Christine Stender
AM7003
June 2016
Word count: 5038
Research Paper – Kingdom of Boredom This paper analyses the use of alternatives art spaces in Bath based on primary and secondary research, focussing on a case study of the exhibition Kingdom of Boredom, based in a laundrette. The aim of this research paper is to answer the following main research questions: - Why are alternative exhibition spaces needed? - How does relationship between art and small businesses work?
The paper starts off with giving insights in the theoretical background needed, firstly looking at alternative exhibition spaces in the UK, then at the specialities of curatorial practice in an alternative exhibition space and lastly, it looks at what type of business relations between the two parties, company and the arts, is required. This secondary research is complemented by primary research, in form of the case study Kingdom of Boredom. The case study accumulates input from different primary research that was gathered before and during the festival. It takes into account the differences in perspective from stakeholders involved in the project, like the artists, visitors and the owner of the venue, by conducting expert and focus group interviews. Experts that have been interviewed are: Scarlett Mosnier, one of the festivals main organisers provided input into the cultural scene in Bath and the city’s situation regarding alternative exhibition spaces. Waterhouse, Coles, Hill, Wagg and Bennett are artists taking part in the exhibition and shared their insights into setting up a show in an alternative exhibition space. James Van Flute, the owner of the Spruce Goose laundrette, was interviewed about his perspective on the exhibition and his impressions about the use of commercially used spaces as venues. To gain as much information as possible and to not influence the participants most of the given questions are open questions, only a few are closed, and there are no scaled questions. All questionnaires can be found in the attachments 1 – 7. Finally, quantitative research was conducted to be able to take into account the visitors’ point of view. This as well was gathered using a survey, which can be found in attachment 8. Replies are to be found in attachment 9 - 20. Scaled and open questions were used, to collect as much concrete information possible in a short period of time, to not hold up the visitors/ users for too long. 1
Alternative exhibition spaces (in the UK) Alternative exhibition spaces evolved out of a situation many artists in America in the 50’s and 60’s were in. Because of the rather strict view of museums and galleries, what should be seen as art, ‘the development of conceptually oriented, non-commercial forms such as video, installations and actions’ was not supported by traditional arts venues (Atkins, 1998). Therefore artists started to ‘band together’ to create their own spaces, focussing on art that was not accepted by traditional museums and galleries (Atkins, 1998). According to Perina (2014), alternative exhibition spaces as ‘new cultural spaces were in continuous evolution’ and were a new way ‘to achieve a more free way of proposing art to different audiences’ – in that time focussing on new or unusual art forms. As exhibitions in alternative spaces can take place ‘anywhere that an audience can view the objects’ (KU, 2016), one might distinguish between ‘commercially used venues’ and ‘empty spaces’ (Perina, 2014). These empty spaces benefit from a trend that is described in the case study Pop-Up Shops Handbook by the artists project Transported (Thompson, 2013): ‘the decline of the High Street’. In the opening of their study they argue: ‘You might think that the High Street is in trouble. Shops have closed, […] people are spending more time at out-of-town retail parks or shopping online. But these empty spaces in town centres are […] perfect places for temporary, pop up projects. And these may show what tomorrow’s High Street will look like’ (Thompson, 2013: 2). The case study argues that ‘the public want to come back into these previously private, commercial spaces in town centres and make them their own again’, putting these in a more creative and artistic context (Thompson, 2013: 2). With the increase of public interest in the cultural use of empty spaces, ‘curators adopted new attitudes towards the concept of alternative spaces, creating hybrid models with not-for-profit and for-profit components’ (Perina, 2014). The exhibition This is the Gallery and the Gallery is many Things, which took place in 2008 in an empty space in Birmingham, aimed to ‘alter or refurbish existing structures as a means of surviving in a capitalist economy’ (Eastside Projects, 2008), and can be used as an example for the described development. Taking into account Perina’s (2014) findings together with the Transported case study (2013) and the exhibition This is the Gallery and the Gallery is many Things, it becomes clear that the motivation of being in alternative exhibition spaces has changed since its beginnings in the middle of the 20th century in the US (Atkins, 1998). Whilst the early days of alternative exhibition spaces were shaped by the artists’ need to find venues outside the traditional museum and gallery which did not accept the artists’ works, the motivation now seems to be more about ‘a diverse scope of relationships and connections’ between different artists but 2
