Radius 2012?

January 2011 I was invited to blog about the NON-Festival in Bergen Norway. The largest performance festival in Bergen to date initiated by artist, Agnes Nedregard who was supported by a team of dedicated artists, sponsors, and volunteers.

This project was inspiring and what I want to touch on was the spirit of the festival. A group of international artists were invited to Bergen to work in residence for a week and then perform within the three-day festival. The artists had total artistic freedom and had no pre-conceived product of what their performance would be.

There was a lot of risk involved because there were no restrictions, nor were the artist’s asked to report, propose, or identify what they were going to do before they did it. This was the exciting bit, not spontaneous art but there was only an invitation to show their work….

Last year Radius was the collection of events and exhibitions that happened during GI 2010 that shared similar elements.  Artists that live and work in Glasgow were invited to share their event or exhibition as part of Radius; existing in small venues, in-between official GI places, spaces and activity. It was supported by Central Station and the Skinny as well as working in collaboration with Atypical Root. There were no qualifications, just the goods and minimal effort to be included.

It happened because as an artist and director I didn’t meet the cut of the official festival but I was still so far into my planning, preparing and scheduling I was still determined to have it happen and let people know it was happening. I knew there would be others too so I set out trying to find them.

My experience as art director of Montgomery’s Café is this. Audience is powerful, and it’s everywhere. I have had many great experiences working with many different artists and I’ve had an international collector walk into the Montgomery’s Café and buy an entire show.  Things that make exhibitions happen are: a lot of work, commitment and belief, always on a minimal budget, some trading and a lot of community support.

It’s important to take risks and to take yourself and your audience seriously; these actions create knowledge, personal and professional. It also builds relationships, continuity and clarity. Each year I aspire to be an artist, and on the way I see myself five years ago in someone else, it means I have diversified my efforts.

Sometimes the best things come from the most restricted budget, things in the rough are incredibly interesting. I like thinking of myself as an independent voice; it gives me fuel, determination and freedom. To round it out, my point is that artists have a voice whether the funding bodies are able to support them or not, Radius was support in kind without expectation, but I wasn’t disappointed and I would welcome enquiries, suggestions and ideas if other independent voices wanted to contribute. It’s around the corner!!

1. Jo Mango – collectors’ edition 10″ double single, The Moth & The Moon / The Black Sun

Album artwork and packaging for Scottish musician Jo Mango by Rydo! and Hanna Tuulikki. The three didn’t know each other before the project and Jo found and commissioned them through Central Station. See Rydo’s showcase for more images of the work.

2. Filmmakers Group Edinburgh

This informal group was set up via Central Station. Lina has recently blogged to say that they currently have 21 filmmakers and are hoping to announce joint projects and collaborations in the near future. Watch this space.

3. Strawberry Fields

In January this year Genevieve did a call out to curators, designers and sound artists for her project Strawberry Fields – an exhibition based on work inspired by the Beatles song of the same name. She was also on the look out for a venue. Within 24 hours she’d found a whole team to work with and a space and the exhibition took place the following month. Success.

4. Radius

Image: Entry/exit site view by grahamlister

In the lead up to Glasgow International Festival there were several Central Station members who had planned an exhibition but whose submissions hadn’t been accepted. After discussions on the site, spearheaded by Stephanie Spindler, Radius developed as a series of fringe events happening around the city during the festival.

5. Uzzz

uzzz.JPG
The ultimate collaboration and a project that introduced the world to Central Station. We asked for our members to submit an image that tells the audience something significant or revealing about them. Alec Farmer then created a video entitled Uzzz from the submissions and Jack McConchie from the band Isosceles did the soundtrack.

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See more of our Top 5 selections here.

5/3  Radius in Motion

Actually I’ve left off half way through 5/2. As I’m walking back from Govan, I surrender that I am indeed not going to see everything; I ask myself if have I enjoyed this project?

My answer to that was to stop in to Vestiges park, grab some blue clay, sit on a bench marked number 12 on the park map and listen to my last sound work of the festival while I make my own wee creature to add to the mix.

Vestiges Park was a highlight; it was fun, and well put together.

