ARTISTS TALKING

# 41 [13 May 2013]

Following on from my conversation with Martin Franklin, the Manager at South Hill Park Digital Media. IS this use that he is making at South Hill Park Digital Media with new technology to engage a new audience to contemprary art.

They have a transmedia project ongoing. It is happening now and well worth checking out. You can start by Liking the page on Facebook and connect with the characters to join in.

https://www.facebook.com/dareyouwatch?directed_tar...

Its getting me to re-enter the world of Facebook, which I'd sort of stopped using.

# 40 [7 May 2013]

It was fantsatic to receive a a-n bursary. This award has spurred me onto travel outside my locality into the wider world of the art community in which I aim to record some more creative conversations.

I started off with a visit to Bracknell to visit digital media centre at South Hill Park. There I had a lovely time with Martin Franklin and found out more about their Arts Council funded research project using live web streaming. 

Then I travelled up to Stafford University to see my work at the NoiseFloor festival. This was a great opportunity to hear (& see) my work on some top both equipment. I also had some interesting conversations with lecturers from the fields of electro-acoustic. 

more on these visits to come ...

# 39 [8 April 2013]

discussing with Richard Keenan from PopUp Dorset about the benefits of showing in unusual spaces like a church, which brings a new audience to see your art show and can really help boost your audience figures, VS the difficulties of showing artwork in these spaces - what you can and can't do to the building, of having to work around the spaces furniture. 

Especially if you do it with no funding, so your budget for materials to decorate the space and for trades people to construct a better, a more suitable space is severely lacking. 

More at; http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/creative-conversations-no9-richardkeenan-popupdorset/ 

# 38 [5 April 2013]

Creative Conversations No9 has just gone live, this episode features Richard Keenan from PopUp Dorset. 

PopUp Dorset staged an exhibition at St George’s Church, Reforne, Portland. This was a group show featuring 48 artists living in Dorset, covering different themes and using different materials. The Church was very difficult space to hang, as it has all the furniture of a church and there was a lot of things Richard and Katie couldn’t change about the architecture and church furniture, they had to work around it. It was great to meet Richard over the summer of 2012 and it’s great to see them trying to part on shows like this.

Hear on the show about how and why Richard decided to put o this show and become a gallery manager. 

& about setting up a commercial gallery, of building up a mailing list. We talk about funding and costs of putting on a show like this. 

To  find out more and hear this show go to; http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/cre...

# 37 [27 March 2013]

Creative Conversations 8 sees me talking to photographer Jim Cooke. I caught Jim during a fascinating exhibition called Riparian he had at the Drill Hall on Portland during the summer of 2012. Jim kindly agreed to give me an hour of his time for one of my recorded conversation.

Jim talks about the exhibition – Riparian. This word was one of his father's favourite words, it means alluding to the riverbank. Jim is fascinated by these areas between land and water. The work is essentially made of three strands; one an observational, topology one; secondly it is looking at the plants along the River Thames; thirdly it’s through looking at this part of the land through a microscope, photographing microscopically the plants, blood, engine oil, food, etc. What connects all the works is that they derive from the riverbank.

We proceed to talk about his connection to the Island and with Paul and Hannah at the Portland Quarry Sculpture Trust. Also discussing the fantastic space that is the Drill Hall and what a wonderful opportunity it is for artists to show work in this space; though it can be quite daunting as it is a large space to fill. We hear how supportive Paul and Hannah have been, and how beneficial this long term collaboration is. 

Ending up with one of my favourite topics - of ways of attracting audiences to see contemporary art. That the Drill Hall has brought in a wide and varied audience, one that Jim wouldn't see in one of his shows in London or New York.

To hear the conversation go to
http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/creative-conversations-no8-photographer-jim-cooke/

# 36 [19 March 2013]

Putting my Audiences survey together really made me realise just how difficult creating an online survey is. I had originally thought I'd do a fairly simple and quick survey as a means to fill-in for the fact I hadn't got round to editing last week's show. But a survey like this is never going to be simple.