also with the public (Eastside Projects, 2008). This can be underlined by an Australian case study stating that ‘unconventional arts spaces are popping up in many Australian cities, changing the appreciation and role of contemporary visual art in their local communities’ (Morelli, 2015). Even though based in another continent, one could argue that this change of perception in people’s mind-sets is not geographically bound. While early alternative exhibition spaces in their purpose also needed to function as studio and workspaces (Atkins, 1998), the alternative exhibition space today does not rely on this feature and therefore can also be a ‘commercially used venue’, aiming ‘to bring them [= the art works] a step closer to the public without any intermediary’ (Quest, 2015). The commercially used venue, as mentioned in the beginning of this paragraph is the second kind of alternative exhibition spaces. According to Horejs (2015) exhibiting in commercially used spaces is different in the sense that in addition to the traditional stakeholders in the exhibition context, one has to consider the business owner’s opinion and motivations. He argues nonetheless that the business owner would ‘not be looking at this as an opportunity to make a commission on sales and increase their revenue’ (Horejs, 2015) and therefore sales should not be an artist’s main goal when exhibiting in such venues. He rather describes displaying in commercially used alternative exhibiting spaces as an ‘opportunity to increase your local exposure and make contacts with potential local supporters’ (Horejs, 2015). Yet again this underlines the purpose of connecting with the visitor. Walcot Chapel:
(Hompton, 2010)
3
To analyse the situation in Bath regarding alternative exhibition spaces; the expert interview with Scarlett Mosnier, who is one of the main organisers of Fringe Arts Bath festival and strongly connected within the art scene in Bath, provides further information. As stated in the interview, which can be found in attachment 1, she puts her priority on the visual contemporary art scene, as this is what she is involved with the most. She describes the art scene in Bath as ‘amazing, lively and interesting, with a lot going on’. But she also points out that ‘whilst the traditional museums and gallery spaces are well known by the public, organisation outside the traditional system can be tricky to find and one needs to actively look for them’. According to Mosnier that also means that as an artist in Bath ‘you need to work for it and push to get recognized and displayed. It is not given. There are limited spaces and more artists than possibilities to exhibit.’ When asked about alternative exhibition spaces in Bath, Mosnier replies that even though there are ‘more and more’, the underlying problem is the management that is needed to set up alternative exhibition spaces: ‘what people often don’t realise, the amount of hours you have to spend to set up, organise and manage these spaces. The management is the framework that’s needed to make an exhibition possible.’ The spaces, which already exist in Bath, are, according to Mosnier: ‘for example Walcot Chapel, Hatton Row on Walcot Street, the Society Café, Chapel Arts Café, our venues [= empty buildings, FaB rents from the council], the College, a few hairdressers and pubs, and now Spruce Goose. A lot of these venues are closely linked to the arts organisations mentioned in the first question.’ Art’s organisations, which are involved in creating alternative exhibition spaces are, again according to Mosnier: ‘FaB, 44AD, Bath Artist Studios, Bath Artist Print Makers, Function Room Art, Art Bar, Creativity Works, Action on Hearing Loss, Walcot Chapel as an entity of its own right, ICIA.’ She adds that she focusses on visual art’s organisations, leaving out for example the Natural Theatre Company.
Curating an alternative exhibition space According to Perina (2014) ‘the history of curating has always been connected with the history of exhibitions’, as they are mutually dependent on each other. As pointed out in the conceptual framework paper, ‘the methods of displaying art have transformed’ (Maak, Klonk and Demand, 2011) from the rather open and casual museum in the late eighteenth century, which Klonk (2010) describes as ‘widely accessible […] public space(s) in the midst of the city that could replace the park on rainy days’. It transformed to a, in modern museology highly criticized, system that according to Ross (2004: 85) was characterised as an ‘atmosphere of exclusiveness and intellectual asceticism’. ‘The 4
consequent ‘exclusivity’ (Hooper-Greenhill 2000, cited in McCall and Gray, 2014), which surrounded museums and exhibitions, results in Morelli’s (2015) argument that ‘they [the visitors] may find traditional galleries intimidating’’, as again underlined in the conceptual framework paper (Stender, 2016a). The intention of alternative exhibition spaces to be easily accessible for the public also needs to be translated into the way an exhibition is curated. Cachia (2014) states that ‘curators are playing a more critical role in working with their publics, rather than with objects […] to create meaningful and accessible experiences’. Johnston (2014) in her article Slow Curating argues that in the context of working with a space and the public, curators can ‘no longer be the alleged standard bearer of authority and expertise’. ‘Curatorial curiosity’ is, according to Johnston (2014), the curator’s response to ‘artists responding to context’. Johnston (2014) also points out that within current curatorial practice ‘curators have become cultural producers and exhibition makers’, rather than figures of authority. Hooper-Greenhill’s (1992:210) observation that the ‘process of production [of an exhibition] was closed’ therefore is not valid anymore, in the context of curating alternative exhibition spaces. As a curator of an alternative exhibition space faces an audience which not necessarily has any connection to art, it is in the curator’s responsibility to provide ‘the unaware passerby with unexpected moments of beauty and reflection` (Morelli, 2015), implying that these encounters must be understandable for the visitor.
