This collaboration is between students
from MRes and MAKE, Liverpool to organise a series of pop-up and short-term
events and shows in a purpose built space.
I have an already existing
relationship with Make as I organised an exhibition with them last year
The
aim of this incarnation is to give emerging
artists an
exhibition/writing/performance/curation opportunity. Liverpool has
several artist-led gallery and workspaces including The Royal Standard
and Road Studios and this collaboration allows us to temporarily (for
now) add to these creative spaces.
This shift towards space
outside the mainstream may allow for more dialectical, experimental
practice. Clare Bishop discusses this in "The Social Turn: Collaboration
and its Discontents" in which she describes how "social
events, publications, workshops, or performances" may have a lower profile in the mainstream, commercial art world, however they are gaining presence in the public sector:-
‘...socially engaged art, community-based art,
experimental communities … participatory, interventionist, research-based, or
collaborative art. These practices are less interested in a relational
aesthetic, than in the creative rewards of [a] collaborative activity…’
20/2/18
Why Collaborate?
I had produced and curated a show before so why involve more people now? Is it easier for artists /curators to retain more autonomy and focus working alone or is the idea of the solitary creative process changing? In "Creative Collaboration" Vera John- Steiner argues that some of our greatest artistic and scientific endeavours are produced from the "Joint thinking, passionate conversations, emotional connections and shared struggles" of collaboration.
Once five students had registered interest in going forward with the project I suggested that we meet up and present our work; despite many of us on the MRes being practicing artists we had not seen each others work I felt it would be useful for this collaboration to see how we might work together but also was simply interested in seeing everyone’s work.
Alzbeta made a beautiful graphic film but is also going to send us links to
her documentary work.
Alzbeta Kovandova - Everything Will End Up in a Pine Box
Georgia showed a very
layered multi-media installation/video performance piece, which also had
elements of sculpture and drawing in it.
Alice Sergeant - Buoy
Amy Russell
We discussed the
elements of our work that would work well together in the gallery environment
and made a plan to produce the first show on the “First Thursday’ of April, and idea that JP (our contact at
Make) was keen on. Our hopes for this project seem on the same page; to provide space and autonomy for artists/curators to work, particularly those that might feel marginalised or intimidated by mainstream 'White Cube' gallery spaces. Felt very excited about he possibilities of making this show
with these people.
28 /2/18
Spoke to Mike Badger
(Well respected local artist/musician who I have worked creatively with before)
about doing a show of some kind, and have sent him images of what we did with
the space last time.
Its important that the
process of networking, speaking to as many artists as possible, is set
in motion straightaway so that the project has a chance to grow and gain
momentum.
7/3/18
Visited Make Liverpool.
Think everyone excited about he possibilities this space offers
We decided that Alice
would show sculpture, a painter she suggested from Leeds, would show
paintings and Georgia would perform a piece on the night in the space. The inclusion of this performance seems an important part of shaping what Feckless can become perhaps even pointing ahead to work unconfined to a fixed place.
Grant Kestors "Conversation pieces" is a discussion about what he describes a dialogical art projects, that is projects that are outside the usual gallery settings that have attempted to develop new forms of collaboration. These projects, he asserts are at the "Intersection of cultural activism"
16th
March
Georgia produced a mission
statement
Feckless Gallery is not located in a specific geographical location,
and unusually for a gallery has no fixed dimensions or space. Instead it is a
collective of postgraduate artists and researchers who met whilst studying at
Liverpool John Moores University, with a desire to push their own practices in
new and exciting ways. This project represents the exhibition opportunities
created by this group, who are currently working with MAKE, Liverpool to
organise a series of pop-up and short-term events and shows. The primary aim of
Feckless is to give emerging artists, an opportunity to test and show
their practice with the support of the group, providing an exhibition / writing
/ performance / curation opportunity in the ‘Creative Capital of the North’.
We welcome all
artists, curators and cultural practitioners to collaborate with us and
exchange practices, in whatever way imaginable. No matter your experience or
subject, the Feckless Gallery is open to all.