I enjoyed my last day in the field of the festival by attending the Le Drapeau noir Closing party. Raydale Dower played the obo while accompanied by other musicians.

I thought by having a little rest before I wrote my final blog would help me re charge my battery, but it hasn’t really. The festival is over and I’m glad. I did enjoy it, I love art and I would never miss the opportunity to see it when it’s on my doorstep.

It’s the best tool to challenge the mind and keep the cogs turning.

One thing that has bothered me and is still haunting me is all these whispers about anti-GI sentiment. The truth is the festival has only inspired me since 2004. I’m not sure why this year was different; I’ve only been an audience up until now. Diversity is important and that is all I’m going to say about the festival.

Central Station made a huge difference by acknowledging the project. I suppose it’s difficult to tell if what you have contributed is worthy of being viewed. I have met a lot of people, seen a lot of spaces, places and happenings I never would have, I have been engaged, inspired and exhausted.

It has forced me to look at where I live and see it in a different way, on multiple levels. It has reminded me that making the effort and being engaged in what is happening is worth the effort.

I still need time to process all the work and the experience itself but I will keep it until I am ready to purge.

A huge Thanks to Central Station, The Skinny, all the participants in Radius, (including designers, artists, volunteers who helped make it happen) Atypical Root, and  the Gi Festival. I’ll see ya round.

Best,

Stephanie

“A May Day Manifesto Meander Doon The Watter…

As part of Radius, a programme of art events on the fringe of Glasgow International, a look at some of the radical aspects of Glasgow along the banks of it’s main river, the Clyde, from Chartism through Abolitionism to the Spanish Civil War, with a few songs thrown in at the end including a swing version of ‘We Don’t Need This Fascist Thang’.”

Involves THARMAS.

Finale Atypical Root

SUNDAY 2ND MAY 2010: 12-5: The Launch of the Govan Armada, Bike-So-Cool, and an exhibition at the Govanheim. Riverside Hall

The Bike-So-Cool convoy, left at 12 noon from David Dale Gallery (Bridgeton) travelled through town via GI exhibitions to reach Clydebrae Street for the Launch of the Govan Armada

I don’t know where to begin, this was an amazing event, not just in the day but also in the totality of the concept to celebrate and draw attention to life along the Clyde.

I went down to the launch and it was buzzing with kids, parents, and volunteers, around these super cool boats that were made out of the refuse collected from the river, they had a message of hope (message in a bottle) element and were ceremoniously launched into the Clyde via a dingy and celebrated by the creators and admirers along the shore.

The Bike so cool rode in from their cycle trip from the David Dale Gallery to Clydbrae, which traced the entire Atypical Root project via their bikes.

I really did not understand the Atyp project until I went to this event and then walked

home along the Clyde. I had previously explored events by Atypical Root earlier in the festival, but nothing impacted me as much as this day. There is virtually a wasteland between the Armada launch and the BBC, which is a good 20-minute walk between.

There is amazing architecture surrounding the Clyde as well as obvious neglect and overall run-down apathy toward the community and the history that have somehow met and found themselves suffering from the same kind of indifference.

This weighed heavy on me as I walked home, which is the West End, posh indeed. As I

was crossing the millenium bridge, dead center in the middle was a stencilled graffiti. Intentionally placed and intense; was it salvation or the end? Desperation.. The message said

I have just prayed to a God I don’t believe in.

Ironically someone pencilled in an S in front of Prayed which actually didn’t change it that much for me, sprayed or prayed both acts of intimacy, desperate for attention or intervention. At least Sprayed implies the planting of seed even if it was meant as a lude gesture. The Irony is absolutely as aloud as can be.

I can’t help but think of  Modern Terra  by Allison Gibbs and Christoph Büchel New Commission work a t Tramway. As much as those works affected me I couldn’t help but think “who needs installation when you can go to Govan and experience it first hand, without any pre-conception”. I suppose that’s the point without someone pointing out what’s going on, no one sees it.

What a state of affairs. I have been inspired and I hope to do a follow up with some of the heads behind Atypical Root. I believe this kind of project and some attention could make a significant impact on this landscape, and that is what Glasgow needs, on so many levels.