Business Relations As alternative exhibition spaces use business localities as exhibition venue, the next point to look at is the relationship between the arts and businesses. ‘Business relations’ are defined as ‘the connections formed between various stakeholders in the business environment, including relations between employers and employees, employers and business partners, and all the companies with which a company is associated’ (Investopedia, 2016). They impact the business positively on different levels, depending on what relationship is looked at, like ‘customer and employee loyalty, building a positive company image and increased business performance’ (Investopedia, 2016). Referring to the business relations management agency Tailored Solutions (2016), most business-to-business (B2B) relationships focus on the financial factor, like alliances, joint ventures and consortia. Building strong business relationships follows the current trend towards ‘competitive coalitions’, as ‘traditional markets are being rapidly replaced by networks’ (Möller and Halinen, 1999). Networking not only complies to B2B relationships, but also includes relations which do not directly link to a 5
company’s value added chain and therefore not serve the company’s financial purposes, but focus on the image a company wants to sustain (National Council of Nonprofits, 2016). This kind of relationship is mostly referred to as sponsorship or corporate sponsorship and involves the company as well as a non-profit organisation (National Council of Nonprofits, 2016). Tailored Solutions (2016) points out that both parties benefit from sponsorship, as the nonprofit gains funding (financial or otherwise), and the business is provided with ‘promotional opportunities’. Referring to Chong (2010), sponsorship is only one type of relation between the arts and businesses: Additionally he lists companies as art collectors, which can be seen as a type of supply chain, as the business is supplied with artworks as ‘large offices have spaces to fill’ and ‘art humanizes the work environment’ (Chong, 2010: 68). Furthermore Chong sees artists as creative input providers, giving examples like the cooperation between Andy Warhol and ABSOLUT vodka in 1985 (Chong, 2010: 70) and Frank Gehry’s work for Tiffany & Co (Chong, 2010: 69). Lastly, Chong (2010: 73) sees a beneficial relationship between the arts and businesses, in terms of the input artists can bring into the ‘knowledge economy’; creative thinking, problem solving and ‘thinking outside of one’s daily experiences’ are assets a company can learn from artists. Nevertheless, corporate sponsorship is the most common relation between the arts and businesses, and it is supported by the Association for Business Sponsorship in the Arts, in the UK since 1976, which is now called Art & Business (Chong, 2010: 61). The association ‘connect[s] companies, communities and individuals to cultural organisations and provide[s] the delivery, expertise and insight for their relationships to thrive, for their mutual benefit and that of the wider community’ (Art & Business, 2014). A report by Art & Business, published in 2009 analyses the reasons for the arts and business working together further and ‘recognises that it’s not just the commercial creativity of designers that is valuable in business – it is the cultural insight and capital of the Arts that matters too’ (Hunter, 2009). According to Hunter (2009), consumer behaviour develops ‘from the Agrarian Economy to the Experience Economy, where businesses charge for the experience they can offer, focusing on authenticity as the new consumer sensibility and business imperative’, which means that businesses can use ‘the arts and culture for differentiation, giving them a resonating competitive edge’. These findings are underlined by Royal & Sunalliance’s (2016) case study on cultural sponsorship, which concludes that ‘businesses pursue a range of objectives which reflect the complexity of social relations within a modern society’ and ‘[cultural] sponsorship helps organisations to reflect these wider community interests’. Clemence (2014) lists concrete benefits for businesses which work 6
together or sponsor the arts:
access to new target groups and markets; networking
opportunities; research regarding ‘industry-exclusive data’ on consumer behaviour; influence on consumer’s mindsets/ image building and credibility; and finally Return on Investment through increased customer numbers and/ or more sales per customer. As pointed out in the analyses of the alternative exhibition space in commercially used venues, the relation between business and arts organisation also offers advantages for the arts organisation/ the artist. The public venue ‘is more accessible, to both the artist and the public’ (Quest, 2015) and it ‘inject[s] creative imagination into the urban streetscape and democratize[s] art’ (Morelli, 2015), enabling communication between the arts and the community.
To draw the line to using laundrettes as alternative exhibition spaces, one could refer to the Laundromat Project (LP) in New York, USA. According to Wilson (2013), the founder of LP, a laundrette is ‘a place where people of various ages, races, and economic backgrounds gather for an intimate ritual but rarely connect beyond, ‘are you done with that dryer?’’. LP was set up to use the laundrette ‘as a space for amplifying the existing culture of the people in a certain community’ to build ‘inclusiveness and unconventionality’ (Wilson, 2013).
