Local Operations
23 May – 1 July 2007
Times vary
Free, first-come, first-served
The Sackler Centre of Arts Education at the Serpentine Gallery
Local Operations is a series of self-organised events, talks, screenings and workshops by writers, curators, theorists, independent groups, artist-led spaces and universities. All discussions will be available as free podcasts from www.serpentinegallery.org after the events.
Wednesday 23 May
11 am – 4 pm
OPEN MARKET – Cultural Production vs Commodities vs Informal Trade
Public Works
A day of research and debate in two parts:
11 am - 4 pm: A tracing and mapping session of the resources and commodities circulated within the Serpentine Gallery and its proximities. With guests who have been involved in cultural projects at the Serpentine Gallery.
2 am – 4 pm: A discussion with professionals from the fields of public art, architecture and urbanism, economy, product design and marketing about the transformative potential of cultural goods and knowledge, and trade as a social act.
Speakers include: Wapke Feenstra, artist, Rotterdam and member of myvillages.org; Dr Jaime Stapleton, Associate Research Fellow in the School of Law at Birkbeck, University of London and external consultant to the World Intellectual Property Organisation; Professor Mike Hitchcock, Director of the International Institute for Culture, Tourism and Development at LMU, editor of the book Souvenirs, The Material Culture of Tourism; Louise Coysh, Education and Public Programmes, Serpentine Gallery; Adam Sutherland, Director, Grizedale Arts, Lake District; Kathrin Böhm and Andreas Lang from the art/architecture collective Public Works.
Thursday 24 May
11am – 2 pm
Implicasphere: an itinerary of meandering thought, from beards to...
Cathy Haynes and Sally O’Reilly
Collaborate with the editors of Implicasphere to create an associative string of ideas.
Friday 25 May
12 pm – 2 pm
Support Structure — phase 6
Celine Condorelli and Gavin Wade
An ongoing architectural project that aims to create an architectural interface between people and places.
Tuesday 29 May
10 am – 5 pm
Educating for Art & Activism
PLATFORM
A one-day exploration of the issues that arise when artists, activists, campaigners and others start collaborating. What is the motivation? What are the stereotypes that need to be exploded? What are the politics? How can we learn to work together or learn, fruitfully, that we can't?
The day is run by interdisciplinary group PLATFORM, whose course The Body Politic: Social and Ecological Justice, Art, Activism is in its third year at Birkbeck, University of London. www.platformlondon.org
Wednesday 30 May
10 am – 6 pm
The Other Book Club
The Arts Council England Inspire Curatorial Fellows
A selection of 11 texts converge at a speakers’ corner, each selected by a curator on the Inspire Fellowship Programme and presented by special guests.
Thursday 31 May
11 am – 6 pm
Hang the Commission! A Debate Between Two Opposing Teams
Who Wins? You Decide...
Locating the Producers (Claire Doherty/ Paul O'Neill)
Teams: Alessio Antoniolli, David A Bailey, Aileen Corkery, Susan Kelly, Jeni Walwin and Dave Beech, Sally O’Reilly, Neil Cummings, Andrew Hunt, Becky Shaw with Debating Moderator Mick Wilson.
Launching the Locating the Producers international research project, which investigates processes of commissioning contemporary art, this event assembles two opposing teams to debate whether commissioning perverts the artistic process. Involving anecdotal evidence, critical statements for and against and the interjections of an independent moderator, this free day-long event will invite the public audience to vote for the winning argument. www.situations.org.uk
A collaborative project between Situations at the University of the West of England, Bristol; Dartington College of Arts and ProjectBase.
Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 June
1pm – 6 pm
La Commune
Whitechapel Project Space
Two days of performance, presentations, screenings and publication launches that focus on counter-histories of self-organisation, and the philosophical, personal and aesthetic legacies of such activities.
Artist and writer Melanie Gilligan will present across both days a new performance work engaging with aesthetic and political discourses around the French Revolution and Enlightenment. In addition there will be a screening and presentation by artists Will Potter and Lilla Khoór, and the launch of publications by Radical Vans and Carriages (Alex Pollard and Iain Hetherington) and i-cabin texts (Sebastian Craig and Juliette Blightman). The event marks the launch of www.whitechapelprojectspace.org.uk as a resource for downloadable artworks, texts and sounds.
Monday 4 June
4 pm – 6 pm
Internationalism vs Environmentalism
An informal conversation and open discussion between David Cross (Cornford & Cross), Cornelia Parker, artist and Michaela Crimmin, RSA Head of Arts
Do we face a choice between professional opportunity and saving the planet?
How might the international art world reconcile air travel with the growing threat of climate change? (Venice under water, we expect. But Miami? Manhattan? London?)
Wednesday 6 June
11pm – 6 pm
The Space of Post-autonomy
David Goldenberg
“What tools and concepts are available to allow us to break with a Euro-centric tradition off art, and go onto reinvent how we think and stage art?”
An invitation to take part in a collective open debate that takes its point of departure from texts, documentation and videos examining the space of post-autonomy.
10 am – 2 pm: Lecture/performance by David Goldenberg; a video by Wim Salki and Camp Aalst; and slideshow by Man Somerlinck, curator of Fordham Gallery.
