 Tunbridge House,
St John Street,
London, EC1R 4TT
020 7833 2778
[log in to unmask]
http://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaquinn
On 12 Feb 2010, at 00:04, NEW-MEDIA-CURATING automatic digest system
wrote:
There are 3 messages totalling 183 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 8 Feb 2010 to 10 Feb 2010 (#2010-19)
2. NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 8 Feb 2010 t o 10 Feb 2010 (#2010-19)
(2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:47:23 +0000
From: Tom Holley <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 8 Feb 2010 to 10 Feb 2010
(#2010-19)
Excedllent piece on ICA crisis:
http://www.metamute.org/en/content/crisis_at_the_ica_ekow_eshun_s_experiment_in_deinstitutionalisation
Tom
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:01:56 -0000
From: Rachel Baker <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 8 Feb 2010 t o 10 Feb 2010
(#2010-19)
Except for the statement below where Charlesworth doesn't realise it was
media art that Eshun felt lacked cultural agency, not live art.
True, his argument still applies although, with a few exceptions,
media arts
is far more invested in the free market boomtime creative industries
ethos
that he lambasts (and the ICA embraced) than live art will ever be.
"...Eshun's blithe comment at the time the closure of the live arts
department - that live art 'lacks cultural urgency' - is indicative of
this
confusion between fluid, non-disciplinary notions of curatorial agency,
trend-setter indifference to anything that is not 'now' and the
bureaucratic
tendency to withdraw from contacts with practitioners. It wasn't that
there
wasn't a lively culture of artistic work being done in live arts at the
time, but simply that a cultural director had passed judgement that it
was
no longer relevant. "
Rachel
-----Original Message-----
From: Curating digital art - www.crumbweb.org
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Holley
Sent: 11 February 2010 12:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [NEW-MEDIA-CURATING] NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 8 Feb
2010 to
10 Feb 2010 (#2010-19)
Excedllent piece on ICA crisis:
http://www.metamute.org/en/content/crisis_at_the_ica_ekow_eshun_s_experiment
_in_deinstitutionalisation
Tom
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Arts Council England is the trading name of the Arts Council of
England registered charity no. 1036733
The information in this e-mail is for the named recipient(s) only. Any
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Any opinions/advice expressed are subject to our terms of business. We
do not accept liability for any virus introduced by this e-mail.
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:28:39 +0000
From: Sarah Cook <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 8 Feb 2010 t o 10 Feb 2010
(#2010-19)
not to be nitpicking but as i recall the line was both live art and =20
new media, given that they were programmed by one department at the =20
time?
either way, Charlesworth's essay is much needed. for a long time i =20
have felt frustrated by the "de-skilling" within arts institutions =20
where curators are expected to be generalists, and be able to 'talk =20
the talk' of corporate sponsorship and private philanthropy and =20
fashion and pop culture all while trying to keep enough time to =20
research and support artists in the best way possible. interesting to
=20=
read, by comparison, thoughts on specialism from someone like Richard
=20=
Flood, now at the New Museum, in light of the debate happening there =20
about the ethics / politics of exhibiting the collection of a trustee...
"Flood emphasized the need for multi-functionality and training in a =20
different way. =93It=92s a bad time for specialists,=94 Flood said, =20
=93Curators need the ability to function in the real world, and the =20
real world often disappears in academic struggles.=94 Flood emphasized
=20=
the need for emerging curators to have expertise in (or willingness =20
to learn) budgeting, selling programs, approaching private sponsors, =20
honoring existing hierarchies and understanding how commercial =20
galleries and auction houses work."
from http://www.canadianart.ca/online/features/2008/11/20/banff/
these debates seem to happen most around non-collecting institutions,
=20=
widening the gulf between those curators as caretakers - naturally =20
specialists - and curators as everything else.
... that these restructuring initiatives are often described as =20
exciting opportunities to rethink the institution is often all the =20
more depressing.
some random thoughts on a slow afternoon,
sarah
On 11 Feb 2010, at 14:01, Rachel Baker wrote:
> Except for the statement below where Charlesworth doesn't realise =20
> it was
> media art that Eshun felt lacked cultural agency, not live art.
> True, his argument still applies although, with a few exceptions, =20
> media arts
> is far more invested in the free market boomtime creative =20
> industries ethos
> that he lambasts (and the ICA embraced) than live art will ever be.
>
> "...Eshun's blithe comment at the time the closure of the live arts
> department - that live art 'lacks cultural urgency' - is indicative
> =20=
> of this
> confusion between fluid, non-disciplinary notions of curatorial =20
> agency,
> trend-setter indifference to anything that is not 'now' and the =20
> bureaucratic
> tendency to withdraw from contacts with practitioners. It wasn't =20
> that there
> wasn't a lively culture of artistic work being done in live arts at
> =20=
> the
> time, but simply that a cultural director had passed judgement that
> =20=
> it was
> no longer relevant. "
>
> Rachel
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Curating digital art - www.crumbweb.org
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Holley
> Sent: 11 February 2010 12:47
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [NEW-MEDIA-CURATING] NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 8 Feb
> =20=
> 2010 to
> 10 Feb 2010 (#2010-19)
>
> Excedllent piece on ICA crisis:
> http://www.metamute.org/en/content/=20
> crisis_at_the_ica_ekow_eshun_s_experiment
> _in_deinstitutionalisation
>
> Tom
>
>
> www.artscouncil.org.uk
>
> Arts Council England is the trading name of the Arts Council of =20
> England registered charity no. 1036733
>
> The information in this e-mail is for the named recipient(s) only. =20
> Any disclosure, copying or distribution is prohibited and may be =20
> unlawful. Any opinions/advice expressed are subject to our terms of
> =20=
> business. We do not accept liability for any virus introduced by =20
> this e-mail.
> _
> _____________________________________________________________________
> This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
> For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email
> ______________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
End of NEW-MEDIA-CURATING Digest - 10 Feb 2010 to 11 Feb 2010 (#2010-20)
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