Post-Event Press Release. Art in the Public Realm : Policy, Politics and Brexit

PRESS RELEASE July 2016

CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL 28 – 29 May 2016 Gillett Square, Dalston, London www.opensource.london

Art in the Public Realm : Policy, Politics & Brexit Festival Organisers Voice their Concerns Following the success of its inaugural 2015 edition, OPEN SOURCE Contemporary Arts Festival 2016 welcomed 5,000 visitors to Gillett Square, Dalston, over the weekend of 28-29th May. Produced by Dalston Studios, the artist-led East London collective also behind Dalston Music Festival, OPEN SOURCE brings the wider community together by exhibiting contemporary arts in a public space. Working closely with local organisations, OPEN SOURCE presents established and emerging artists and supports the production of new works.

So how has the organisation ensured its longevity and its public relevance? How can they continue to do so in the future, particularly now, faced with the possible consequences of Brexit?

The organisation ensures its relevance by analysing previous and current events, constantly improving its model, renewing and developing partnerships with local organisations and inviting fresh sets of artists and curators to investigate topics relevant to the area, such as migration and the transformation of language, the exponential speed of property development and subsequent disappearance of local landmarks, and wider questions around identity.

Public relevance is also ensured by presenting works that are engaging, such as performance and interactive virtual realities. The organisation keeps up to date with the latest trends, scientific or technological innovations – from teenage social media to critical debates in the “high-art world”.

Brexit inevitably raises fears in arts communities that diversity and mobility may be limited – but the team behind OPEN SOURCE trusts human creativity to work around problems.

“No politics, even in the darkest ages of our history, has ever stopped culture. Art is international and will not be downtrodden by politics, despite the importance of the issues at hand. ” Marie D’Elbée, Co-Founder of Dalston Studios, OPEN SOURCE Contemporary Arts Festival and Dalston Music Festival

PRESS RELEASE July 2016 THE ISSUES AROUND PUBLIC SPACE Public space is becoming increasingly limited, bought up by property developers or becoming POPS (privately owned public space). OPEN SOURCE is very fortunate to benefit from the support of Hackney City Council, which is committed to help organisations safeguard and develop an inclusive cultural program in public spaces.

“The problem with POPS is that they become controlled environments in which users may simply ‘pass by’ – there is a complete loss of spontaneity, of sense of entitlement and belonging. Gillett Square is a public space paid for by tax payers’ money, everybody has the right to be there and everybody owns it, subsequently, there is a natural sense of entitlement to cultural activities that take place there. Dalston is a beautiful multicultural area, but like many other places, has isolated groups or tension between communities. OPEN SOURCE is a cohesive event that enables different communities and audiences to meet through contemporary arts.”

Andrew Bunsell, Co-Founder of Dalston Studios, OPEN SOURCE Contemporary Arts Festival and Dalston Music Festival Plans are currently being made by property developers to build on the north and south sides of Gillett Square, however Dalston Studios and the Vortex Foundation are uniting local stake holders in a partnership to support and develop the area's unique cultural ecosystem. While it is evident that the area will continue its rapid developments, it is crucial that future plans are developed in conjunction with a cultural vision.

“If we do not work together towards a common vision, there is a real risk of depriving local communities and impoverishing the cultural scene. This would be highly detrimental to everyone – including the developers themselves. They would see their land become a cultural desert and their properties would lose value. There is a way to ensure everyone benefits from new developments by involving stake holders in the conversations and implementing a cultural vision for the area. It's just about finding the right angle. This is precisely what we are building and fighting for at Dalston Studios.” Marie D’Elbée

AMENDMENT TO THE HOUSING BILL – HACKNEY CITY COUNCIL The recent amendment to the Housing Bill by Hackney City Council marks a significant step forward for organisations such as Dalston Studios. Previously, residential newly built property has had the priority over ‘noise’ emitted from the night-life economy and other cultural activities, leading to the inevitable closure of many iconic bars and night clubs in the area.

Since 6th April 2016, however, through the new bill, property developers are required to assess the noise level emitted by cultural activities before they build anything – giving cultural activities the priority.

FUNDING OPEN SOURCE Contemporary Arts Festival and Dalston Music Festival were awarded grants from Arts Council England and Hackney City Council.

