Travel Bursary 2017

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We are delighted to let you know that your application for an a-n Travel bursary has been successful. You will receive your offer letter shortly attached in a separate email. Please read the terms of the offer and complete the details on the form, sign the offer and return directly to myself (saved as a word file with your name first in the file name) by Fri 10 March.

I saw Stuart Edmundson at an event at The Harris and recalled him speaking at The International 3 (a contemporary art gallery in Manchester) about a residency he had done in Dresden. Boom! He emails me a couple of emails; I email the emails; the emails email back!

Tina has now moved to Berlin but gives me details of an artist led studio, which is also the one in the back of the book that Ben (from The Birley studios bought recently whilst visiting artist led studios in Birmingham) leant me about artist led studios called Artist-Run Europe Practice/Projects/Spaces. She says if I go to Berlin we should meet. What’s ‘of course’ in German. Daniel emails and asks what I mean “artist-led studios”[1].

I look at his website and see work which is both M art in Creed and M art in Hamblen.

I feel a Peppard plan coming together.

[1] See Hypothesis…to be written

Supported by a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company.

2

The space between the border controls and the revolving doors is congested, kettled. The train time tables are black and yellow. I see a road sign storage facility (I notice later that some signs aren’t fixed, just weighed down) and sheds on stilts (sometimes a single seat, like a lifeguard’s lookout). The roads are quiet.

There’s a hand drawn poster for 1000 drawings night…

I try to access my email on a tablet but my service provider wants to security check who I am because I am logging in from a different device. They want to send a code to an alternative email account (foxtrot.uniform) which I would then use to get back into this email. The problem is, I don’t store the papa whiskey for foxtrot.uniform in my memory so I’m schtuck ja!

A switch flicks. I check my bags. I can’t find my Deutsche Bahn train ticket, that’s unusual. I realise/remember I didn’t/must’n’ve printed it off. I go to the DB but they say no order no. no ticket. I ask to speak with a manager. The manager says no order no. no ticket. I’ll have to buy a new one. A man with no lower legs brings me back to the present, momentarily.

I try the emails again but, of course, same loop lock-in. I buy a new train ticket and go to a new platform. The departure time passes, I ask another passenger. Seems the DB changed the platform but didn’t announce it! I return to the ticket counter. I text Chris constant change he replies beers still in the fridge. It’s easy to wonder if this has happened for a reason but it’s as easy to remember the opposite. The lesson is write down order nos. and passwords; just for the duration of the journey.

Solar panelled covered car parks; fields of sun flower stalks (dead) and Audis in balaclavas on the back of train transporters.

DB deduction – the train says Hof (I wonder if George Lucas visited) but it’s only 16.17 and the train I want is 16.37 but looking at the black and yellow timetable the platform and the train concur. I ask a women, she concurs. I get on.

Verkehrstage (Days of operation)

Moon day

Mars day

Mercury day

Jupiter day

Venus day

Saturn day

Sun day

Supported by a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company.

3

Moon Day

CC rings Daniel to ask if he would like lunch (CC has looked up falafel options – Louisenstrabe). He doesn’t but when we meet in Marche at Dresden train station, face to face, he apologises. We can use our train tickets on the Street trains; we get on a 3 to… www.zentralwerk.de/wordpress

Daniel gives us a brief synopsis. A foundation buys the building (a former detonations manufacturing factory) then lease the building back on a fixed term ice cream deal (99 years). The collective (10-15 people) who have worked together towards this end/beginning for the last 10-15 years live on the top two floors (an echo of the past). There is no 3rd party management. The 99 (I notice there are posters for Nena) year deal creates certainty and security which gives freedom.

There are two floors below the collective’s living space occupied by artists; two bunkers either side of the main building and a separate building, across the courtyard, being renovated. Daniel’s studio is in the main building; it is double height, waist to ceiling windows, overlooking the concrete courtyard with a mezzanine above the door storing his completed work (see http://www.danielrode.de/rodeseiten/rodeworks.html).