Case Study – Kingdom of Boredom In
addition
to
the
given
theoretical
background knowledge, this paper uses the exhibition Kingdom of Boredom as a case study. The exhibition is part of the Fringe Arts Bath festival 2016 and takes place from the 27th of May until the 12th of June 2016. Preparations started in November 2015 with the submission of the project to the festival’s open call for Curators, and included an open call for artists, selection of artists and their Stender, 2016b
art works, acquisition of the venue, as well as finally curating, setting-up and promoting the exhibition. The exhibition’s venue is the laundrette ‘Spruce Goose’ in BA1 2LP, Bath, an independently run, self-service laundrette with eleven washing machines and six tumble 7
dryers. The exhibition’s venue and theme are closely linked, as ‘using laundrettes as exhibition places turns something ordinary into a place that is interesting and exciting’ (attachment 21: KoB). Furthermore, the show’s aim is to ‘challenge the viewer’s idea of the way in which we view and perceive art’ (attachment 21: KoB). Three main parts create the exhibition: the permanent show, a participatory project and events. The permanent show involves the works of ten different artists, some of which are local, some national and some international (Stender, 2016b). All exhibited pieces somehow relate to the theme of re-interpreting the ordinary. 2D, as well as 3D visual works, installation pieces and performances are featured (Stender, 2016b). The participatory project ‘The Wanted’ invites the audience to take part in the creative process and asks them to draw a picture of their favourite sock, they lost in the past. All drawings are collected and presented during the last weekend of the festival. Events include an opening and closing down night, guided tours, and talks with the artists. Additionally one of the artists presents a piece of Performance Poetry. The exhibition is promoted through the festival’s website, a project specific blog as well as posters and flyers, and the festival’s magazine and newspaper. It aims to attract fifteen to twenty visitors a day, to gain final visitor numbers of more than two hundred after the seventeen days the show and the festival is on. This objective cannot be evaluated, because the exhibition is still running by the time this essay is due. The Fringe Arts Bath festival, which the project is part of, was founded in 2006 and is running alongside the Bath Fringe festival. In 2015, the festival attracted nearly 10,000 visitors, hosted 32 shows and events and supported more than two hundred artists (attachment 21: KoB). The festival’s mission is it to ‘promote contemporary art in the B&NES region, supporting early career artists and curators, and those who find it difficult to break into (or prefer to operate outside of) the gallery based art scene’ (attachment 21: KoB). Fringe Arts Bath is a not for profit organisation that is entirely run by volunteers and relies on public funding. It works with regional Arts and Community organisations, and collaborations vary in scope from the provision of exhibition space and inclusion in FaB’s annual Visual Arts Programme to close involvement in project development. ‘Collaborators include Keynsham Arts, ARTiculate, the Big Issue, Fresh Arts Bath and Creativity Works’ (attachment 21: KoB). The festival ‘uses unusual exhibition spaces, from street corners to empty shops and cafés, taking art to people who would not normally visit galleries’ (attachment 21: KoB).
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For this research paper, the exhibition was used to gather information from the parties involved, reflecting on their opinions about alternative exhibition spaces and art in a laundrette, to finally answer the research questions: - Why are alternative exhibition spaces needed? - How does relationship between art and small businesses work? Three different surveys were created to individually approach the artists involved, the laundrette’s owner and the audience. One needs to accumulate the knowledge gained from secondary research as well as the knowledge gained in the case study.
To set up a working relationship between the arts and a small business, it is necessary to point out benefits for each party involved as well as mutual benefits. These advantages also need to be communicated efficiently. Approaching laundrettes in Bath information material was put together, which can be found in attachment 21. It includes the following advantages for the business partner: • Free advertising in the FaB’s Newspaper, 2000 copies last year • Feature in Kingdom of Boredom’s exhibition catalogue • Publicity & Target group development, nearly 10,000 visitors last year • Heighten public awareness of your services and core values • Positive PR spill-over and perception of Corporate Social Responsibility • Beautifying your space • Supporting local community/ local education institutions • Networking opportunity • Displaying art the workspace ‘reduces stress at the office, increases creativity and productivity, enhances employee morale, broadens the appreciation of diversity, and encourages open dialogue’ (Chong, 2010: 73) The information sheet furthermore offers answers to concerns that might come up in stating: • • No worries, FaB has got public liability insurance • No hustle with the exhibition itself, as set-up, dismantling and visitor interaction will be covered by the festival Looking at James van Flute’s responses to the given survey underlines the importance of sufficient information, as he states that this, in addition to a ‘convincing idea’, persuaded him to offer his laundrette as an exhibition space. The ‘good reputation’ of the festival and his 9
personal interest in arts are additional reasons for him to take part. When asked about risks, he points out that people might not like it and that ‘if there is too much flyers/ posters/ etc ‘in the way’ might interfere with the main purpose of people cleaning their laundry’. Set-up and take down and potential work that he has to do that was not agreed upon are additional risk factors. Asked if there was anything that could have been done better, van Flute points out that an ‘exact plan of where to put what up – information about how works will be attached to walls/ interiors’ would have helped. But he also states that there might be a long-term outcome to be seen in increased usage as ‘more people will know about the laundrette and remember it if they ever need one’. Knowing about worries the business partner has got, helps to improve communication and to make sure that the business partner does not have a reason to be worried. To make the relationship official and to provide a legal framework for the laundrette and the festival, a partnership contract covers all points that have been agreed upon. It includes points like Health and Safety, Display and Installation, Dismantling, The Venue, Invigilation, Security and Insurance, and Changes to terms or arrangements. The contract can be found in attachment 22.
To create an environment of mutual benefits, one also needs to know about the advantages and disadvantages for artists displaying their work in a commercially used venue. Even though the artists involved in this case study reacted to an open-call, and therefore knew about the venue before submitting their work, they have been asked what they feel are benefits or risks in exhibiting in a laundrette. The main benefit that is seen by all artists who took part in the survey, is the chance to present their work to an audience that might could not be reached otherwise, to quote Hill: ‘Furthermore, the audience in a laundrette is different, as people go in to see the works without a set expectation, as they would have when going to see a show in a gallery. Even better is reaching the ones, who just came in to do their washing.’ Wagg also sees a relation between the venue, the work and the audience in stating: ‘The advantages are that people would view my work in a completely different way than they would if it were hung in a gallery. They would be taking into account all the elements in the room and subconsciously link them to my work.’ Hill mentions another advantage of the laundrette as an exhibition venue: ‘People actually stay in the space for a long time, because they are waiting for their washing, so they automatically spend a lot of time with the artworks and chances are higher that they really take a proper look.’ Waterhouse agrees by saying: ‘Exhibiting in a launderette is interesting because the viewers haven't come to see the art 10
work; they've come to clean their clothes, but the work is there for them to see whilst they wait.’ A point that becomes clear from analysing the artists’ surveys is that seeing a laundrette as a promising exhibition space and not seeing selling artworks as a main motivation to exhibit do correlate. Main motivations for the artists involved who participated in the survey are: networking, engaging with the audience, motivate and challenge oneself, and the positive contribution for the CV. This finding furthermore correlates with the exhibition’s objective to just offer art to different audiences to enjoy, not having the intention to sell it. These findings are also stressing the outcomes of the secondary research, looking back to Horejs (2015) and the case studies mentioned.