Dalston Studios' events and activities are born out of a small music production and rehearsal space based on Gillett Square. Keeping services affordable for musicians and local organisations is key to their ethos. Any funds generated by Dalston Studios are directed towards local culture and community festivals, however the cost of producing such events goes far beyond the totals received and Dalston Studios is now looking into private investment in order to ensure a sustainable development for their activities.

“We are attracting increasing interest from the private sector, whether in sponsorship or private patronage. This year we benefited from the support of Arts Collector and Patron Valeria Napoleone. To have someone of her stature and influence back up the project for its second year was absolutely

PRESS RELEASE July 2016 huge. The festivals we put on are unique and are attracting the attention of forward-thinking philanthropists and businessmen… This year, we also received support from Aperol and Fountain of Youth which was a big step forward!

Next year's festival will develop in depth the Virtual Reality aspect of the festival. Artists are really making outstanding works in this area and we will be involving Get Hackney Coding students in the production of artworks. We are already exploring partnerships with renowned gaming companies for OPEN SOURCE 2017.

Marie D’Elbée “OPEN SOURCE is a platform for true experimentation. We performed to an incredibly mixed audience, from the art crowd to people encountering the work just on their way to Ridley Road Market.

It’s also so important to have young organisations like OPEN SOURCE who strive to support artists financially.” David Blandy, Artist

BREXIT – THE CONCERNS The UK’s vote to Brexit has raised numerous concerns within the cultural scene. Although at this point we are uncertain of how this may affect us, issues of funding, free movement and international opportunities are just some of the points to be addressed.

“Many cultural organisations depend on European funding. If these disappear, these organisations will need to apply to national grants making them even more difficult to access. Most importantly, culture thrives through exchange and diversity, so anything that restricts this is can be a hurdle. In places, there is also a rise in tensions between communities, in racist and xenophobic acts– this is very concerning, as we are standing in a time when far right extremism is on the rise in all of Europe. I really hope free movement of artists and creatives will not be affected too much. We will make the best of the situation and I am sure that we can build a wonderful future for all of us if we work together.” Marie D’Elbée

FURTHER THOUGHTS & TESTIMONIALS “OPEN SOURCE has been very important for me to build a strong support for conversation, creativity and connectivity. It is much needed in London’s current gallery-orientated landscape . I hope that Open Source will continue to build and grow into the future, and offer exciting new ways of experiencing and creating art.” Mary Hurrell, Artist “Open Source supports artists in making challenging, immersive and relevant works and site them in a public space for free over a whole weekend, which seems quite unique. It can be difficult as an artist to get paid properly to make the work you want to make, so having that freedom and support is excellent.

I also love that the festival provides so much opportunity for exchange and collaboration between artists and non-artists, without any of the pretension and aloofness that the art world can often inspire.”

Flo Brooks, Artist (Another Magazine) “I like how Open Source treats Dalston [in East London] as a collective space. A lot of the venues on Kingsland Road I used to play in as a musician have disappeared or rebranded as more commercial enterprises, so it's important to re-establish a free festival here." Lawrence Lek, Artist (Another Magazine)

PRESS RELEASE July 2016 “I am incredibly proud to have supported OPEN SOURCE from its first year. In the following months, I have been impressed to find some of the young artists of the festival in leading organisations such as frieze art fair, Wysing Arts Centre or renowned art press” Gregory Carite, Benefactor “The video artwork throughout OPEN SOURCE Festival was of an incredible standard. The gaming elements were particularly engaging, and watching the way people interacted was very special. I look forward to seeing how these elements develop in years to come!”

Sean Rogg, Visitor and Creator of The Waldorf Project “I loved OPEN SOURCE – especially the VR works. Great to see public art pushing the boundaries a bit more! Lots of food and drink stalls in Gillett Square to choose from too!”

Simon Purkis, Visitor and Founder of Purling London

MEDIA ENQUIRIES For further information, interviews or images please contact Tani Burns: T: +44 (0)207 377 5665 M: +44 (0)7888 731 419 E: tani@tburnsarts.com W: www.tburnsarts.com FB: TBurnsArts on Facebook TW: @tburnsarts

CONTACTS For further information about OPEN SOURCE please contact Marie d'Elbée (Founder/Director): E: info@opensource.london W: www.opensource.london FB: OPEN SOURCE on Facebook TW: @opensource2016 INST: @opensourcelondon

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PRESS RELEASE July 2016