On the S train Daniel described how his previous studios, purely artists, wasn’t necessarily as active as where he is now. He was being diplomatic but demonstrated his point when we visited the vertical bunkers either side of the main building. Of the three artists who answered his knocks (he explained who we were and asked if we could look at their studios) only one said ja; a painter, who also taught kids karate, amongst other things.

In contrast, everyone who answered knocks in the main building said ja to us looking at their studios: three conservators, a publisher, an open source web designer, an artist writing her PhD thesis and Daniel. Apparently there’s a bee keeper too!

Whilst CC conversed with the web designer Daniel and I checked out the building to be renovated. It reminded me of the empty, unused post office in Preston city centre (part of a triptych of buildings surrounding The Flag Market, Preston’s agora); primarily because both have a dance floor whose dancing days are over; the parquet peeling in both. A difference though is Dresden is doing something about it. Treading carefully, on point, we looked around. Easy to see, so much potential.

Back in Daniel’s studio he showed me his work – Alternative Facts (2017). Some of which have been sold so he was asked to do more. I was also interested in his work Something Personal (2013). I’d seen it on his website and it caught my eye (my ego, my I). Because of its overlap; it’s vesica piscis with my own practice. Daniel explained – the work was created towards the end of five years living in Egypt and he wanted to do something that was within his control. Back on the S train to Neustadt for coffee and cake, we ‘corner’ and watch the world go by.

The waitressh callsh ush boysh – maybe it’s a Dresden thing because CC and I experienced the shame Shean Connery delivery lasht time we were in Dreshden.

The locals wait for the green go, we run for the Strain.

Supported by a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company.

4

45, Mercury

Karl-Marx Stadt – Chemnitz Chimney, like a tall can of OK energy drink. We find food first; both places we’ve looked up are open and nearly next door neighbours. Dhal or falafel, dhal or falafel. Syria wins but salty yoghurts are an acquired taste.

In the Chemnitz equivalent of Preston’s Flag Market we see some chairs. It’s a hair dressers. The chairs are for customers to sit and wait whilst their hair colour kicks in. They, she, didn’t know of any artist run studios but living in Plauen illicits the same Saxon response – laughter! We’re directed to the Kunstammlungen (where we were going). The front of house doubles up as the drinks/food service provider point. It’s easy; two birds, ein stein! I (re) imagine The Harris (Preston’s Museum and Art gallery) could do something similar, the same in fact. We visit Culture Cuts Cody Choi.

Tourist information advises right then left to catch the 23 to Schonherr Fabrik Kulturehaus K40. The left is being dug up. Train tracks are being laid but no bus stop station seems obvious to us. We bitch about the tourist info. We walk two blocks straight on, to a big intersection, turn left then walk…we’re doubling back on ourselves. I see a 23! The next one is in 30 minutes. If we’d have done as we were told we’d’ve been on that bus but we didn’t so we weren’t. Sofort says the sign, it means immediately. We alight at Schonherr, read the plan and walk towards T40/K40 but nothing obvious alerts us to artists. There is no sign saying Kunstists!

It’s coffee and cake time. One place serves coffee but no cake! And the other place doesn’t start serving until after 5 – what market are they catering for? Discuss. Maybe all the professional people who finish work at 5 pile in, maybe it was more of a bar. Many, many years ago, before I was born my Grandma and Grandad used to have a Fish n Chip shop at the non-dead end end of Dock Road in Lytham. Their market (back then) was the factory workers of one road buying their lunch.

We’ve ten minutes until I hit the hangry wall! My physiology is phizzing. We give the kunstists the benefit of the doubt and go again to T40/K40. We find the door. It’s closed but unlocked so we enter. We knock, on each door, on each floor, but there’s no answer. A big poster shows today’s date, an opening must be tonight…

Supported by a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company.

5

Jupiter

Left instead of right.

Zwickau, 30 minutes away.

I get to the “small streets” but the tourist info is elusive.

Second circle around I find it.

They’re unaware of any artist’s studios and google it

(I’ve tried that already).

They give me a map which shows the town art gallery (3 Euros entry).

Photographs hung from high up, scaled down skirting board thingy…day do’h rail.

1 or 2 nice images but mainly hobby.

I return right.

Supported by a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company.