Main purpose of exhibiting Engage with audience
8%
Motivate/ Challenge yourself
17%
Networking
17%
17% 8%
Being seen Working with other artists/ curators CV
8% 25%
Sales
(Source: Own research)
When asked about the differences between exhibiting in galleries and museums compared to exhibiting in an alternative exhibition space, one needs to take into account the artists’ experiences of where they exhibited in the past. The five artists who took part in the survey exhibited in traditional galleries, university environment, private venues like Open Studios, an apartment and an old office, as well as alternative exhibition spaces like Walcot Chapel, Bath Library and ‘an old blast furnace’ (Coles, question 2). Hill and Coles, both linked the ‘value’ of exhibiting in these different venues to the reasons why an artist exhibits in the first place. Coles argues that an advantage of a gallery/museum is ‘the name of the institution however, it is debateable how important that is I think it is more important to be showing, especially in 11
spaces that may engage members of the public that might not visit aforementioned institutions.’ Hill adds another point of view in referring to the exact theme of the exhibition: ‘For me showing in a laundrette can actually be of more value, because it matches the theme of the works I’m producing. On the other hand, you could say that that also you be a negative point, the theme of “the ordinary” stands out more strongly in the White Cube environment of a gallery and highlights it better. Featuring the ‘everyday life’ in a laundrette kind of blends in into the environment.’ (cf. question 4). One could counter-argue that setting up an entire exhibition about ‘the ordinary’ is visible, even if single pieces on their own would be blending in. Hill furthermore raises the point that it ‘might be more complicated to organise than a show in a gallery/ museum, because people involved (owner/ visitors) don’t have the experience/ never did something like it before.’ (cf. question 4). This thought links to Mosnier’s statement that organising and managing an exhibition in an alternative exhibition space is of high complexity (cf. Mosnier, 2016, question 4). Bennett raises another point that might be a potential risk: ‘People may not be aware of gallery etiquette as much e.g not touching the work.
Also there may be higher risk of damaging artwork in a working launderette.’
Insurance and safety therefore are important points to consider, even though the festival cannot provide insurance for art works, one needs to be aware of the potential risk that holds. The last group of people involved in the exhibition, which was asked to provide feedback are the visitors. Five surveys filled in were by people who came to see the exhibition, whilst the other seven were people who came to do their laundry. Most of people who took part are from Bath.
Observation - Reason for coming in User
Visitor
42% 58%
(Source: Own research)
12
Question 5 - Where are you from? BA1
Other
17%
83%
(Source: Own research)
When asked about how they liked the exhibition, feedback gathered from the different audience groups is very positive with 83% giving the project 8 or more out of 10. Also open questions regarding their thoughts about using a laundrette as an exhibition space and if there should be more alternative exhibition spaces result in answers which support the idea that ‘art should be everywhere and for everybody, not just reserved for grand institutions and school trips’ (Survey 6).
Question 1 - How do you like the exhibition? 0% 0%
0%
0% 1 17%
2 0%
0%
3 4
42%
8%
5 6 7 8
33%
9 10
(Source: Own research)
Using laundrettes as exhibition spaces is seen to be a good idea by the audience, as ‘users have time and have a chance to view something they are unlikely to think about’ (Survey 4). It additionally is stated by another visitor that using alternative spaces, such as a laundrette ‘can really change perception and how to look for beauty in different areas’ (Survey 5). The person, who filled in Survey 7 sums it up like this: ‘It really livens up a trip to the laundrette’ and in that way agrees with Survey 9: ‘laundrettes can be bland and dull, so it is nice to have 13
something bright and interesting to look at’. Participant number 9 also argues, when asked about more alternative exhibition spaces that this would be a good idea, ‘because it will reach a wider audience, not everyone goes to art galleries’, a statement that is underlined by this participant’s reply to question 3 ‘How often do you go to cultural events’: ‘Once a year’.
To sum up the research and case study one could say that alternative exhibition spaces are needed to make art more accessible and less out-of-reach for some audiences. Taking into account feedback from visitors and artists it seems like the ‘intimidating’ White Cube environment is still a perception people have of museums and galleries. If and how this will change and has changed already maybe is but another research field that cannot be covered by this paper. To make an exhibition in an alternative space work, one needs to be aware of the perspectives of each party involved – taking into account each party’s specific needs and concerns, to finally work towards every group’s satisfaction. Hence, the successful implementation of such a project comes down to the basic economic rules of supply and demand, needed to create an (in this case: non-financial) equilibrium. The main needs which are to be fulfilled to make an exhibition in an alternative space successful are, according to the research conducted, the following:
14 (Source: Own research)
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Stender, C. (2016a) Contextual Framework Paper. Bath: Bath Spa University.
