Not talking about Furtherfield, Marc. Unless you are part of the Wall Street propelled Art Market.
-Joel ----- Original Message ----- From: "marc garrett" <marc.garr...@furtherfield.org> To: "NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity" <netbehaviour@netbehaviour.org> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 8:05 AM Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] I don't know what to think anymore So, should we shut down furtherfield on-line projects and the gallery? marc > Marc; > > I think what's happening was inevitable, as wealth and power becomes > concentrated into a few hands, the population grows, and resources become > scarce. > So perhaps its time for artists to drop out of the "art scene" and not > feed > the monster. > Not a bad thing, as it can mean a rebirth of work over which the Art > Market > has no power. > > -Joel > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "marc garrett"<marc.garr...@furtherfield.org> > To: "NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity" > <netbehaviour@netbehaviour.org> > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 2:09 AM > Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] I don't know what to think anymore > > > Hi Simon& Antonio, > > Yesterday was a significant day. A big shift politically, where the > ideology of a neo-liberalist agenda successfully disarmed half of the > media art world in the UK. Some excellent groups who were grass roots, > doing amazing stuff were attacked. I can't even bring myself to mention > their names at present, because it feels too raw. > > Already in the UK, artist groups have been just about surviving on > minimal amounts of income. This recent attack has lessened their power > to make 'real' change in the world. Currently, my toleration for those > who say that 'if you are arts council funded you are not radical', as > they themselves are about as socially engaged as a wet muppet - all > mouth no trousers. There has been some excellent art collectives and > groups receiving revenue in the UK from Arts Council funding, whilst > actively changing things via their own, critical approaches. > > What has happened is, those who are already supported by and part of, an > established elite have gained even more power. If we thought that things > were bad before, get ready for next wave of corporatized zombie led > manouvering, implementations of conservative ideologies flooding the art > world. Already the established art world was propping up useless and > culturally vapid artists via protocols, defined from top-down > initiatives. It was already hard to convince galleries and art magazines > to allow media context and its practice to be seen in their frameworks, > now they have yet another excuse to stay in the same state of denial, > and escape the responsibility of having an awareness of work more > relevant than their own limited remits, let alone a small glimmer of > imagination. > > marc. > > wishing you well. > > > > The days when an artist could rely on ACE for an income are long > gone. > > 1998/99 was the key period, when major restructuring of ACE (at the > behest > > of the new Labour government) meant that direct funding to artists > was > > replaced by a focus on funding institutions and regional areas. The > closing > > off of the tap for direct funding to artists from the National > Lottery, > > specifically the closure of the Film Councils support for > experimental > > practice, was the single most negative hit the new media arts sector > has > > taken over the past decades (along with the closure of the Film and > Video > > unit of ACE). Since that time it hasn't been possible for an artist > to make > > a living from ACE supported activities. Artists that had benefitted > from > > ACE's prior largesse (happily I was amongst them) had to find > alternate > > means to support their work. > > > > That doesn't make what happened yesterday any more palatable. The > cuts made > > are amongst the most profound that I can remember and many worthy > groups and > > companies have suffered. This has happened as the direct result of > > government policy. ACE had little choice when its budget was cut by a > third > > - the big question was whether to cut everyone a little or a few a > lot. They > > went for the latter option. There are arguments for and against > either > > option. Understanding why this has happened doesn't dull the pain for > those > > that have lost out. > > > > Best > > > > Simon > > > > > > On 30/03/2011 23:09, "Antonio Roberts"<anto...@hellocatfood.com> > wrote: > > > >> http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellocatfood/5575389294/ > >> > >> "After reading the Arts Council's funding decisions today I'm really > >> not sure how I feel about them and the whole art world in general. > >> > >> I should just give up now. An artists' income is largely dependent > on > >> the government/Arts Council and they currently are more keen on > >> cutting funding and trying to convince us that it'll be great > >> challenge for our creativity. What a load of crap. A challenge is > >> good, unemployment is not. > >> > >> What a crap day" > >> _______________________________________________ > >> NetBehaviour mailing list > >> NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org > >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > >> > > > > > > Simon Biggs > > si...@littlepig.org.uk > > http://www.littlepig.org.uk/ > > > > s.bi...@eca.ac.uk > > http://www.elmcip.net/ > > http://www.eca.ac.uk/circle/ > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > NetBehaviour mailing list > > NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org > > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
