Make/Shift/Space ...was a workshop, studio, archive, library, social platform, gallery, stage hosted at: school community centre art centre park bridge church community farm street corner cafe shopping parade
33 residency days
73 new artworks and performances commissioned 10 artists and makers provided professional development for 11 artists
travelled 18.3707 miles
1521 live audience 468 participants
Make/Shift/Space is a live, practice-based research platform for testing out the possibilities of artistic activity. The project encompasses three core elements – art production, transitory movement and physical or virtual space. Initiated by artists Claire Hickey and Emily Warner, Make/Shift/Space is manifest as a physical structure that can easily be moved across geographical locations and can be inhabited by artists working in multiple ways. The project acts as an interface between the urban environment and its numerous publics, artistic production and display, prompting new questions and conversations that circulate around these elements. The project’s outcomes include temporary artist residencies, workshops and events in the vicinity of the portable structure. One of the primary aims of Make/Shift/Space is to increase the public visibility of the work that artists often undertake in the privacy of their studios or workshops. Its central roving platform functions as an open plan artist studio that makes making public. In this way, the project connects everyday space, action and movement with the production processes that artists might use. The artists using Make/Shift/Space take the contexts, histories, communities, objects and other material or intangible characteristics of a place as the starting point for artistic
inquiry. Hickey+Warner describe themselves as facilitators and educators within the context of this project, creating open-ended encounters that artists and members of the public can respond to. The mobile unit used throughout Make/Shift/Space consists of a birch plywood box mounted on a heavy-duty wheeled base, fitted with a detachable handle. Inside are housed collapsible tables, stools and shelving units, while the framework itself has elements that can be opened out to extend the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the form. Designed and built in collaboration with artist duo Juneau Projects, the physicality of the structure is re-configurable to suit a variety of uses and contexts. It was designed with function in mind, allowing it to easily move through a range of spaces. The first phase of the project took place between May and June 2016 and realised socially-oriented artistic practice (shifts) across sites in three specific wards within Birmingham. Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath were selected due to their low level of engagement with the visual arts, and with contemporary art especially, while Digbeth is an area with a high level of artistic production and display, and an ideal hub from which to work outward. Alongside artist shifts from Hickey+Warner themselves,
two other commissioned artists, Laura Burns and Sarah Taylor Silverwood, based in London and Birmingham respectively, carried out public realm residencies in these areas. These shifts have not only animated the physical spaces that the project has visited but have engaged with the various communities inherent to them or passing through them more temporarily. Conversations have been held with, for example, children playing, street cleaners, commuters, homeless individuals and asylum seekers – all critical parts of Birmingham’s rich make-up. Communities engaging with the project also include online audiences that have come into contact with its outputs and been part of its ongoing dialogical exchange. Each of these groups has contributed to the shaping of the work produced. During the first shift, Hickey researched the connections between women and the labour of making in relation to Birmingham’s rich industrial heritage. Using salvaged materials, her research led her to produce clay bricks imprinted with the names of significant female makers from the city with the help of Christ Church women’s group. Walking, song, dance and movement characterised Burns’ approach to the residency. Concord Youth Centre and Farm Park,
both in Sparkbrook, provided physical anchors for the artistic activity she undertook and influenced the way she responded to the project brief. Working with a diverse palette of materials from fabrics, leaves, thread, words and dough, Burns’ intuitive research offered sensory and kinaesthetic ways of exploring public space via artistic practice. Taylor Silverwood used her residency to produce a series of lo-fi signs for individuals and businesses in Balsall Heath. Anyone with a message to communicate could freely commission a sign from the artist or make one themselves, adding personal, social and political voices to the project’s growing collection of dialogues. Moving around Birmingham’s streets, Taylor Silverwood’s work for the project maps place via language and drawing. The artist offered a useful service to local residents through the means of art production, though many of the signs were used as a voice of protest, for example, against local land boundary changes and the EU referendum campaign. Her shift culminated in a public display of the broad-ranging signs requested and some signs can still be seen at public buildings such as Moseley Road Baths and Balsall Heath Library. A collection of objects – discarded metal signs, cardboard
tubes, lengths of hose, rain water – all found on Birmingham’s streets were re-purposed by Warner during her residency period. A series of interactions with these materials, other invited artists and using her own body allowed Warner to create new dialogues around place. Further digital engagements, using text message ‘scripts’ and Twitter as an artistic tool or material, enabled Warner to explore new perspectives on virtual spaces and their tensions or connections to the ‘real’ material world. There are many challenges facing contemporary artistic practice and production. Financial, infrastructural, political and spatial issues all make its sustainability difficult. Make/Shift/ Space therefore engages with ideas of survivalism, durability and nomadism, issues that are facing almost all artistic communities in the UK and beyond. Hickey+Warner’s project proposes a new methodology for research into alternative production strategies and artist support structures. Through it, artists and members of the public have been probing the possibilities of art, unlearning the codes of a place and re-making patterns of knowledge connected to specific places. A presentation at Birmingham City University’s Research Matter(s) conference, an artist lab day at mac Birmingham and
a showcase for Digbeth First Friday has fed into the project’s activities and outputs. The project will further travel to new spaces and contexts in the future. Public events and more academic presentations of Make/Shift/Space are planned at University of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire University, Gallery 37, Longbridge Public Art Project and Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum. These expand the reach of the project on a regional scale, increasing the potential impact of the work of Make/ Shift/Space within education, community and artistic contexts. Hickey+Warner hope to tour the project nationally, using it as an educational tool that will offer a different kind of model for artist professional development. The project asks a variety of critical questions – what is public space and how can it be disrupted or reclaimed? Which spaces are contested at a time when the ownership of and access to land and property is becoming less transparent every day? How can the value of place and of artistic practice be better understood? The results of Make/Shift/Space are slippery and fluid. They are difficult to measure and sometimes very subtle, altering as the project continually negotiates and renegotiates itself in relation to the social, physical and artistic rhythms it encounters.
