LV21 mini-residency part 2 and open day!

Over 3 scorching hot days in April, the Figure Ground team returned to LV21 and the ship became a hive of artistic activity, with 26 artists making work, collaborating, and drinking vast amounts of tea (thanks Paivi and others for their dedicated washing up).

On April 20th we opened the ship to the public and had lots of excited visitors come along..

We will post more soon but in the meantime here are some links to some of the artists blogs and visitors photos...

http://grahamdunning.com/2011/04/25/photos-from-light-ship-performances/

http://www.fromherewhereyouare.co.uk/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theprojectroom/sets/72157626547327698/

Thanks especially to Paivi and Gary, and Rob for technical support, and Dave for the BBQ!

Lightship Trip

Last week, Figure Grounders went on an excursion to Kent, where we met with Caren Bland, visual arts officer for Kent County Council. We then went on a site visit to several locations around the Medway area, inluding LV21, the lightship moored at Gillingham Pier, which is being converted by Paivi Seppala and Gary Weston into and arts and events space.









We got excited about planning the next Figure Ground event which will take place on the lightship in Spring 2010, inviting artists to respond to the spaces on the ship and then inviting the public on board to respond to the work, and meet the artists.








Watch this space for further news and application details...

Thanks to Caren, Paivi and Gary. Lightship link: http://www.lv21.co.uk/
Photos: Laura Krikke

Figure Ground: a public discourse

Report by Jo Thomas on the Figure Ground Events in the Nan pages at A-N magazine

http://www.a-n.co.uk/nan/article/617979

figure ground meet up

D I Y Informal meet up - what now - all welcome

Meeting outside Royal Festival Hall, London
(on the beach - tides allowing)
Please bring food, drink etc.

Friday 28th May
from midday
look forward to seeing you

Jo, Jon and Katy

all travel bursaries have now been sent out and should be with you shortly.

We'll be putting up more images shortly.
Photographs: Margherita Gramegna www.margheritagramegna.co.uk

Ideas from last Friday, discussion with all our cloths of thoughts at Art Council London, 27th December 2009

How do we want Figure Ground to be? What do we want it to do?

Summary

We need to keep it simple

There is a will to make things happen

Further days to develop in 2010

Starting with a picnic for all spring 2010

*********

Exposing your own processes to others

Exposed to other peoples processes

Fire

Other peoples’ process

We and the local

Creative generosity

To test

Provocative

Process not product

it is the meeting that counts - not constructing an institution

Time and space to have fun and be together

Water

Vague pin

Challenge parameters and definitions of public art

Discussion beyond artists – not just artists

Space to rejuvenate

Town as grey canvas

Umbrella needs anchor

Artists taking control, as awareness campaign

Adopting social work

Not admin/boring things

Questions not answers

Manifesto – structure

Continuity

Earth

Practical

Support

Initiating

Repeat

Breakdown barriers

Time to talk

Money to play

Remove politics

We want others to invite us

State of mind not institution

Invitations to play

Situations to play

Calling people to play

Nebulous

State of mind

Having a clean slate

No legacy

No history

Air

Repeat annual

Taking to different place

Creating network

Revisiting people

Value and sustain focus

Not so much an endpoint

Document process – this is practise led research – contributing to current knowledge

What we learn on the way rather than being its’ own

Let it grow, flow

Grow into its’ own thing

Physically meeting

Commitment to

Picnic next spring

(details to follow)

to share names and who came from where.

to develop further occasions in 2010

Those there all made various commitments to help carry this project forward.

Katy, Jon and myself are meeting up soon and will be in touch.

Our promise to develop a tool kit – information of how... from the evaluation of the project so far