IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

2006-present

Frederic Pradeau: You'll Never Walk Alone
PressCorps: AFI and Gwangju Binnale 2006
Exit Review 2006
Laundry Men
Exit Cork 2006

2004-2005

ExitCork: Cork Caucus 2005
Damien Hirst: One Night Only
Surveiller by Una Walker
PressCorps: The official PressCorps of the Liverpool Biennial
Debate: Volunteering: Econonmic Gain or Cultural Capital
The Static Lecture Series 1: A Short Course in Rhetoric by Rebecca Reid

2001-2003

EXIT REVIEW
WILD
Wish you were here 87.9FM
Bloomberg's New Contemporaries
Investigating the Culture Capital Process: Buy in/Sell Out
Continued Hostilities: BFO Invasion 'Room and Board'

Copy version

June/July 2005

April 21 2005 (7-8pm)

Information on event.

Feb 24 - April 24 2005

Artist Una Walker spent 128 days, approximately 1,280 hours, producing an inventory of art exhibitions in Belfast from March 1968 to March 2001. The chronology, presented on gallery walls, and as a searchable database in an office, attempts to document the length, type, title,venue and media source of every artist’s show. Surveiller is ‘just a list’, but like many things that are ‘just lists’ it creates and communicates power structures and opposes the experience of those ‘who were there at the time’ with larger and longer patterns.

The database presents fact: when, where, what and who. It does not distinguish the art listed according to quality, content or reputation, nor does it provide any visual information. We expect art to be emotive and subjective, so to subject art to this analysis seems stark and reductive. However the tension between objective and subjective, or observer and subject, is inherent in surveillance, and, like all good data collection, this inventory reveals much. The information presents art as a type of social activity, subject to the influence of politics and economics. For example, in 1974 there was notably fewer exhibitions. The list shows there were only five active galleries, others being decommissioned through bombing. In contrast, in 1994, the year of the cease-fire, galleries were busy. The increase in galleries and shows in the recent years is notable, reflecting the growing faith in culture as a tool for economic regeneration. Many new commercial galleries have opened, evidence of the greater spending power of the culturally literate.

Walker documents more than just the artists, she forms an inventory of all the players in the art process. Galleries, shows, and the sources of wider broadcast, publications, listings and reviews are linked together, key components in the social production of the artist and the artwork. In the example of 1974, it seems that while artists may have been making work, the very mechanisms of broadcast were out of action, the means of communicating a public identity stifled.

It might seem that Walker is performing a generous service for her fellow artists, placing them in official histories where they were previously invisible. However, the aim of Surveiller isn’t to valorise individuals but to reveal the mechanisms which make practices visible and effective. The list is as accurate as possible, but it relies on the very media sources it also represents, amplifying any effects of misinformation. It is noticeable that none of Walker’s information sources are from outside Ireland. It seems that scanning the UK or international art press during this period was pointless as so little about art in Ireland was published. The sheer mass of internal artistic circulation in Belfast during this period is overwhelming and the person who surveys this information can’t help but wonder what return any of them received from their work.

The image on the front page of teh web-site shows Walker as a secretary, filing late at night. The image is a re-presentation of one of Victor Burgin’s ‘Office at Night’ photographs. Contrary to Burgin’s intention to expose the exploitation of women workers, Walker’s administrative role is not servile. In Surveiller Walker is an amasser of information and a controller of data. Far from being atavistic, Surveiller gives Walker a position of power to represent her colleagues and reduce them to data. The time period presented here is a time of surveillance and controlled media representation. Surveiller reflects this oppression by turning inwards and broadcasting these mechanisms. The artist makes her work out of watching and recording artists, the gallery makes its exhibition out of recording exhibitions and the viewer watches themselves surveying the data.

The official PressCorps of the Liverpool Biennial 2004
September - November 2004: www.presscorps.org.uk

Transcript to follow.

