Dinner Debate by muf architecture/art

We are artists, how can we help?

“We are artists, how can we help” was a dinner debate devised by muf architecture

briefs for creative commissions? and Should creative opportunities in Hackney Wick

art and hosted by DfL. The debate focussed on the role of the creative sector and

and Fish Island only be available to local artists? These questions were posited on

creative practice in “home growing” the future of HWFI and was chaired by Simon

table mats between each course and the ensuing discussion was also notated

Grennan. This document collates the findings from that debate and suggests a way forward. It The evening was structured around the following questions; What is the identity of

is circulated to all those who participated in the debate and all those invited but who

HWFI? How can this identity shape the future of HWFI? Who writes the

were unable to attend.

Debate Participants

Invited but did not attend

Simon Grennan Esther Everett Eleanor Fawcett Georgina Starr Paul Noble Russell Thoburn Laure May Lewis Neville Gabie Ben Long Manu Luksh Rowan Durrant Simon Grennan Andreas Lang Elizabeth Wright Martino Gamper William Chamberlain Daren Ellis Rebecca Whyte Simon Reuben White Joanna Hughes James Morgan Simone Williams Sarah Wier Emma Frost

Chair & LTGDC commissioned artist for a temporary work in HWFI Host of “We are artists how can we help” DfL Host of “We are artists how can we help” DfL HWFI artist HWFI artist HWFI artist HWFI artist & Director of Hackney Wicked Olympic Park artist in residence LTGDC commissioned artist for a temporary work in HWFI LTGDC commissioned artist for a temporary work in HWFI LTGDC commissioned artist for a temporary work in HWFI LTGDC commissioned artist for a temporary work in HWFI LTGDC commissioned artist for a temporary work in HWFI LTGDC commissioned artist for a permanent work in HWFI LTGDC commissioned artist for a permanent work in HWFI Foreman’s Gallery Manager & Director of Hackney Wicked See Space Stour Space Elevator Gallery Curator, Director of Hackney Wicked and artist Mother Studios and artist Proprietor of the Hackney Pearl London Borough of Tower Hamlets Olympic Delivery Agency Olympic Park Legacy Company

muf team as facilitators, waiters, artists and architects Katherine Clarke Vicki Lewis Liza Fior Caitlin Estler Erin Byrne Lewis Jones Mary George Sarah Cross

The event was held at the Elevator Gallery with catering by the Counter Cafe.

Verity Keefe Anna Harding Fiona Fieber Inga Hutton Daniel Nelson Ian Freshwater Margaret Cooper Paul Buckenham Sarah Finn Hadrian Garrett Anna Doyle Shwartz Gallery Petra Rudolf Gemma Bushell Rachel Fleming -Mulford Delia Beddis

LTGDC commissioned artist for a temporary work in HWFI & HWFI resident Space Studios Space studios London Borough of Hackney (LBH) LBH LBH LBTH LBTH LBTH Create/Five Host Boroughs Create/Five Host Boroughs HWFI Gallery London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) LTGDC Art in the Open Olympic Park Legacy Company

Contents Executive Summary: A two track process, Discourse through Practice and Tools for Change Collated comments: Discourse through Practice

Who writes the brief?

Are Commissions only Available to Hackney Wick/Fish Island Artists?

The Brief

The Selection Process

Collated comments: Tools for Change

The Tools

HWFI Identity

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Table matsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as raw data

Dinner Mats as Flow Charts

We are Artists, how can we help? A two track process e ractic p h g u hro urse t o c s i D sions s i m com three

ange h c r fo Tools logue a i d ing ongo

Who Writes The Brief ?

Are Commissions Available only to Hackney Wick Artists ? The Brief The Selection Process

Tools for Change

The debate led to a brief for three new works to test how practice can advance the discourse on a meaningful future for HWFI. The commissioning process and brief are based on feedback from the dinner and the structure is as follows: •

The brief to be open but meaningful to Hackney Wick and Fish Island and therefore to be based on the points made during the evening

•

The brief to be circulated only through HW/FI networks to local artist but not to exclude proposals from outside should they come from people linked in some way to the area but not necessarily local residents or artists.

•

Submission process to be accessible, maximum of 3 A4 sheets

•

muf to offer 1:1 mentoring for application.

•

Selection by peer review, if you submit a proposal you get a vote

•

Proposals to be judged anonymously

•

The funders, DfL get the casting vote in the event of a draw

•

There will be three commissions to the value of £2.000.00 inclusive of VAT

•

The work to be complete and exhibited at Hackney Wicked festival 2011

•

muf will provide advice and support in delivery

“Tools for Change” is a process to influence policy and development direction in HW and FI. The aim is for the discussion from “We are artists how can we help” to become a broad manifesto that outlines a vision and which can be the basis of expanding the dialogue to include other stakeholders, for example developers, land and business owners and other officers. This process will be advanced through the following; •

The findings from the dinner outlined in this document are circulated to all those who attended and those who were invited but were unable to attend the dinner.

• The blog http://weareartistshowcanwehelp.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post.html will collect feedback. The feedback will be further collated to form the basis of the manifesto. • A follow up debate will be organized to take place around the time of Hackney Wicked Festival 2011.