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Tailored Solutions (2016) Strategic relationships [Online] Available from: http://www.tayloredsolutions.co.nz/strategic-relationships/ [Accessed 16 May 2016].
Thompson, W. (2013) Pop-Up Shops Handbook [Online] Available from: http://culturehive.co.uk/resources/pop-up-shops-handbook [Accessed 20 May 2016].
Wilson, K. (2013) Innovate, motivate and captivate audiences [Online] Available from: http://culturehive.co.uk/resources/innovate-motivate-and-captivate-audiences [Accessed 4 May 2016].
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Attachments
Attachment 1
Survey Mosnier
Page 19
Attachment 2
Survey Bennett
Page 22
Attachment 3
Survey Hill
Page 23
Attachment 4
Survey Coles
Page 24
Attachment 5
Survey Waterhouse
Page 26
Attachment 6
Survey Wagg
Page 28
Attachment 7
Survey van Flute
Page 29
Attachment 8
Survey Visitor
Page 30
Attachment 9
Survey 1
Page 31
Attachment 10
Survey 2
Page 32
Attachment 11
Survey 3
Page 33
Attachment 12
Survey 4
Page 34
Attachment 13
Survey 5
Page 35
Attachment 14
Survey 6
Page 36
Attachment 15
Survey 7
Page 37
Attachment 16
Survey 8
Page 38
Attachment 17
Survey 9
Page 39
Attachment 18
Survey 10
Page 40
Attachment 19
Survey 11
Page 41
Attachment 20
Survey 12
Page 42
Attachment 21
KoB
Page 43
Attachment 22
Exhibition Contract
Page 46
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Dear Scarlett Thanks so much for making this festival possible and providing me with information about the art’s scene in Bath and your insights into using alternative exhibition spaces.
1. How would you describe the arts scene in Bath? Amazing, lively and interesting, with a lot going on. Whilst the traditional museums and gallery spaces are well known by the public, organisations outside the traditional system can be tricky to find and one needs to actively look for them. That might be a reason why focus of authorities tends to lay on traditional spaces. Just to give you an overview of contemporary visual arts organisations, here are a few examples: FaB, 44AD, Bath Artist Studios, Bath Artist Print Makers, Function Room Art, Art Bar, Creativity Works, Action on Hearing Loss, Walcot Chapel as an entity of its own right, ICIA. These all are alternatives to gallery spaces in the conventional sense, I’d like to focus on these because contemporary (visual) art is the genre I am involved in. But also conventional/ traditional spaces start to offer their audience new approaches to get in touch with art and culture. Whilst it would have been very unusual a couple of years ago for a museum to have an artist in residence, it now is something that happens more and more. The Holburne Up Late is a good example for museums becoming more experimental in their offerings.
2. How would you describe the connections between arts organisations in Bath? The existing relationships are very positive. Organisations themselves are open and willing to collaborate, and to – in a positive way – take advantage of each other. There also is a trend of more traditional institutions to be more and more interested in working together with cultural organisations outside their normal range of partners. In the end, it depends on the time everyone can afford to spend on building relations and the personalities of the people involved. There definitely is a lot of “want”, more demand to be working together than ability (in terms of time) to actually put all ideas in practice. The collaborations which are currently in place can be defined by the intentions why they were set up. The more traditional museums and galleries in their collaborations tend to focus on a more commercial/ cultural approach. But I’d like to focus on contemporary visual arts here, because as I said, that’s what I’m involved in. With the limited amount of time given, our focus in terms of collaborations also lays on working together with closely linked organisations.
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3. Would you say that funding benefits all arts organisations equally? No, it doesn’t and probably never will because a) every organisation has a different approach to funding applications, some more successful, some less; and b) the funding pots available do not necessarily match with what an organisation needs or has to offer. An organisation’s approach, needs and targets strongly influence what kind of funding it can apply for/ it gets in the end. But the council is amazingly supportive towards us, the continuous funding we got during the last years was one of the things that made FaB possible.
4. Is Bath an easy place “to get your work out there” as an artist? As mentioned before, when we were talking about the art scene in Bath, it is – looking at the contemporary visual art scene – not too easy to find the right places and organisations to approach. That can be seen as the first problem in “getting your work out there”. But there definitely are more and more organisations and opportunities for artists to get involved. One could say that the chances for the younger, more connected and open artists are better to get exhibition spaces, as they might be more actively looking. But whoever you are as an artist you need to work for it and push to get recognized and displayed. It is not given. There are limited spaces and more artists than possibilities to exhibit.