Lost and Found Street level

“King’s Ransom (Hybrid Tea), Linder, Sorcha Dallas

Still Life, Dan Miller, SWG3 off site Osborne St

Better World Sandy Smith, SWG3 off site Osborne St.

Metal Urban Jim Lambie, Modern Institute 14-20 Osborne St.

Musique d’ameublement A tribute to Erik Satie, Played by Jamie Bolland at Le Drapeau Noir

New work from Europe was part of a two-part location exhibition a selection of work from the Outsider Art Biennale previously held at the Rackstad Museum in Arvika, Sweden.

The work again was wonderful, the inhibition, and subject matter infer playful uncensored qualities and adult content. I think this combination is more prevalent in children than we like to admit and takes a state of mind where all content is un- censorable and all expression is direct and honest.  I always go away with a sense of relief and liberation when I go to project ability. I am under no duress or  am I subjected to “politically correct” art or “fashionable” content, just contact with un- inhibited content by people expressing their life and ideas.

Street Level has a fantastic collection of video installations that have been largely unseen from previous exhibitions.

Kevin Atherton

Stephen Littman

Pictorial Heroes

Zoe Redman

Stephen Partridge

Tony Sinden

These works are exciting and have survivied time as film media  and progressive technological advances are making even showing these works quite a challenge.

See them while you can it might be your last opportunity. The quality of the installation is superb.

Linder at Sorcha Dallas. This exhibition of new and old works is fabuloso. Don’t be afraid of masterbating women, take it in stride it’s not new it’s just not normally presented in a gallery for all to enjoy. Ah the strength of this work makes me feel a little better about being a woman artist in Glasgow. (A little personal insight into my own artistic interest) The collages are stunning and the sculptural installation makes me feel like I am still in the presence of the Cakewalk. On till May 22^nd it will be getting another visit from me.

Still Life by Dan Miller. The text accompanying this show explains the intellectual relationship you might have with the exhibition… I just liked how white, damp and phallic it was. What  a great space, I hope SWG3 can do more with spaces like this, it is so much more accessable than the Warehouse.

Better World by Sandy Smith

This is a very interesting show. “promiscuous tarts” is used in the writing about this exhibition. I think that is a wonderful

description, I would say that the text is indulgent but so is the work and that’s what makes it great. It is exacuted  beautifully with extreme material contrasts, lots of shiny reflective surfaces in the midst of lots of colourful shiny lights. I f I were to describe this show out loud, I doubt it would sound like it worked, but there is a beauty in all the contrasts, persoanable suggestive texts, technology and architecture.  It is seductive and dream like, as a viewer I don’t always like a lot of intellectual talk to ruin my experience of a work; my inner child was awoken from the night I used to play with my light brite, and leave it on all through the night. “  never felt closer to you than this” is a great way describe the otherness that accompanies this exhibition.

Jim Lambie Metal Urban at the Modern Institute,

Coloring and compression, the combination of things recycled, walked upon, reflected and mirrored. Lots of color, lots of  compressed metal sculptures. I didn’t not like it, it was inviting, it had a Brancusi like feeling to the forms, not similar in simplicity, but the feeling of effortless exsistance.  It was like walking into a night club full of art, bright and mod. This was one of the last things I checked out that afternoon. I think I need to revisit it. ®®®®

Musique d’ameublement A tribute to Erik Satie, Played by Jamie Bolland at Le Drapeau Noir

 My last quiet event of the night. It was music being played on the piano, music of Saite. There was a strange guest amongst the crowd, I feel as if I have really missed something because I couldn’t make the historical connections.

Hopefully someone can fill me in. The atmoshere was lovely and I behaved.

Schema at the Che Camille venue,  Good Gallery, Pecha Kucha, Tent to Ten on Dixon St.

The White bikes! Le Drapeau Noir!!! Susane Philipsz! Modern Terra! The Glue Factory!

It has been really hard work to try to see everything. Today my goal is t see Tramway the Duchy gallery and Market Gallery followed by a performance at Le Drapeau Noir by Diane Torr.

There really is nothing like seeing art first hand. I have met a lot of people that have been so busy with their own projects that they haven’t had time to see anything. Make time People! Put it in your diary and just make yourself go. You won’t regret it even if you don’t like it in the end, you learn a lot by talking constructively about something you thought was poor. At least I do.

