Thinking about Engage conference and our talk at it next week

i have been thinking about next week and what we are going to talk about and i suddenly thought that if anyone looks us up they ought to see a nice picture of us both looking friendly and clever and open and approachable - but then i found this that Andrew drew of us in Sheffield! Not sure it helps?

I was thinking earlier when i was walking the dogs about our history of working with people in different contexts and about what we do - in terms of actually what we do. 2 things came to mind that perhaps we wont get time to talk about next week but at least we should remember because both seem so central and yet from the outside perhaps so different: 1. The thinking and ideas behind the latest ACE bid and 2. The co-authored document from the Summer School evaluation day. I suppose one is a macro example of the Poly and the other the micro. But whats important i think is that both are driven by practice and a desire to work with people in different places to do things.

The ACE bid is strategic of course, us leading a project with the Hepworth, Arthouse, Museums Sheffield, Guild of St George etc. Its an example of artists taking the lead, of us using our practice of asking difficult questions, of opening up a space for new things to happen, for gaps to appear that we respond to that ultimately have impact and create change. I re-read the further info doc we sent in and this section seemed important here.

Our practice relies on close relationships between sites and people and is described by Amanda Ravetz as: having the social skills of the relational practitioner and the aesthetic sensibility of the studio artist.
Our ideas echo those offered by Roy Ascott when he wrote about outcomes from ‘A Groundcourse for Art’ in 1964 - In the process and reflecting upon their previously contrived limitations of behaviour, they become aware of the flexibility of their responses, their resourcefulness and ingenuity in the face of difficulties. What they assumed to be ingrained in their personalities they now tend to see as controllable. A sense of creative viability is being acquired. This proposal looks to these ideas offered by Ascott and suggests that if we want diverse audiences to engage, organisations to open up and artists and practice to lead – if we want change, we need to put in the groundwork. We need to work differently, teach and learn flexibility, work in diverse settings, work closely with audiences, utilise multiple specialists, ask relevant questions, make relevant art, be challenged, become resourceful, reflect, disseminate findings and build new strategies. As Ascott goes on to say: No matter what our aspirations or intentions for art, we must prepare a discipline, a groundwork for creative activity. When I emphaise that my art and didactics are one, I am suggesting that the artist’s discipline and experience can be usually extended to the student. One can help him win an outlook and to construct the groundwork for his own unique creative identity, But one artist is not enough. A wide diversity of artists and scientists, suitably co-ordinated, must confront the student. He in turn, must be sufficiently uninhibited to respond. Out of the flux, a many sided organism may evolve. As such, we suggest the Poly-Technic with its pedagogic approach is in a position to extend its practice to develop a new outlook for those keen to be involved and create many sided organisms.

The Summer School evaluation document is a wholy different thing, yet is of course born from a similar place or at least a similar desire. If you remember we asked people to write down words or sentences that sprang to mind about in response to the question How do we learn when we come to Art? The question was a reflective catalyst and responded to the Summer Schools initial proposition: Why do we come to Art? I was trying to remember how we got to the final list - i think we asked everyone to write down words and sentences and then we in the moment decided to cut them up and like with magnetic poetry all started to rearrange them into new sentences that were truly co-authored. I have a great memory of everyone stood around trying to reach agreement on each of the sentences and their meaning. I love reading them, they seem to sum up the work, our ambitions and demonstrate why when people come together good, new unplanned things happens. It also makes me laugh at our way of working which to some looks like seat-of-your-pants but to me is the deeply rigorous serious art making moment of reverie responding to what surfaces trusting the room stuff that's taken years to develop, understand and refine.

Through doors, through a step - infinity concertinas

Maybe it’s just hard being useful.

Challenging dominant perspectives a closing door becomes an open door.

Through gentle collaboration, slowly, stuff came from stuff.

In the arena offerings are made, but what about play? Lightness, discovery?

Doing something new and becoming artists, finding out what we can do/show/become.

Going beyond the natural stopping place, urgently, unconsciously, doing something using a material, until we are satisfied.

Communication between what we see and what we know.

Metaphor: falling down a cliff and hitting every rock on the way down.

Focus on materials for consensus

Listening to people when they look, sometimes loudly and frantically and understanding what they see.

Greedily and gratefully, emotionally with determination we consolidate thoughts, value surprises.

Learn to be different, learn through being.

We don’t learn for a while we’re trapped, feeling that something greater is about to happen

I want more good or big things

We were all close for moments at least and all have empathy for one another and the funny roles we were taking and maybe that’s what your imagination is there for.

Acting with attentiveness and focus I fiercely with teeth bared, with hair stood on end, prepare to use every resource available to me and yet it happened anyway.

A gut feeling through the body towards the finger tips - growing the hard way.

Desperately wanting more we learn the true motivation.

Through trial and error, through seeing cues from others, through call and response, through slow hard work - makes us think or do things differently.

Acceptance when we are half way between absent minded-ness and total transfix-ation.

Through experimenting again the process is revelatory.

Letting go of all egos to acknowledge [together or alone].