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5. What kinds of alternative art spaces are there in Bath? Do you think there should be more? There should be more alternative art spaces in Bath! The problem is that it takes managing to set up such spaces, and that is what people often don’t realise, the amount of hours you have to spend to set up, organise and manage these spaces. The management is the framework that’s needed to make an exhibition possible. You need a strong team providing input and knowledge, with a variety of different skills, from planning to painting to make it work. Taking FaB as an example, FaB provides the management for curators and artists to focus on their shows. But without the management happening in the background, there wouldn’t be spaces, invigilators, pots of paint, wood, screws… - empty buildings - cafes - College - hairdressers - Cleveland Pool - Society Café / Chapel Arts Café -…
6. Why do you use alternative exhibition spaces? What are their advantages/ disadvantages? Grassroots is not the perfectly right word, but we want to provide opportunities outside the gallery system. We want to do that to give people a chance to get involved in the arts, who are not established, or do not have the money needed to exhibit in museums and galleries. I also think that exhibiting in alternative exhibition spaces gives people the chance to find art where they weren’t expecting it. That brings life to dead spaces. You furthermore don’t need justification for what you are doing, because outside the traditional institution you don’t have to work within their given rules, you don’t have to stick to the boundaries that come with the institutionalised environment. Galleries and museums also have a certain audience, or rather cliental, which also have certain expectations they want to have fulfilled. Working outside these frameworks gives the opportunity to go for a “take it or leave it” approach – you do not have to deal with any expectations because there are none. That, I hope, nurtures the creative process.
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Dear Sally Bennett! Thanks for taking part in the exhibition and thanks for taking the time to give me a bit of feedback.
1. What kind of venues did you exhibit in in the past? Gallery in London Walcot Chapel
2. What is your main purpose of exhibiting (selling, networking, being seen, other reasons)? I was asked to for KoB. I guess it’s for my CV
3. What is special about exhibiting in a laundrette? It puts art in amongst the people - it makes it accessible.
4. Are there advantages of displaying in an alternative exhibition space (like a laundrette)? Disadvantages? (- Compared to museum/ gallery) Advantages: as above, displaying in an art gallery makes art much more accessible. Less stuffy and more fun. People may take more notice of it because it’s out of context. Disadvantages: People may not be aware of gallery etiquette as much e.g not touching the work. Also there may be higher risk of damaging artwork in a working launderette.
5. Would you say being exhibited in a gallery/ museum is of more value than in an alternative exhibition space? Depends what you mean by value. If it’s to raise the artist’s profile, then probably yes more value to exhibit in a gallery/museum.
6. Would you do it again? Yes
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Dear Matthew Hill! Thanks for taking part in the exhibition and thanks for taking the time to give me a bit of feedback.
1. What kind of venues did you exhibit in in the past? I’ve been in two exhibitions before, both in galleries. Additionally, my degree show at University was an exhibition and I did summer shows and open studios.
2. What is your main purpose of exhibiting (selling, networking, being seen, other reasons)? Networking, being seen, selling would be nice obviously but really is just a bonus at the moment, the first two points are the main ones. It’s just nice to show your work, but also seeing other artists’ works and talk about art. Working with curators and experiencing the different approaches they take is also very interesting. With galleries you deliver your work and then it’s not in your hands anymore what’s going to happen to it, really. One show I was in, I handed over my pieces and the time I got to see what actually happened to it was on the opening night.
3. What is special about exhibiting in a laundrette? In terms of curating and developing the pieces, this was interesting, because you can work with the space and it influences your work as much as you influence the space, it’s a two-way communication. You also need both parties, artists and curator to set up a show that really tells a story. Furthermore, the audience in a laundrette is different, as people go in to see the works without a set expectation, as they would have when going to see a show in a gallery. Even better is reaching the ones, who just came in to do their washing. And another point is that people actually stay in the space for a long time, because they are waiting for their washing, so they automatically spend a lot of time with the artworks and chances are higher that they really take a proper look.
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4. Are there advantages of displaying in an alternative exhibition space (like a laundrette)? Disadvantages? (- Compared to museum/ gallery) - People who are actively looking for art might miss it, because they’re aiming towards galleries/ museums. But promotion is a way to let them know. + People who were not expecting it stumble across it. - might be more complicated to organise than a show in a gallery/ museum, because people involved (owner/ visitors) don’t have the experience/ never did something like it before.
5. Would you say being exhibited in a gallery/ museum is of more value than in an alternative exhibition space? No. For me showing in a laundrette can actually be of more value, because it matches the theme of the works I’m producing. On the other hand, you could say that that also you be a negative point, the theme of “the ordinary” stands out more strongly in the White Cube environment of a gallery and highlights it better. Featuring the ‘everyday life’ in a laundrette kind of blends in into the environment.
6. Would you do it again? Yes!
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Dear Stephen Coles! Thanks for taking part in the exhibition and thanks for taking the time to give me a bit of feedback. ď Š
1. What kind of venues did you exhibit in in the past? A complete mixture, the odd white cube space through to houses and a lot of work out in the elements from the beach to the woods. Most interesting space, I feel was an old blast furnace.
2. What is your main purpose of exhibiting (selling, networking, being seen, other reasons)? Networking and sales are always nice. I tend to exhibit as it is a good motivator for making my own work and it always looks good for the C.V.
3. What is special about exhibiting in a laundrette? I tend to participate in projects that interest and amuse me, this project has done both.
