Aha... Get your drift ;-)
marc > Not talking about Furtherfield, Marc. Unless you are part of the Wall Street > propelled Art Market. > > -Joel > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "marc garrett"<[email protected]> > To: "NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity" > <[email protected]> > 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"<[email protected]> >> To: "NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity" >> <[email protected]> >> 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"<[email protected]> >> 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 >> >> [email protected] >> >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> >> > >> > >> > Simon Biggs >> > [email protected] >> > http://www.littlepig.org.uk/ >> > >> > [email protected] >> > http://www.elmcip.net/ >> > http://www.eca.ac.uk/circle/ >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > NetBehaviour mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