Anneka French, independent writer
I found the portable workspace a really interesting thing to grapple with – in a way it kept me more static than I had imagined, because in order to set up somewhere meant unpacking and being quite committed to staying in one place. It was great to have the volunteer with me because I was mobile without the workspace as well, and then began to come back to it as an archive space, an extension of the collection of things – ideas and objects – that were emerging. I was surprised at how my being so visible in the red jacket and with the workspace affected my practice so much, and this was a challenge to me I think; I usually work from a position of not being so visible in this way, and this was really interesting to my practice because I really had to consider who or what I was implicitly presenting myself as. The area in which I was working – I ended up staying stationary for a lot of the time because I was interested in unfolding a practice from a constant geographical position, using the workspace as a base to wander and come back to. It garnered interest when I took it to the main roads as well as in the park, because people began seeing me on consecutive days; I think this provided a lot of space for people to come to talk and ask about it over time because it might be intimidating at first but eventually once they had seen me a few days in a row they would come and speak; this also meant there was time for them to imagine what it might be that I was doing. Laura Burns, resident artist shift 2
Imagining how artists might use the structure was a challenge, but a fun one. Your research was really useful in terms of us trying to think about how the structure could be flexible in its accommodation of a range of artists’ practices. We were really surprised at how the structure was used by the artists in this first phase of residencies - it was great to see the structure being used in ways we hadn’t anticipated when designing it. Juneau Projects, structure designers
There has been real impact for a variety of stakeholders. The project has engaged a range of communities across Birmingham and in particular those who wouldn’t normally engage with creativity on a day-to-day basis. In certain locations they have also seamlessly integrated their project into areas of the city where there is a lack of cultural amenity, and have engaged with key stakeholders of the community to create an authentic and open cultural dialogue. They have also created employment for, and worked with a range of emerging artists across the region, each bringing their own unique approach to making and creating, but all with the sensibility of building and developing cultural engagement. Dan Whitehouse, funder, mac Birmingham
Seize the opportunity; don’t be afraid to articulate your group’s interests and see if it is possible for them to be incorporated, but don’t be too prescriptive - it is easy to think we ‘know’ our community best, but artists can bring something very special, and probably in a way that is unforeseen. Don’t be afraid to take a risk with an off the wall idea - probably the worst that can happen is that it doesn’t ‘work’ for you, however the best that can happen is that synergies are created and the project turns out to be greater than the sum of its parts. Ian Edwards, St Paul’s CDT, Balsall Heath
I was surprised how fluid the interactions with members of the public were once the initial logistics were set in place. Whether or not we were moving or set up in a location, people were open to conversation and participation. I was also surprised how the power dynamic changed once you moved into someone else’s space - as soon as I set up in a playground or a farm, for example, people reacted as if I were in their space, so they seemed to feel more empowered to interact with the structure and the team. Sarah Taylor Silverwood, resident artist shift 3
I loved the sign writing service, it made me think about the messages I wanted to send to my local community. It made me think about the things that affected our local area and about how to start having conversations about these things. The project was wonderful, seeing the sign writing cart move around the area was fun. When I commissioned a sign, I was with my neighbour and her children, it was fantastic to see the kids think about what they wanted on their signs and to get creative about designing them. We talked about our street and the things that upset her about it (she doesn’t like the litter) and so we worked on commissioning a sign that asked people not to drop litter. It felt like a little victory for the kids, being able to participate in a seemingly adult conversation but with their own style and ideas. It was a great way to engage in a conversation about an important topic. Rhidi Kalaria, sign commission participant
The greatest impact relates to the ‘please don’t cut Balsall Heath in Half’ sign - This was used for a social media and public awareness campaign. In homage to the project, I and others walked the streets of Balsall Heath carrying the sign. It was very easy to tell people about the boundary changes, seek their views and then get them to pose for a picture with the sign. This led to many more people being engaged in a matter which has a direct impact on the area where they live or work. The images were viewed thousands of times online and dozens of people then wrote to comment on the boundary changes that otherwise probably would not have done so. The images were picked up by the Birmingham Mail who featured them on their website and then used the same technique to engage people in the EU referendum. Ian Edwards, St Paul’s CDT, Balsall Heath