Track 1: Discourse Through Practice

Rui Pignatelli

The brief for three comisons was circulated, 33 proposals were recieved, each artist who submitted was eligible to vote but not for their own work. Due to the quality of the submisions the client commisioned 4 works. The submisssions and the works themselves are documentd below. Russel Thoburn

...Use art to raise awareness make a social or political statement about the surroundings Art is good to disturb the status quo.

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Move towards supporting what already exists as opposed to what may happen.

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ĘťParkesineĘź pays homage to the rich industrial and manufacturing past of HWFI while acting as a marker uniting the landscape of Hackney Wick and Fish Island. The communities cut apart by the Hertford Union canal in 1824. This seed of an idea was formed whilst noticing amateur football players throwing away their water bottles and sports drinks on the nearby Hackney Marshes. The floating sculpture will be made from 2012 recycled bottle tops and lids (2mx3m). The location is the Hertford Union canal junction. The work will point towards Hackney Marsh, Victoria and the Olympic Park. Alexander Parkes invented and manufactured the worldĘźs first plastic (parkesine) in the Wick in 1866, identifying himself as an artist in his patent application. He also invented the process for waterproofing material (which was later sold to Macintosh).

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Detail of the floating Island

Construction: the recycled tops will be connected by four tie wraps, this means any strain or pressure is distributed evenly; the method has been tested via my studio wall and the canal itself. A structure 2x3m could be completed within the timeframe. There is also a recycling depot in the Wick to collect more tops and affirm the ĘťlocalĘź. In situ, there will be sufficient space for boats to pass, taking into consideration the boats that are also moored. The constant flow of the two waterways mean that wildlife build their nests elsewhere. The structure will be anchored and visible for all to see during the Wicked weekend.

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Mary George

Verity Keefe

Art as a tool for gentrification and civic authorities I hate the word tool when related to artists and art Is support of 18 HWFI artists a good way to foster change? How can HWFI buck the trend of artists being moved on? Art as a tool for gentrification and civic authorities I hate the word tool when related to artists and art Is support of HWFI artists a good way to foster change? How can HWFI buck the trend of artists being moved on?

Make public art make visible whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already here â&#x20AC;&#x153;The area is seriously deindustrialized now, there are lots of empty properties and hardly anything is actually made here anymore by industryâ&#x20AC;? -Bill, Central Books

In response to the sentiments above I feel sympathetic to the notion of being at the mercy of external forces, I have great respect for the strong sense of community that exists amongst HWFI artists, businessesand residents as it is evident there is a unique and delicate balance that would be a shame not to preserve in the face of â&#x20AC;&#x153;developmentâ&#x20AC;?. I also have a feeling that change is a good thing if those who it affects, take an active and in this case, creative role in defining the shape of the future. I believe that society, as a whole is only as strong as each individual- if every person immerses his/herself in physical and mental challenges (this involves stimulating debate amongst peers and an acknowledgement that competition leads to stronger individuals), then the future can be bright and positive. But this philosophy requires ACTION. Example Event: Wagon Wheel Roll Off

I propose (as a starting point for a continual embracement of healthy competition), a Hackney Wick Fish Island Idiosyncratic Decathlon. The race will embrace and reflect many HWFI components and incorporate architecturaland street elements as obstacles while highlighting many of the activities that go on at any given time in HWFI, such as: hauling scrap metal, drawing the likeness of something, shimmying up a pole to get an unusual found object that might be useful for an undisclosed reason, building a wooden palette, rolling a wagon wheel (a reminder of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatness as well as a distinct motif of the travellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s site), paddling along the canal on a vessel that is constructed from HWFI found objects (doors from the scrap yard)... (these feats will be imagined in more detail and given even more relative idiosyncrasy in the fullness of time.)

The Hackney Wick and Fish Island area is a rich tapestry of both artist and industrial production.

Collage showing converted Luton van, with seating and audience in situ at Central Books

Explore the similarity between art practise and industry: The cinema will make visible the often invisible industry within the area by touring during the Festival, exploring both the similarity between art practise and industry, and the process of production and making. A route will be developed to include the public realm, both formal and temporary, that will map the existing and past print industry of the area.

Contestants will be judged in an idiosyncratic fashion designed to reflect the notion that inclusiveness is possible while still aiming to win. There may be a prize for finishing all the tasks first, but there will also be prizes for style as well as originality.

Exmple Event: Drawing the Likeness of a Barrier

A Mobile Cinema to make visible the remaining industry to a wide audience, to reveal what is actually being made in the area: I propose to convert a Luton van into a mobile cinema for the Hackney Wicked festival. The cinema is a second stage to existing work and research within the area, focusing in particular on the remaining print industry and the

between industry, the local area and art in general. This will be explored further through conversations between the artist and the audience during the tour.

Seats will be housed in the van and placed outside for each screening. Power will be sourced from local industries.

To summarise, I believe this type of event can function as a morale building exercise and physical symbol of the greatness that lurks within HWFI as a whole. I intend to seek sponsors for this event in hope that it may become an annual experience.