I felt this is a
well-written statement, which encapsulates what it is we are trying to achieve
in this gallery. It made me feel hopeful that we are indeed playing to our
strengths and that we all have different skills to bring to the process. The way we have as a group organised the different roles we play within this collaboration is working well.
Kate Hodgson
14th
April
One of the
artists selected for the show has backed out. We started looking round
for other artists and found two with potential to work with the artists already selected. Kate Hodgson Produces printed graphic work and
Mick Hannon is a printmaker who produces fanzines and prints. Felt that these
two were perhaps an even better fit than the original artist, and as they are
local it is easier to have them contribute any ideas about installation
preferences etc perhaps it is easier to work with local artists? Perhaps that
could be one of the aims of the gallery?
Mick Gill
16th
April
Had confirmation from JP that we will go ahead with the Show on the 26th
April. Alice was struggling with photographing her sculptures for the poster but they are needed now, as we will have less than 2 weeks to advertise it, So IG
(photographer and graphic designer who had volunteered to help) and I drove
over to her studio to photograph the sculptures. IG did a great job and then
brought the images back to make the poster.
17th March
All posters are finished, however one the group don’t
like the font that the designer has used, the rest of us are happy with it. I
feel strongly that when you procure the services of a skilled and experienced
practitioner and you are not in the position to pay them then you should trust
their judgement (within the realms of what you have asked them to do) This
brings up further questions around Commission versus a more formal contracted type
of collaboration; IG himself said that if we had been paying him we would then,
in his mind, become clients and he would therefore follow to the letter, what
we wanted, whilst giving us the option of his expertise. However, if we chose not to
listen to that expertise he would do what we wanted. For him, this project feels more
like we are asking him to collaborate because we trust his skills and
aesthetic.
24th
April
I emailed The Biennial Independents about the possibility
of working with them and being involved with the fringe Biennial- they said he would
be happy to support us.
I’m hoping this experience will encourage the other team members to carry on
with this collaboration as I think the possibility of working with BI is
exciting- I have worked with them before and know that it holds lots of
possibilities to reach larger audiences and involve a wider variety of artists.
A problem has arisen as a result of us holding the exhibition
for a week rather than one night event, as last time.
Mis-communication means that Make can’t really invigilate so we can only have visitors
to the show by appointment only. This is a big problem as we have printed out
all the posters and we are now short of time. In retrospect it is easier to make a One-night
only event as originally planned.
There is a tendency
for me, to not want to dictate the terms of the project when others have ideas,
even if I know from experience there may be problems with said ideas. I feel
that this is more in the spirit of collaboration and dont want to be seen as 'taking over' but clearly, looking back at this,
there are times when I need to be more vocal and offer compromises or
suggestions for making ideas work.
Roberto Verganti and Gary P Pisano appraise two different distinctions of hierarchy in collaboration in their article "Which kind of collaboration is right for you?" In essence, that a flat, bottom- up approach where decisions are made jointly offers shared risks and technical challenges , whereby a more hierarchical form allows a member/members an authority which can steer the direction of the project unhindered. Both models can have their merits in this situation I feel.
26th
April
Install and
Exhibition PV
Picked up Mick’s
work and met the others at Make, the Exhibition space had been constructed for us.
The space seemed too
dark once the work was up- I went to buy some spotlights but saw a string of
unbreakable lights that would only need one electricity point. The light isn’t
perfect but is pretty good, quite warm and having a string makes it more straightforward.
Sometimes a decision of practicality vs. aesthetic perfection has to be
reached. As this project progressed I found I was selecting more of the
“practical’ options, making something “good enough” and having it happen seems
more important than spending too long on small details and not getting the
project finished. Here is the Final Install
The event itself
went well, really well attended and well received. An attentive crowd watched Georgia’s
performance, filmed by Alzbeta.
We spoke to several artists who are interested in showing work
with us; this was always one of the aims of the night. The event itself ran
much more smoothly than the run up. JP has already been in touch to ask when we
would like to do another show.
Finally, the event was made into a film by Alzbeta