I have participated in several types of events. The experiences gave me the idea to think broadly whenever I want to do something new or organise a project. For example, to put a sign making workshop in a farm is absolutely interesting, it showed me that there are always possibilities to co-operate with people from different disciplines. Chen Chang, shift assistant
Emily and Claire were brilliant and provided everything I needed beforehand: meetings to discuss ideas, support for finding local contacts, set up of all admin on the structure, induction on how the structure works, support during the ‘live’ days, transport for materials etc. I enjoyed the process of moving MSS from one location to another with Emily and Claire. Sarah Taylor Silverwood, resident artist shift 3
The Make/Shift/Space portable project space has made me more aware of how to expand my practice to the general public, it has given me confidence that I can combine my skills of talking - with my skills of making outside of the gallery/ traditional studio space. It has also been useful to work alongside other practitioners and volunteers, leaving a legacy of practice, collaboration and potential engagements for the future. It has really helped to situate my practice as an artist in the city of Birmingham and within the Birmingham arts, community and cultural scene. Gavin Rogers, artist collaborator
[My] key advice to other artists who might use the structure for public realm working: Establish contacts in the community. Create a solid logistical framework before you begin, including start/finish times, number of days, clothing, materials. Create a fairly solid yet flexible conceptual framework for the idea behind the project and your objectives for your time. Have contact details/website on an easily accessible postcard or similar. Work in short bursts for more days rather than a few long days. Add in time to recalibrate in between. Sarah Taylor Silverwood, resident artist shift 3
Make/Shift/Space has taught me to be brave. If you have an idea, just go for it and don’t hold back. Working with Emily, I got an insight to how a real artist operates and was really reassured when I saw moments of uncertainty. I was like “oh, so it’s not just me” I had an amazing time. It also re-reminded of me how fun art can be. It’s important to strip it back to basics. Ryan Sehmar, shift assistant
It’s made me think about how I can incorporate art into my research, especially with the rather science angle that I have. It also gave me an insight into different ways to think and approach projects. It’s outward looking approach worked well - all pieces and interactions were well documented online. You could be a part of it without being physically present. Tess Osborne, researcher, University of Birmingham
Think creatively and always be curious. As I am not an art-making student, I didn’t really put a lot of attention on the things that happened around me in order to find inspiration. While working with the artists in MSS project reminded me of the thought that any little thing can be interesting! I do not make art works, but assisting artists is definitely delightful and makes me feel like creating something different. Through talking to them, I have learned some experience that may not directly relate to my professional area, but will be useful to enrich in my life philosophy. Chen Chang, shift assistant
All of the artists made really rich and informed work during the residencies. I pushed my practice forward a lot, and took some huge steps in developing new material. Because of the focussed time frame and direct influence from public locations, I had a really exciting compilation of ideas at the end of the shift. I wanted to conclude the shift with a performance and I had a wealth of start points to immediately act upon. Emily Warner, project lead / resident artist shift 4
I loved the public-making aspect of the residencies – the opening up of the physical processes that artists go through. With the project culminating with a public and academic showcase (Digbeth First Friday; Research Matter(s) conference) this theme continued with the unpacking, presenting and re-presenting of works in different places and in different ways. It was exciting to have sound and video works in public space too as they added another sensory dimension. Having the structure as a live, exhibition space and also a teaching tool is where I’m interested in developing the project further: to place it within academic discourse and to be used by artists to discover how they can practice in public. Claire Hickey, project lead / resident artist shift 1
Image details (in order):
Make/Shift/Space structure Live Test research Shift 1: Claire Hickey Route mapping Shift 2: Laura Burns Twitter updates Shift 3: Sarah Taylor Silverwood Facebook updates Shift 4: Emily Warner Twitter updates Digbeth First Friday Research Matter(s) conference Make/Shift/Space was generously funded by Arts Council England and mac Birmingham. Special thanks to Friction Arts, Christ Church CE Primary School, Concord Youth Centre, Christ Church Sparkbrook, St Paul’s Community Development Trust, and Ort Cafe.