2 pm – 6 pm: Open online debate www.postautonomy.co.uk/blog
Thursday 7 June
11pm – 6 pm
Bite-Sized
Institute of Education’s Artist Teacher Programme: artists Fredie Decombe, Davina Drummond, Kerry Duggan, Isabella Lockett and Courtney Power
A day of participatory activities exploring life’s philosophical questions in bite sized chunks. Bring your own bread.
Tuesday 12 June
4 pm – 6 pm
Art and Architecture: A Place Between,
Jane Rendell
Rendell’s new book Art and Architecture: A Place Between (London: IB Tauris, 2006) acts as a starting point for developing a conversation concerning the site of the ‘critical’ in spatial practices. Speakers include: Janet Hodgson, artist; Sarah Wigglesworth, architect; muf, architects; Marysia Lewandowska, artist, Shelley Sacks, artist and chaired by Jes Fernie.
Supported by the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL
Wednesday 13 June
4 pm – 6pm
Let’s start with The End
Shumon Basar/Sexymachinery
From The Odyssey to Dallas to Frances Fukuyama, civilization’s progress is founded on epic endings. This event will trawl through the best and worst endings culled from season-finales on TV, the Star Wars circular saga and the recent fetish for prequels as the last word in sequels. The theme of ‘The End’ forms the next issue of the print/event project, sexymachinery.
Thursday 14 June
4 pm – 6 pm
The General Election Rally Vote Ballot
Mel Brimfield
Candidates for the Election battle it out at this lively public rally, presenting a series of performed manifestos for your consideration before the ‘Big Vote’.
Click here to listen to the Podcast of this event, or right click (CTRL click on a Mac) to download as an MP3 (115.5 MB)
Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 June
12 pm– 6 pm
Pimps and Hookers and a Salon
Esther Windsor, 1000 000 mph project space
Images, artists, texts and discussions on art as a culture industry (Saturday) and a fashion/art dialogue (Sunday). 1000 000 mph is an artist led space directed by Dallas Seitz and Esther Windsor.
Tuesday 19 June
12 pm – 2 pm
International Project Space, Birmingham
A talk by the curator Andrew Hunt
Recent projects include work with Aleksandra Mir and Robert Orchardson, Mark McGowan, Chris Evans, Aline Bouvy/John Gillis, and Sue and Terry Atkinson.
Wednesday 20 June
12 pm – 6 pm
Just a Minute: An A – Z of Doubt
MA Curating Contemporary Art students at the Royal College of Art
Thursday 21 June
10 pm – 6 pm
The Freee Counter Public Sphere Masterclass
Freee art collective
A day-long workshop with artists and students to develop ideas for a Counter Public Sphere, culminating in presentations of individual and collective ideas.
Saturday 23 – Sunday 24 June
1 pm – 6 pm
Learning behaviour, learnt action, unlearning knowledge: a weekend of thinking and acting
Cinenova and Studio Voltaire
Studio Voltaire has been collaborating with artist and writer Emma Hedditch, who maintains the women’s film and video distributor, Cinenova. Discussions have followed a shared interest in self-organising and organisational politics, feminist and queer politics, representation/visibility and the artist’s position in society. The weekend will include screenings and discussions with guest speakers, whilst considering the Local Operations proposition as an autonomous space, asking: can we or do we want to act autonomously?
Studio Voltaire is the first and only artist-led gallery and studio complex in South West London. Cinenova is a non-profit organisation dedicated to distributing films and videos made by women. www.studiovoltaire.org / www.cinenova.org.uk
Monday 25 June
4 pm – 6 pm
Resistance or invention?: art and global capital assemblage
Panel discussion led by Suhail Malik, Andrea Phillips and guests of the Political Currency of Art research group, Visual Arts, Goldsmiths
Tuesday 26 June
1 pm
This is What We Do When We Are Not At Work
A Cubitt event curated by Tom Morton
Two films about resistance and leisure by Solvej Dufour Andersen (Denmark) and Axel Weisz, Laura Taffarel and Thiago Villas (Brazil).
Wednesday 27 June
11 am – 5 pm
Architecture of Enquiry
Organised by Juliet Robson
How does an artist’s physical makeup inform the making and presenting of work, with particular reference to physical impairment? What methods and devices can the practitioner/curator employ to encourage a meaningful experience for the audience?
11 am –1 pm: Discussion with Juliet Robson on how her unique physicality informs her work, including examples of her work and a screening of Norman and Shopping.
2 pm – 3.15 pm: Juliet Robson and Louise Coysh, Serpentine Gallery Project Organiser, discuss Democratic Paths, a project inspired by physical and intellectual negotiation of the Serpentine building and the importance of ownership for the participants of Westminster Action Network on Disability, that culminated in Acting Up, a project exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery.
3.30 pm – 5 pm: Ideologies and Audience: A panel discussion on audience engagement with artist Jordan McKenzie and independent curator Kate Stoddart, chaired by Juliet Robson.
Thursday 28 June
4 pm – 6 pm
Dictionary of War
Florian Schneider
Screening of a collaborative platform of 100 concepts on the issue of war created and presented by artists, theorists and activists over the past 12 months.
Saturday 30 June – Sunday 1 July
11 am – 6 pm
Propaganda Machine
Chris Hammond, MOT
Including screenings, lectures, activities and workshops by artists including Mark Beasley, Amanda Beech, Simon & Tom Bloor, Tom Ellis and Elizabeth Price. Day one:Training and Indoctrination; Day two: The Role of Women
