A r ti st R esid ency Augure : S ociĂŠtĂŠ Volatile 6 Jan - 6 Feb 2014
A tarred and feathered man is suspended. A moment in which everything can happen.
Augure Société Volatile 6 Jan - 6 Feb 2014 Artists Residency Project Space Patrick Studios St Marys Lane Leeds LS9 7EH eaststreetarts.org.uk @eaststreetarts
Project Space
Supported by: Institut Français, Ville de Lille, L’Entorse and Atelier2
Over the last twenty years East Street Arts has developed projects that have supported artists to take time out from the ordinary constraints of day to day living and spend time within a new environment, a new city, and a new community. Artists Residencies are non-prescriptive and process-based, offering artists freedom to play, respond, probe and reveal. We take a very flexible and open approach in terms of the residencies location, scale, length, output, access and partners. This is important to us as it enables us to work with and benefit from a wide range of artists at different stages of their careers, based locally or further afield and who bring new voices into our community.
Artists Residency
Artists Residencies are important also for our audiences as they open up artists working processes to the public through discussions, viewing work in progress, hands on workshops and presentations. This offers audiences glimpses into new work in development and access to the artists approach.
Beauty
Artists Arnaud Verley and Philémon have been artists-in-residence in Patrick Studios’ Project Space from January 5th to February 5th 2014. Supported by Institut Français, Ville de Lille, L’Entorse and Atelier2, the artists have approached the residency with ideas that have been developed and influenced by their immersion in the city of Leeds and its communities. The ‘final’ piece will be shipped to Lille and forms part of a lager festival during 2014.
‘The story of Icarus is always there in our work. There is always something about the men who are trying to escape from their condition, usually with new technology or tools. They are always trying to be something different.’ - Arnaud
In 1914, The Royal Society of Owl Pigeon’s Club & Other Races was founded in Brussels. After 80 successful years the club ceased to be active and all rights were gifted to the artist Philémon. The renamed ‘Société Volatile’ is The following text is an extract now a website recording the from an interview by Lydia joint ventures of Arnaud Verley Catterall and the artists. and Philémon. Societe: Society, Office Volatile: Volatility, Futility, A species of bird. The duo is happy with any combination of these words. In the work of Société Volatile, what appears to be and the reality are very different. What seems to be clever engineering is often nothing; referring to the futility of putting a lot into something with a small use. “Always the same metaphor” Arnaud and Philémon describe
their collective work as installations that refer to more than the context of the room in which it is made. The challenge of adapting to and reflecting the environment around them is something that has become central to their working process, and they are eager to not limit themselves to their laptop-orientated environment of their studio. “This is the first time we have decided to do something we could have done in Lille, but we have decided to do it here”, Arnaud shared. “The first idea we had was to connect what we’re doing with the art space but also with the city.” In the case of Augure, Leeds will offer a cold, windy, noisy backdrop to their installation in the Project Space. In Lille, the artists share a studio in La Malterie: a nonprofit organisation that offers work space and residency opportunities. Their residency at Patrick Studios is a result of a conversation between the artists’ studios, East Street Arts and Julien Carrel, Director of L’Entorse (The Sprain). Concerned with building bridges between the worlds of Art and
Sport, L’Entorse organise performances, exhibitions, workshops and sports events aimed at involving a broad, public audience in an active exchange. The interests shared by L’Entorse and East Street Arts, and a connection with La Malterie, created the opportunity for Société Volatile to spend one month in Leeds. Though their French studio space provides the facilities to research their ideas and make small models, the ceiling height often limits their ambitious plans. In a practical sense, residencies are vital to the development of the works they envisage. Although they are often enjoyable for Arnaud and Philémon the pair stress that residencies are also a vital component in their working process. International residencies in Canada, Korea and Italy are just a few of their previous short-term homes. “The reality of artists today, in France and Belgium at least, is that it is really hard to live and earn money as just an artist. So if you don’t want to teach or organise something social around your work, one good thing you can do is move
awayEast andStreet go into a residency has not been what the pair Arts is a because it’s a programme andthatexpected; membership organisation you have money for working creates and provides space for visual artists to develop. “We enjoy being here. The and living.” - Philémon place is nice, we have an With a residency often comes amazing studio and people are the offer of an exhibition that nice in Patrick Studios. There provides the artists with an is a sculptor, Dean, who has opportunity to discuss, share helped us a lot. We are not and reflect with an audience. sculptors and he has given us Combined with working openly advice, materials, furniture; in a shared space, the artists things we didn’t know existed. compare this experience to that It’s great. We’ve found feathers of an Open Studio. at a crazy, organic farm. The farmer was an old punk. We “What we like is to learn about have the stereotype of the what we are doing and when conservative farmer, but he was we do an exhibition people full of tattoos and earrings; a come and say ‘this made me big punk. And more than the think about this thing’. We like work, we like walking around so much when people have the city. Philémon was taking stories. It’s always very open; lots of pictures. It’s nice. And there’s the title, there’s the the weather is not bad! We are thing and we don’t want to not fond of football in France, explain too much about it so but it’s a good way to feel the people will just see it and from atmosphere and meet people. that people will imagine stuff. We’ve been to a football match That’s art. And sometimes it’s in the 6th division. In France things you never saw about it. that would be nothing, but here That’s why it’s great to share there were 400 supporters. It the work.” - Philémon was so nice. It was £12 for a ticket in Harrogate, but it’s a Having been surprised by posh town so maybe they can tattooed goose farmers, afford it.” abundant green space, the Great British weather and the price and popularity of 6th division football, time in Leeds
East Street Arts develops links with major European cities in order to realise the potential of artists’ residencies and exchanges. It offers artists an international platform for making and showing new work, the opportunity to meet new audiences, and a space to try out new ideas and concepts.
The team at East Street Arts started visiting Lille in 2011 and have continued to build relationships with commissioning agencies, studio groups, festivals and other creative venues in the area. In 2012 we coordinated a members research visit to coincide with Fantastic, Lille3000’s Capital of Culture legacy, while also visiting artist organisations and collectives.
Leeds<>Lille
“It was interesting to hear about common obstacles and challenges faced by Lille based artists, collectives and studios. The best part of the trip was the trip to Le Malterie. The studios were really fascinating, along with what is on offer to artists there.” - Nicola Parkin, Navigator North Arnaud and Philémon are the first artists that East Street Arts welcome from La Malterie and we look forward to projects throughout the year that link both cities through artists’ work, ideas and public events.
change through creativity registered charity 1077401 eaststreetarts.org.uk @eaststreetarts