The speaker stands on a soap box, competing with other speakers to capture the hearts and minds of passers-by. The academic waxes lyrical about the chemical communication of synapses, while his audience check their watches. The politician desperately tries to win public support for an unpopular war, the crystal therapist competes with the local minister for clients in need of counselling. The passionate, committed individual has always attempted to change the minds of the masses: Jesus Christ, Cromwell, Lenin- receptive individuals picking up on the needs of a changing social climate, or remarkable individuals with a lone vision that others followed?

Before the enlightenment, belief in a God was assumed, presenting a relatively unquestioning set of rules on how to live your life. The development of the subject, within the enlightenment, allowed the privileged man to see himself as a self-defining individual with beliefs that were painstakingly constructed through learning and consideration. Today the failures of the Soviet Union and Nazism have led to a time where we, rightly, fear and view with cynicism blueprints for society. This is a marker of freedom from oppression on one hand, but at the same time it is increasingly hard to express or feel belief. Extreme freedom becomes a tyranny when we are scared to assert our own subjectivity in the fear of trampling on others'. In some sectors of life, such as our rights as consumers we become more articulate, as larger fields of action become closed or irrelevant. At the same time, this situation squeezes strong belief into an image of religious fundamentalism, for example, in a response to a Western society that can offer no hard and fast ways to live your life.

Through a series of live events, following the structure of Aristotle's 'Rhetoric', artist Rebecca Reid leads us through the attempts of the lone speaker to convince us of their message. Roughly translated from orthodox Greek, evangelism is the 'impressions of angels that fade'. The art of persuasion works on two levels, through the logic of the argument and the 'sound and spectacle' of gesture and tone,

'A convincing speaker and a speaker of conviction are not necessarily one and the same and yet there are no separate words for one who convinces by force of style and one who convinces by moral force. Perhaps it is not then a surprise that we tend to be suspicious of rhetoricians whether in the arena of politics, teaching or religion. '

Aristotle identifies all public speaking as an appeal to the emotions, saying that it succeeds in as much as it inspires the audience make to make an 'emotional purchase' of what is presented. The style of address is shaped, not so much by the content of what is being said but by the purpose of a speaker to arouse a particular emotion or combination of emotions. Some in the audience might consider that this is not a risk worth taking and prefer the heat of opposition to the sweetness of surrender. Some speakers use theatrical passion, others convey scepticism, in an appeal to capture objective minds.
Extreme expression of belief exists in science and art as it does in religion and politics. Whatever the outcome, what transpires is a dynamic ebb and flow between speaker and audience.

Throughout the Autumn Rebecca Reid will invite a number of speakers from various sites of 'Rhetoric' to convince the audience of their argument. The debate will shift from site to site, in search of a relevant home for persuasion. Be prepared to follow the pilgrimage from Static, to hallowed sites of learning, to the bar stool, the soapbox, the airwaves, cabaret den, city chambers and conferencing facility.

Please visit website at www.static-ops.org/rhetoric/rhetoric.htm

In 1999 Matthew Arnatt and David Mollin began their project '100 Reviews'. This involved them visiting 100 exhibitions in a week and making fast-fire judgements on the work they saw. Following this the project was repeated in 2001, and in 2002 they invited 4 well-known writers to perform the same task. Not only did this draw attention to what a review can be and to interrogate the reverence of 'expert opinion', it also questioned the notion of objectivity and sought to playfully reveal the allegiances and factions which always colour opinion, especially in a scene like London. For EXIT REVIEW the artists won't be well-known, there is obviously a very different and lesser known scene, and the reviewers will be chosen for different reasons. However some parallels with EXIT REVIEW remain- the value of unadorned and conflicting personal opinion, the vulnerability of the reviewed, and also the exposure of the reviewers, who may risk their reputation, or, in this case, agonise with their conscience when dealing criticism to young artists. This is an interesting issue as although young artists may wince at harsh comment, we hold on to the belief that positive criticism will improve confidence and understanding, and negative criticism can do the same, making young artists more informed, tougher, sharper and angrier- good ingredients for continuing their practice.