4. Are there advantages of displaying in an alternative exhibition space (like a laundrette)? Disadvantages? (- Compared to museum/ gallery) Personally I don’t believe so. One big advantage with Gallery/Museum is the name of the institution however, it is debateable how important that is I think it is more important to be showing, especially in spaces that may engage members of the public that might not visit aforementioned institutions.
5. Would you say being exhibited in a gallery/ museum is of more value than in an alternative exhibition space? I think they both have their mutual benefits.
6. Would you do it again? Let me know the time and the place. Always up for a show.
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Dear Ting Waterhouse! Thanks for taking part in the exhibition and thanks for taking the time to give me a bit of feedback. â˜ş
1. What kind of venues did you exhibit in in the past? I have exhibited in old office spaces, university galleries and my own apartment.
2. What is your main purpose of exhibiting (selling, networking, being seen, other reasons)?
Challenging myself and my work to fit into exhibition standards, and to be in a platform where others can engage with it, which is why I make my work.
3. What is special about exhibiting in a laundrette? For me, Launderettes are really special and have been the subject of my work for the past five months. Exhibiting in a launderette is interesting because the viewers haven't come to see the art work; they've come to clean their clothes, but the work is there for them to see whilst they wait. Launderettes are really unique places because the people who use them are stuck there for the duration of their wash and dry cycles, its a chore and its also a relaxing activity, so introducing art works to this environment is an exciting change.
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4. Are there advantages of displaying in an alternative exhibition space (like a laundrette)? Disadvantages? (- Compared to museum/ gallery)
For me the advantages of displaying in alternative exhibition spaces are that it allows art to be accessible to everyone. Whilst galleries are generally free and easy for people to visit, they are an ‘art environment’ and by nature are exclusive to people who feel they belong in that environment. When exhibitions pop up in daily life in places such as launderettes, it removes the risk of people feeling like they do not belong, because the art is in their environment. Facilitating the accessibility of art is really important and alternative exhibition spaces have a dominant role in this.
5. Would you say being exhibited in a gallery/ museum is of more value than in an alternative exhibition space?
No. I think they are both completely different experiences.
6. Would you do it again? Yes!
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Dear Nichola Wagg! Thanks for taking part in the exhibition and thanks for taking the time to give me a bit of feedback.
1. What kind of venues did you exhibit in in the past? The only other exhibition I have has was in a small Church (Walcot Chapel).
2. What is your main purpose of exhibiting (selling, networking, being seen, other reasons)? To gain experience, and to see how people react to my work. I would like to become an illustrator so networking is really important to me to find out more information about the field.
3. What is special about exhibiting in a laundrette? I have never seen an exhibition in a laundrette before. It is very unique. It is interesting to see how the laundry becomes part of the exhibition. Testing the boundaries of ‘art’, and creating a new form of art in itself.
4. Are there advantages of displaying in an alternative exhibition space (like a laundrette)? Disadvantages? (- Compared to museum/ gallery) The advantages are that people would view my work in a completely different way than they would if it were hung in a gallery. They would be taking into account all the elements in the room and subconsciously link them to my work.
5. Would you say being exhibited in a gallery/ museum is of more value than in an alternative exhibition space? I do not have much experience in this as I have never exhibited in a gallery, and so sadly I cannot give an answer.
6. Would you do it again? Definitely!
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Dear James van Flute Thanks so much for having us here and making this amazing exhibition possible! It would be great if you could provide me with a bit of feedback for my research project for Uni.
1. Why did agree to have an exhibition in your laundrette? Convincing idea and information. Know about the festival and its good reputation. Personal interest in the arts.
2. Do you think it can be of beneficial outcome for your business (more customers, brand awareness, more frequent use) Might be that more people will know about the laundrette and remember it if they ever need one. Don’t think that there will be immediate result in increased usage.
3. Are there concerns that you had regarding the exhibition? People maybe don’t like it – feel intimidated in their ‘personal space’ – but it’s a good thing to be open for new stuff. Plus, if they want to they can ignore it. If there is too much flyers/ posters/ etc ‘in the way’ might interfere with the main purpose of people cleaning their laundry. Damage to walls/ interiors because of set-up/ putting works on walls that I have to get rid of in the end.
4. Is there anything that I could have done differently/ better in the time before the exhibition (communication, information flow, etc)? Exact plan of where to put what up – information about how works will be attached to walls/ interiors.
5. Would you do it again? Yeah, why not.
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Dear Visitor! Thanks for coming along and I hope you enjoy the exhibition! My name’s Christine, I’m the curator and I study for a MA in Arts Management at Bath Spa University. I’m analysing the exhibition for my studies and to make them even better in the future – it would be great, if you could provide a bit of feedback for me. 1. How do you like the exhibition? (1 = Didn’t like it, 10 = Liked it a lot) 1
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2. What do you think about a laundrette as an exhibition space?
3. How often do you visit cultural events? Several times a month
Once a month
Every other month
Once a year
4. Do you want to see more art in alternative exhibition spaces (laundrette, café, hair dresser)? Why?
5. Where are you from? (First three digits of postcode)
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