Schema by Helen Shaddock

Atypical Root: Kate V Robertson, A Stone’s Throw: The Govan Beacon, Sam Stead, Anthony Shrag

Cleansing the House With Ink; Ricefield Gallery

Che Camille is located on the 6^th floor of the Argyle Arcade; there homes a workshop for designers and a shop floor featuring custom clothing, jewellery, accessories and has created a space for artists to exhibit their work. It is like a candy shop filled with beautiful things, textures and curiosities that beg to be worn and lusted after.

Helen Shaddock has created new work for her solo exhibition titled Schema.

Grace and Divide

Shaddock has created intricate drawings, a product of exploring two conflicting states of being rigidity and spontaneity. Out of a collection of Shaddocks obsessive collection of photographs of lines, stripes, colour and repeated patterns, she has applied a process of drawing to bring order, and refinement.

Shaddock has produced visually elegant places by constructing a delicate architectural like measurement, to something that occurred naturally within her milieu. She has applied order and re-organization, layering and marrying two disparate means of process that would seemingly be in conflict but have created a new landscape and space for the eye and mind to investigate.

First Tiger were playing for our browsing pleasure. We liked them alot!

Atypical Root This is an extremely important and supportive emerging, not-for –profit, artist-led initiative, and official but unfunded event for GI. Natalie Lambert is the curator and project lead for Atyp. The project is a public art trail through the regenerating/degenerating areas along the Clyde Riverside. Sunday I walked down Kelvinhaugh st. to the pedestrian bridge that takes you across the M-8 to the science center. I visited Kate V Robertson Meeting place in front of the BBC , A stones Throw Away: The Govan Beacon, I continued to follow the Atyp trail markers past a public sculpture by Sam Stead to the Slip Rd Where Anthony Shragg did a public lecture about the social responsibility of the Chair in public art works and then invited the audience to create a public art work with the stack of chairs he was giving his talk from. It was fun. I was disappointed that the weather was a bit crap as I think it deterred people from coming along. Don’t miss next weekend, as there are a host of things happening including a really cool Launch of the Govan Armada launched from Clydebrae Gallery Exhibition and Bike-So-Coo, a zany celebration of Glasgow bike culture 24 in the mini skinny in the Atypical Root listing.

The final event of the day was Cleansing the House With Ink at Ricefield Gallery 34 Albion St. (This is marked incorrectly on our map, I blame Google, but apologies if anyone turned up at their old location.)

This was a wonderful culturally diverse experience: poetry and traditional Chinese singing and music were composed into a very intimate performance. I couldn’t help be seduced by the interesting display of traditional Chinese instruments and the sculptural sounds that came from Liu Fong part of the Harmony Chinese Music Ensemble. If you are one of those people that find Glasgow art scene a bit “samey” try reaching out to Ricefield, you are guaranteed to find a journey to another place through their program.

Thank you to all the performers and Ricefield Gallery for participating in Radius.

Spin tour, The Common Guild, Roundabout, Kelvingrove Art Galleries, David Shrigley, Tramway the Tea Party

Spin is great! http://www.glasgowinternational.org/index.php/events/view/spin_off/ You could probably still book a tour if you haven’t yet. Today we started at The Common Guild; a gallery in the home of Douglas Gordon, posh and a beautiful space to see a show, I’m going to refrain from saying anything about the show until I see the off site film by Gerard Byrne at the Gi hub. This work is layered and I tried to describe understanding it like doing a complicated math problem in my head. It can be confusing but the show is done well, it’s contemplative and reflective.

We then did a short walk through the park and I was invited to talk about Brian McCutcheons’ work Roundabout. The people on the tour were disappointed to hear it was only a temporary installation, meaning they thought it was great fun and they enjoyed it. I had one person on the tour ask how I got the pole installed.

David Shrigley at Kelvingrove Art Gallery. This show was very humorous and I enjoyed Shrigley’s light heartedness and simplicity. This work operates on many levels and I like the immediacy of the shapes, materials and willingness to have it be what it is, and that’s what he meant.  Don’t miss the drawers, this is in the research library on the second level. The drawers …

Off to the Mitchell Library, we were lucky enough to have a talk by Kendall Koppe  (the founding director of Washington Garcia) about the work.