EXIT REVIEW will commission a team of 7 reviewers to cover the 84 fine art students graduating from Liverpool Art School, Wirral Metropolitan College and Liverpool Hope University College. The larger team of reviewers for 'EXIT REVIEW' is not to give the reviewers an easier ride, but to enable each artist to receive 2 reviews, so the opinions can be compared. Each reviewer will be asked to give their written opinion on between 20 and 25 students, and also the show at each college as a whole. The reviewers will consist of local, national and international writers, and artists who write as part of their activities.

During an equivalent of 3 days (staggered periods to account for the differing times of the degree shows) days the reviewers will visit the art schools. A week later they will submit their reviews to Static, who will prepare them for small-scale publication and distribute them to the students and colleges. A week later all reviewers, students and public are invited to attend a one day event where the reviews will be made public. The reviewers will also be requested to select 3 student's projects to talk about, in context of a discussion about the art schools, and the condition of UK art education.

Liverpool degree show dates:

Liverpool Hope University College
Private View 23 May. Exhibition 24,25, 27, 28, 29, 30 May.

Liverpool Art School (Liverpool John Moores University)
Private View June 10, continuing weekdays until June 26.

Wirral Metropolitan College
Private View June 13, then every day until June 20.

EXIT REVIEW: Finale event
Saturday June 28

EXIT REVIEW

Static is one of three art organisations working with the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art to explore the relationship between the Biennial and its audience. Static chose to work with young artists, hoping to enhance their opportunities to develop their own projects, and also to broaden new artist's perceptions of their work, seeing intelligent organisational activities as part of practice. The WILD group have been meeting fortnightly since November. Innovative means were required to find a point of contact and consensus of action between highly opinionated individuals. Those members who wish will bid for a budget to carry out their own project, while at the same time a research structure devised by the group will explore the relationship between the projects and their audience. Findings will be presented at a symposium in 2004, then a new event or publication developed for the 2005 Liverpool Biennial. Look out for a WILD launch event in July.

Lead Artist Kelly Large

"Hello and Good Evening from 'Wish You Were Here'. My name is Mark and I will be hosting each 'Wish You Were Here' broadcast. The station is a temporary restricted service radio station which is broadcasting to Liverpool throughout November on 87.9FM. At this time, (9pm - midnight), every Sunday in November, 'Wish You Were Here' will be broadcasting works from artists, writers, social theorists and local people which explore ideas and experiences of the near and the remote using the voice and other sound. Some of the audio work has been commissioned from artists and writers especially for 'Wish You Were Here' and you will be the first to hear it. Other audio works, have been selected from sound archives spanning the last 50 years. We also have interviews with people whose daily lives give them a unique perspective on nearness and distance and requests from local communities"

'Wish you were here' was a project by Kelly Large, involving a temporary radio station broadcasting to Liverpool during the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art 2002. Four tightly curated late night broadcasts addressed a particular theme: 'Is There Anybody Out There?', 'Location, Location', 'You're Not From Round Here Are You? And 'The Real Thing'.

Static continues its conversation with Kelly Large, hoping to find new ways to explore radio's capacity to reflect or alleviate isolation, and to traverse boundaries of privacy.
Wish you were here is available to buy as an artists' limited edition.
More- Wish you were here Booklet.

Bloomberg's New Contemporaries is a national annual exhibition presenting work by UK art school 3rd year and recently graduating students. In 2002, coinciding with the Biennial, Static hosted and project managed the show, leading to a temporary new development of the gallery space and a discussion with speakers including Julian Stallabrass and John Byrne.

Buy in/Sell Out
3 - 7pm June 6, 2002

At this date Liverpool Culture Company were just about to submit Liverpool's bid to be European Capital of Culture. James Heartfield (University of Delaware), Pedro Jesus Lorente (University of Zaragossa) and Sir Bob Scott, leader of Liverpool's Capital of Culture bid, were invited to discuss the relevance of the bid and whether culture really is the answer to both Liverpool's and Europe's regeneration. Liverpool won the nomination on June 5th 2003.