There are so many variables affecting people who might be willing to travel to See contemporary art. Every question needed to be talked about, rather than a simple yes / no, or multi choice answer that I have put up. It's reaffirmed my belief in how conversations can reveal so much richer data than a simple tick box survey like the one I have posted onto http://creativedialog.wordpress.com.

Still I decided to plow ahead and I have put up onto the website a basic survey. I am not sure really what the results can tell us (At the moment the results are given us percentages)  about the audiences who visit contemporary art in a rural area. In my discussions during putting the survey together its been emphasised that the reasons are complex (in both why people attend and why they don't attend) and hard to pin down in.

# 35 [15 March 2013]

Can help me formulate a question around audiences going to see contemporary art in a rural area? 

I won't have time to edit this wks creative conversations show & as quite a few of my conversations have touched on audiences, I thought I'd replace this weeks show with an online survey, which I'd post onto the creative conversations blog. 

Post would go along these lines - any suggestions for changes or feedback on its clarity welcome. 

Audiences survey

I am very interested in looking at ways to attract an audience to contemporary art, especially in a rural context where audiences are spread across a large geographic area. 

What do you think is the main issue stopping people attend contemporary art events in rural area?

- time (there are more pressing things to do)

- distance (people do not want to travel say an hours journey in a car)

- transport (public transport is not as good as within an urban area making it difficult to get to places)

- quality (the type of art event is not to my taste)

- knowledge (it is hard to know of these events)

- other

Comments

# 34 [13 March 2013]

Another very interesting discussion features on Creative Conversations 7. This week you will find me talking to Carolyn Black, freelance producer for ExLab.

ExLab had seven quite major commissions shown across Dorset over the summer of 2012. It is also an interesting structure as it saw seven different organisations forming together. Along with hearing about ExLab and its structure, we hear Carolyn being quite honest and open about how things went and the lessons learnt. 

I found this to be a really refreshing experience as so many publicly funded arts organisations (NPOs) and arts officers, who are working with public money, have NOT stepped up and agreed to talk 'on the record'. So often they just seem to want to put in their secret arts council report, which we won't get to see. So I'd like to offer Carolyn Black a big thanks for agreeing to do one of my recorded conversations and having her thoughts collected into my growing archive.

You can hear the show at; 

# 33 [24 February 2013]

My new series of 'Creative Conversations' shows has been picked up by Soundart Radio 102.5 FM. This is an independent radio station based in Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon. If you live in the area of its reception you can hear the show every Friday at 6pm.

It is great to be a part of Soundart Radio, as they, like these shows, is part of the movement towards the local and the global existing together. The radio station is very community focussed and welcomes everyone to make imaginative, innovative radio programmes.

It is great to think that people in Devon are listening to the experiences of local artists and art groups from West Dorset. That the issues that face us here can resonante with the people in the neighbouring county.

www.soundartradio.org.uk

# 32 [20 February 2013]

My latest installement of recorded conversations between local artists has just gone live. On this show I talk to Olivia Nurrish, one of the founding members of artwey, who are an artist led group from Weymouth & Portland.

I see artwey as a very active arts group in the borough. In a town that is not known for its cultural bent. Weymouth & Portland has no public art spaces, only some spaces in a few galleries. There isn’t really any support from the council in anyway. Artwey have done around twelve shows this year. Their logo their name is really out there and people become more and more aware of them. They have built a very good relationship with the local press.

artwey become a CIC, A Community Interest Company, in 2009 and I was interested in why they had chosen to become a CIC rather than just be a constituted group. That this entailed extra work, specifically greater records and audited accounts, which also means the group needed extra income to fund these additional jobs. They had been greatly guided by Weymouth & Portland arts officer at the time. They have since discussed if it was a good idea on becoming a CIC. But looking back, though yes it is an extra burden, Olivia feels like it was a good idea to have become a CIC so early. That it helped them secure some funding, and helped them formalise the group structure, its aims and objectives. Artwey are now just about to revisit their constitution and their ethos.

You can hear the show here: http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/cre...