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CM:While visiting the Whitechapel Gallery to view Fred Sandback we took some time to browse the bookshop, luckily we were restrained in terms of purchase as we could have spent up. By pure chance we bumped into Leeds artist Andy Abbott and found ourselves with lots to talk about, so resolved to do this properly over grilled food and a few beers back down Brick Lane.

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Being based in Yorkshire and having worked on many related projects and being members of many inter-relating collectives and networks in the region, we reflected on the nature of this peer network and the role of criticality within it. Various initiatives exist – writers’ blogs, forums, groups – aim to instigate critical dialogue around activity in Leeds more so than anywhere else in the region, with varied levels of success.

What distinguishes the aims of CWC is both extended coverage of the whole region, and our openness to writers as a collective rather than an attempt to cover this activity ourselves. Talking about other forums in the region, we’ve often considered the problems we may face in recruiting more writers, maintaining editorial quality control and maintaining regular content (the latter concern is something that originally took us away from a regular content format – away from providing an online publishing platform or monthly publication). We recognise the strength of the regional community and the ways in which it allows it’s members to create opportunities for each other, but also how this often it develops a strong DIY or artist-led ethic. We are operating across the board – covering institutional activity to artist-led or collective projects as well as acting as one ourselves, which raises issues around the role of criticality/criticism in these networks (and the distinction between the two – see JJ Charlesworth’s recent article in Art Monthly Issue 346, Criticism v Critique.) Will our writing validate the artists by giving them exposure, playing a commercial role, or create unwelcome debate around works in a network built upon intersecting personal/professional relationships and friendships?

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Talking with Andy, we also came to think about the role of the various universities that to some extent shape the ethics and practice coming from the regions art graduates, and therefore the various pockets of activity and groups that comprise the complex local network. We talked at length about graduate schemes, local prizes and the various strategic or critical choices artists make in terms of the direction of their career. As I am involved in an alternative education project I often find myself questioning ways in which debates around art education might intersect with the collective, and how the collective also acts as a support network and research project as well as a publishing platform.

A decision we are currently faced with has the potential to define in part our ethos and aims – to sell or to distribute free of charge. Originally we planned to distribute our lightweight publications in places where free magazines and flyers/brochures are picked up as well as art/gallery bookshops. We hoped this would encourage a wider readership and one not specific to art, since the discussions some issues will cover will be relevant to a wide readership. However, the cost of doing this may be prohibitive and we are reluctant to opt ton include advertising. Would a small fee put off a reader or actually add value? Would this though limit the potential audience to ‘stockists’? These are thingd Andy offered invaluable advice with, drawing from his experience producing various multiples with Black Dogs including the Black Dogs Almanac.

Together we spent the afternoon visiting Metropotamia, Tim Ivison and Julia Tcharfas at Hilary Crisp, the Freedom Bookshop and The Work of the Spirit (Parade), Tamar Guimarães at Gasworks – I thought this show was great (not the best example of critical writing!)


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