Example site of mobile cinema positioned within Main Yard, (BRG

themes to curate a programme. Participating artists and local workers from the print industry and beyond will be invited to screenings and on hand for Q and A sessions afterwards.

Track 2: Tools for Change, Ongoing Discourse The positions articulated at the debate were organised as a contradictory manifesto, illustrated below. The findings from the debate have informed both the Area Action Plan and the London Legacy Development Company initiatives.

Appendix One: Collation of the findings The following pages collate the resposes to each of the questions posited at the dinner, through both the dinner mat flow charts and the inter -course debates.

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the brief as a summary of what was said

tools for change for further discussion

Make it home grown, proactive and/or collaborative ownership Proximity of available development space in Olympic park means HWFI could have the heat taken off We have to improve what we do and be part of change What is realistic as a future given what’s going on next-door?

ol change To enact remaining the same will kill the place, so how can we contr

Regeneration implies moving on what is already there

Does regeneration lie within the ownership of the local authority? l authority? Does regeneration lie within the ownership of the loca

How do you maintain your stake when the focus on you is more powerful?

What’s still possible? I want a stake in the future so I want to know what’s up for debate and what’s sewn up, I want transparency HWFI is recognized by local authority as a hub of creativity BUT how does artist led regeneration actually work? Our community has to be acknowledged and what we do appreciated Can the council support the underground community if they don’t know what it is?

the way it is? does the council like Fish Island TH needs to understand the needs of the area and make policy address what is here Support depends who you are, policy purports to support us but the legal status of the building or the activity is too subtle to be covered by the policy therefore we spend the whole time fighting the council to preserve the activity that is actually part of their vision Council support is essential and needs a different model based on

what the area is There has to be intervention otherwise market forces will take over

Needs a more nuanced approach for mapping to identify outputs from creativity in relation to how this shapes planning policy gh, it is too instrumental or too anodyne

The language of policy is not sensitive or nuanced enou

Funding is a difficult debate because of proximity to the Olympics; we ess plan

have to rely on consultation and council policy to advance any busin

How to make conversations and opportunities more locally inclusive

not joined up locally and that Sense that activity in the area is agencies come in and commandeer what is here and this puts people off collaboration Is there a difference between living here and working here? future of the area? Just because you live here do you have the license to influence the If you are local you ask the question why can ’t we have access to opportunities we aren’t If we are building towards jobs and opportunities for the future and able to secure those we will be driven out Money should go to local artists how many artists Partly it is a myth there are 600 studios I bet half aren’t used and are interested in the local area, how many are more interested in the national and international art scene?

Issue of professionalism, funding is from agency prof essionals and artist are not like that ool or on local artists commissions? Should 106 s be spent in Gainsborough sch

Are existing networks robust enough to get information out and to

support an endgame?

Could the commission be to the Pearl to join up through social activi

ty, it is well placed to disseminate information

Stour could make a better joined up HWFI

Can Stour Space represent artist

Is it just on the level of information and its availability? sarily interested in going to consultation

Poor access to information, if you are an artist you are not neces

e include artists There are many boards in HWFI but non Having representation from HWFI in the decision making process

re in the driving seat

I want HWFI artists a bit mo

Curation of HWFI, who make decisions abo

ut what’s in or out?

HW festival desire to aspire to commissioning, currently has an open artist showed the same work two years running,

Festival has an aspiration and curatorial capacity for

door policy, no control, so for example one

more focused commissioning

orial agenda because it will be about choices A level playing field is never going to be possible if you have a curat

The festival was started for the purpose of longevity by having visible presence Introduce competition inter nally this is a good thing It is not realistic to think it can only be HWFI

nts

artists but it has to be a higher % of applica

what is the identity of Hackney Wick

& Fish Island?

isolation is a positive aspect the HWFI studio community is not local but international

it is about doing your own thing, & it is aspirational to do your own thing

the lack of traffic and the yards mean people are inclined to do things in the road HW is DIY, it is outside the rules and is self generated & unregulated there was a sense of secrecy & lawlessness when i first came

Our aspiration is to have our views registered

some people within this debate have more power than others and generally those with less power have more knowledge

there is a sense of fun and play, of not being overlooked, for both residents, shopkeepers and incommers ers no passing traffic has concentrated energies, what happens here happens

because it is internally generated it has become an island with the bridge closure

There is no single identity

A key problem is one of the key benefits, many people don’t want to work with the council because of the regulations imposed on live/work ol status granted by planning but then obstructed by building contr How can those issues be put on a stable footing without jeopardizing the existing? overheard on the train, ”Oh, it is just like New York”

History of creative innovation is not just related to artists’ activity

Trowbridge estate residents will rem ain eve n if artists move on, artists and residents have a relationship with eac h othe r More people now live here than just have studios High density of artists but low density of buildings

The sheer volume of people who came in bec ause there was nowhere else to go and now rents are going up

It is a place of diverse production and density of creative production Collaboration and skill sharing, he mends my window, I paint his studio It is a place of waste not want not

the following pages are all the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;table matsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as raw data

Hackney Wick / Fish Island

Hackney Wick / Fish Island : Dinner Mats