NAN

Jo Thomas reports on Figure Ground, a series of events around public art discussion in South East England throughout 2009, co-funded by NAN.

What place does public art have in the larger discourse on contemporary art? Who initiates projects and why? What is the relationship between artists and public art policy? These are some of the questions that led Katy Beinart, Jon Adams and myself to form Figure Ground and produce a series of events for artists across the South East. What follows is a description of these events, how we researched and developed them, what took place and how the emergent artist network and future possibilities are beginning to take shape.

Katy, Jon and I are artists based in South East England; Oxford, Portsmouth and Reading respectively. We met through the Artplus Award Scheme funded by Arts Council England - South East and Seeda which sadly ended 2008. Artplus enabled artists to work in the public realm in places identified by the artists. Artists were able to concentrate on the process without being committed to final product or outcome (although outcomes did occur). Our intention, as Figure Ground, was to initiate networks and events for artists across the South East and beyond. A NAN bursary in 2008 enabled us to visit artists, academics and architects involved in public art across the region (Onetwoone, Cameron Cartiere, Agents of Change and others). Each time we visited somewhere we met artists who were making things happen. It was a time consuming process but that investment of time, physically meeting people, spending time together and engaging in creative debate became the essence of the project.

It was important to us that the Figure Ground Events would be open, participatory and creative as well as artist centred. Artists were invited with the aim of exploring issues around practice, sparking networks and ideas, and contributing to critical debate about the role of public art. There are already good resources supporting artists in the public realm eg IXIA, PASW. We chose contrasting locations across the region that most people could reasonably reach: Brighton, Bracknell, Chatham and Milton Keynes. The events took place at central locations (Fabrica in Brighton; No 4, Charles Square, a vacant shop in Bracknell and The Joiners Shop in Chatham) and spilt out into surrounding areas. We had to cancel the day in Milton Keynes, as we hadn't reached enough artists, despite help from Artworks MK and MK Gallery. Initially cancelling the event felt a bit of a failure. It was a worry - would it be OK with the funders? However, it enabled us to have a further event at Arts Council England in London where everyone involved could meet each other, evaluate the project and begin to develop future possibilities.

Each day we followed a similar format. As people arrived they were invited to select a card from a deck of old playing cards; using chance to select some interesting sets of people (with intervention when it wasn't working).

Artists initially developed questions about public art in small groups introducing individual ways of working through tools they brought with them and shaping the questions they wished to explore. Tools included: a hammer, make-up box, tea towel, blue pigment, a storm kettle, an hour timer and themselves. The questions, thoughts and comments were written on a series of tablecloths that were generated throughout the events.

Everyone was then asked to make a piece of work in / at / on site(s):  We stated that "It may be physical, performed, imagined, planned not executed, a series, a manifesto. You may choose to use what you have brought with you or abandon everything. What we do ask is you return at the end of the day to share what you have done." Luckily (and despite some very wet weather in Brighton and Chatham) everything was not abandoned. Each group was given a different section of a map of the local area before they set off.

We all came together at various points for food and to warm up.  At the end of the day when everyone presented what had they had done. We were able to project images participants had taken and revealing the diversity of approaches and experiences. Most participants had a sense of exposing their own processes to others and being exposed to others ways of working. There was openness, trust and crucially a willingness to join in that made this sharing possible.  Everyone had come along to explore practise and find ways of discussing and evolving practise. The events were surprisingly calm and productive.

In Bracknell and Chatham, Arts Development Officers came along to meet the artists. In Brighton one group was 'live' by the end of the day. The small collaborative groups enabled playful exploration of everyday places. The rain helped generate less predictable approaches and sometimes left us asking where is the audience. There were questions about ownership of places.

At the end of November 2009 about twenty of us met at Arts Council England's London office where we sat around the extremely long table now covered in tablecloths full of our questions. We discussed what had happened and what, if anything, we wanted to make happen next. Threads re emerged: permission to play, a treat, focus on process, generosity of time, space, permission to share. There were various suggestions such as setting up websites, infrastructures, each time these were knocked back. We were all keen to keep things simple and value physically meeting other artists and sharing aspects of practise in place. 'It is the time and space that counts not constructing an institution'. Travel bursaries were vital to help people meet. 

Angela Kingston from Artpoint wrote an evaluation of the events. She notes that "in Figure Ground there was a strong emphasis on the artist as initiator, and this is a real tonic at a time when artists seem to be presented with increasingly long lists of stipulations and outcomes".

Katy, Jon and I left believing that there is a commitment to a network of artists working in the public realm across the South East region and potentially beyond.  Several artists offered their towns as 'places to play', others offered to help organise events. There will be a picnic this spring for everyone who took part where we will begin to develop further events for 2010. Information will be posted on our blog and Facebook page.

Public Artist and Photographer Margherita Gramegma documented all the events creating a visual essay. Further information and images can be found at:

www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=597099891&gv=12#/group.php?gid=56498558616

fig1-ground.blogspot.com/

Figure Ground Events were produced thanks to all the artists we met through the NAN Bursary and Arts Council England - South East; SEEDA, Fabrica, Brighton; Bracknell Forest Council; Bracknell Regeneration Partnership; Artworks MK, Milton Keynes; The Joiners Shop, Chatham: Dada South. Artpoint; ARC; OVADA; a-n The Artists Information Company.

Figure Ground is Katy Beinart, Jon Adams and Jo Thomas.

Katy Beinart www.katybeinart.co.uk

Jon Adams alternativeplatform.googlepages.com/

Jo Thomas www.jothomas.net

Jo Thomas

Artist and teacher. She is currently working towards a practise based PhD at Oxford Brookes University.

First published: a-n.co.uk March 2010