This was my second time at the exhibition and I liked it as much if not more the second time around, sometimes art is like that, a little time to help digest the space and the work in context.

I will be off to the Tramway to see The Party  it is a collaborative project in the tradition of The Theatre of the Absurd and includes characters of an artist, designer, philosopher/critic and ingénue.

Mary Mary Gallery presents

Artists: Alexis Marguerite Teplin

Tomorrow is Sunday the 25^th I will be attending the private view of Schema  by Helen Shaddock at Che Camilles at 13:00 on from 12:00-5:00, music at 13:00 and 3:00; I will then be off to Atypical Root to explore performances by Anthony Shragg and other artists along the Clyde. I hope they get as nice weather as today. It will be a great day out.  I will also be attending Cleansing The House With Ink

Ricefield Arts and Cultural Centre. 25/4

A multimedia collaboration based on performance and works on paper by Thomas Jacobi, poem by David Greygoose with parallel Chinese translation by Yupin Chung.

19.00 – 21.00 Sun 25 Apr 2010

Ricefield Arts and Cultural Centre

3rd Floor

34 Albion Street (enter via 32 Albion Street)

G1 1LH

This event is free but

Booking recommended.

info@ricefield.org.uk

Feel free to meet me at Schema for a walk and a chat about the festival; I would love to hear how people are finding the festival and if Radius has been something that they have followed.

“Maria Thereza Alves, a Brazilian artist living in Europe, researches social and cultural phenomena working particularly with situations which question social circumstances about what we think we know and who we think we are instead at where and how we actually are at this time.” (GSA Events Blurb about M T A)

The talk “Urgent and Not So Urgent Possibilities” was not a well-attended GI lecture event. The artist spoke specifically about some examples of her previous work, in a sparsely populated GFT Theatre on 23^rd April.

When an artist sets about discussing their work, it can be expected that some of the conceptual foundations may not be easily transmitted to the viewers or listeners. I would suggest this is because of the fact that underlying principles are shaped by a multitude of factors. These factors can encompass beliefs, opinions and experiences, and the internal nature of the intentions behind art works can be difficult to articulate in a meaningful and quantifiable manner.

The reason that I make this admittedly general statement regarding the conceptual basis of art works is that it seemed that the articulation of the conceptual foundations was absent from Maria Theresa Alves’ talk. These elements surely should have been foregrounded as being key within her practice?

The examples the artist chose to showcase were quite wide-ranging in terms of format, and I would have expected to gain a sense of them by noticing and understanding the theoretical underpinnings they shared.

However, although some sort of connecting thread was visible on a few occasions (about “what we think we know and who we think we are”), her works felt somewhat disjointed, perhaps even coming across either as being developed on unsteady foundations, or as morphing into outcomes based on uncertain/very generalised lines of inquiry. In particular, could one perhaps question both the conceptual process of identifying and hypothesising the travel ideas and the relative merits of the frieze outcome of her ‘seed-migration-through-the-ages’ project for the Guangzhou Triennial?

It could be that rather than the exploratory / historical / ecological art projects (as they seemed to be described), her work is actually much more akin to a set of personal stories?

It could be that the very generalised narrative structure which the works seemed to possess was actually intended to bring to light issues connected with the lack of knowledge we have about the creation of our surrounding environment?

In my mind, such analysis of the works would make them, without exception, more interesting. Instead, these types of ideas were not acknowledged and this left me wondering if they were perhaps much less successful works than they pertained to be?

I do not think that a relatively short presentation talk, to such a small audience, talking briefly about a few works can really be expected to do either an artist or their practice justice. The fact that you also cannot seem to see any of Maria Theresa Alves’ works in Glasgow during GI does also not seem to make sense.

I believe that the Sculpture Studios are involved with the artist in a residency of sorts and I hope that the result of this can be shown in the city. Otherwise it could conceivably be the case that seeking out new work by Maria Theresa Alves make just become a “not so urgent possibility”