STATIC GALLERY PRESS RELEASE

Buy In/Sell Out: Liverpool’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2008,
Culture as a Force in Re-development.
Venue: Unity Theatre, Hope Place
6th June 2002. 3.00pm-7.00pm

Itinerary:

1st Speaker: Dr. J. Pedro Lorente: 3.15pm - 3.55pm
2nd Speaker: James Heartfield: 4.05pm - 4.45pm
3rd Speaker: Sir Bob Scott: 4.55pm - 5.35pm

Interval/drinks at bar.

Evening Debate: Chaired by Doug Clelland 5.50pm-6.50pm

Liverpool’s bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008 has now been submitted. Liverpool follows in the footsteps of many other port cities which have succeeded or sought to re-develop their built environment, social fabric and economic fortunes.

When it was announced that Liverpool would pursue this award opinions were mixed. Many saw this as an opportunity for Liverpool to be congratulated for its already well-known cultural history, whilst others considered that an over-emphasis of Liverpool’s past- the Beatles etc would hinder an appraisal of Liverpool’s culture now. Many were concerned that a consideration of Liverpool’s culture would only centre on what are considered cultural practices, ie art, music etc, and not on the nature of Liverpool’s day-to-day culture. Others were concerned that focusing on cultural activity would ignore the reality of Liverpool’s infrastructure. Some consider that the need for social change and economic development is so pronounced that the act of applying for what they consider to be a surface adornment such as Capital of Culture is repugnant. Liverpool’s run-down economic profilr is well-known and perhaps acts as a mirror reflecting the extreme consequences of capitalism. Looking in the mirror is undesirable. However, perhaps cities like Liverpool may also be the places where new models for engagement and development can spring. At the centre of these issues is the debate concerning what exactly is culture and whether culture is the icing on the cake of a healthy city or whether it is the driving force that makes it healthy.

Buy In/Sell Out brings together three speakers and a chair to explore whether culture is a significant factor in re-development:

Dr. J. Pedro Lorente (Department of Art History, University of Zaragossa, Spain) has written extensively on the crucial part culture has played in the redevelopment of cities such as Bilbao and Oporto.

James Heartfield (University of Delaware, London programme and author of ‘Great Expectations: The Creative Industries in the New Economy’) is critical of the emphasis placed on culture as a force for redevelopment, seeing this, rather, as a way of distracting attention away from failing large-scale industry.

Sir Bob Scott is Chief Executive of the Culture Company Ltd, the organisation responsible for the preparation of Liverpool’s bid to become European capital of Culture.

The Chair of the discussion is Doug Clelland, Herbert Rowse Professor of Architecture at Liverpool John Moores University and Principal of Liverpool based Aire Design, Regeneration Consultants, Chartered Architects and Masterplanners.

Whilst there are plenty of strong opinions about Liverpool’s bid, there has been little opportunity for discussion. Within this event the debate about Liverpool’s bid will be related to a wider discussion about the role and use of culture, as either a force for development or a marketing brand.

Buy In/Sell Out has been organised by Static Gallery, Liverpool. Static’s central aim is to increase the quality of visual cultural activity in the city and beyond, by establishing a climate of debate and critique.
Static Pamphlet: ‘Art, architecture and current events’, will be available as a monthly publication from July 2002, accompanied by a daily ‘update publication’ on the internet. Details available shortly.

More- transcript of 'Buy in/Sell Out' (available shortly)

BFO Invasion 'Room and Board'
June 11 - August 3, 2001
A troop of North America-based artists, BFO, invited Static, and other galleries in the USA, Canada, the UK and Europe, to play host to an invasion of foreign artists, and defend their cultural space with a team of local artists. No physical barriers could be built in the space, so other means of defence, or creating 'hostility' were required. The visiting invaders were able to bring with them a 'kit' that had to be transportable as hand-luggage on their plane journey. The invaders would 'invade' within the timeframe of the show opening, which they anticipated the 'host' would arrange. As a consequence of this event, and unknown to Static a bizarre additional hostile event unfolded.
More- Dossier of Events