“It was great to step out of the gallery and discuss ideas and issues with peers. I loved the interaction between different
levels of presenters, directors, artists, researchers and educators - it brings me back to the question of role in the gallery:
how do we define ourselves in our organisations? How do we work with other areas of the gallery and how do we work across internal agendas?”
Conference delegate
Regeneration is a defining feature of the 21st century, and one in which the role of cultural organisations is becoming increasingly
important. In urban and rural contexts worldwide, education and audience development can play a key part in this process.
The 2009 engage/enquire International Conference addressed some of the issues that cultural organisations, artists and residents
encounter when commercial and social partners and local communities work together to realise new futures:
- What role do galleries and visual arts organisations play in urban and rural regeneration schemes?
- How do artists, educators and the public contribute to placemaking? What is the role of the imagination?
- What does good regeneration look like? Are unrealistic utopian ideals affecting our ability to bring about meaningful regeneration
in the here and now?
Future Perfect took place in the ever-changing landscape of East London. Experts in architecture, future thinking and archaeology
joined an international lineup of writers, artists, educators and curators to explore the role of visual arts organisations and
artists in observing and shaping the places where people live and work.
The event- which was attended by a record 245 delegates- included keynote speakers, case studies, breakout sessions, practical
workshops and plenty of opportunities for networking and discussion.
Programme
“We’re in the era of the grand narrative. Places have to explain themselves.”
Iain Sinclair, writer
Download the full Conference Programme here.
Highlights included:
- Two optional field trips to places involving artists in their redevelopment and change: Beckton Alp and the Serpentine Gallery’s Edgware
Road project
- An evening event at the V&A Museum of Childhood with two keynote speakers, Malcolm Miles, Professor of Cultural Theory at the University
of Plymouth and Claire Doherty, Director of Situations at University of the West of England
- Discussions about different models for involving art practice within regeneration including Paul Domela, Programme Director at Liverpool
Biennial and Kerstin Bergendal, who talked about her work with Art Plan Trekroner, Denmark
- An exploration of ways that arts organisations can work long-term with people, places and regeneration, including contributions from Adam
Sutherland, Director at Grizedale Arts, Marijke Steedman, Head of Education at Whitechapel Gallery and Clare Cumberlidge, Co-director at
General Public Agency
- engage AGM, Soapbox, a reception at the Whitechapel Gallery and conference dinner
- Breakout sessions in venues across east London
- Kerstin Bergendal, Donald Hyslop, Head of Community Partnerships and Regeneration at Tate Modern and Charlie Tims, Demos Associate
presented and discussed ideas for how arts practice and arts organisations might continue working in the context of regeneration in the future
- Concluding the conference, Sophie Hope, who has worked extensively in areas of art and regeneration, offered her comments as Observer and
conference blogger.
Contributors
“The interstices between the zones are where the repressed outpourings become visible #engage09 2:33 PM Nov 6th”
Laura Oldfield Ford, Artist and Twitterer-in-residence
Main contributors
Jonathan Banks, Chief Executive, Ixia
Kerstin Bergendal, Artist, Art Plan Trekroner
Reem Charif, Febrik
Clare Cumberlidge, Co-director, General Public Agency
Claire Doherty, Director, Situations
Paul Domela, Programme Director, Liverpool Biennial
Synthia Griffin, Curator: Regeneration & Community Partnerships, Tate Modern
Sophie Hope, Conference Observer and blogger
Malcolm Miles, Professor of Cultural Theory, University of Plymouth and author of Cities and Cultures
Michael Prior, Conference Programmer and Chair of Friday’s discussion
Iain Sinclair, Author of Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire
Marijke Steedman, Head of Education, Whitechapel Gallery
Adam Sutherland, Director, Grizedale Arts
Charlie Tims, Demos Associate and Co-author of The Dreaming City
Other contributors included:
- Achim Borchardt Hume, Chief Curator, Whitechapel
- Chris Biddlecombe, Property Projects Officer, Wasps Artists' Studios
- Kathrin Bohm and Andreas Lang, Public Works
- James Dixon, Archaeologist, University of the West of England
- Daniele Vouga Duggan, Discover
- Karen Eslea and Sarah Martin, Head of Learning and Head of Exhibitions, Turner Contemporary
- Eleanor Farrington and Janna Graham, Serpentine Gallery
- David Gunn, Director, Incidental
- Anna Harding, Chief Executive, SPACE
- Chris Jones, Ultra-red/School of Echoes
- Amal Khalaf, CAMP/Serpentine Gallery
- Jo Leahy, Director, Stroud Valleys Artspace
- Karen Mirza, Artist and co-founder of no.w.here
- muf, Architects and Artists
- Laura Oldfield Ford, Artist and author of 'zine Savage Messiah
- Emma Maria Price, Senior Project Manager Officer, Safle
- Jennie Savage, Artist
- Cressida Trew, Actor
Download the speakers’ biographies here
Online activity
“Just because you don’t have a label or brand attached to your event / product / project, it doesn’t mean you are without an agenda,
value system or position of power.”
Sophie Hope, Conference Observer and blogger
Future Perfect and Axis online
Axis is a leading online resource for contemporary art in the UK. The Autumn09 issue of the Axis online journal, Dialogue, launched on 2
November with a series of special features about art, gallery education and regeneration. Participants, axis and engage members and the
public were invited to get involved with the discussions and share their thoughts and observations.
Talking about regeneration:
- Axis Chief Executive Sheila McGregor responded to the question 'Does art need buildings?' online at
http://www.axisweb.org/buildingsforart
- Jonathan Swain took a close look at Contemporary Art Manchester (CAM), a consortium of 13 arts organisations that have formed to
further the presence and awareness of contemporary art in Manchester, through joint programming, audience development and profile
raising, networking and exchange activities. Jonathan's case study examined CAM's first year of activity.
- Axis hosted a forum looking at the ever topical and controversial Olympic regeneration of East London. How is the regeneration of
the area affecting the arts and artists? How have large-scale top-down regeneration schemes affected the arts in other cities around the UK?
- The Olympics and artists studios. Director of the National Federation of Artists' Studio Providers, Val Millington, introduced the
issues being faced by artists' studios that are within the Olympic Park regeneration area.
You can access Dialogue for free at http://www.axisweb.org/dialogue
a-n Writers prize
“Most of the projects discussed so far will have received their backing because of a written proposal or a description at
interview. It is verbal persuasion that brought them into public view. How do they persist after the activity is over? Since
they are sited in face-to-face human relationships of exchange, would we expect their legacy to inhabit this form?”
Lawrence Bradby
Artist and writer Lawrence Bradby was the winner of the a-n Interface Writers prize. He attended the conference on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5
November, and wrote a review which was subsequently published on a-n’s critical writing platform, Interface. The review can be downloaded by
clicking here.
Listen online
You can listen to recordings of the auditorium sessions by clicking on the titles below.
Iain Sinclair’s position paper, ‘Ghost Milk: A Requiem for the Age of the Grand Project’
Claire Doherty chairs a discussion about the conjunction between institutional critique and negotiating policy
Paul Domela’s presentation, ‘Beyond Learning and Inclusion’
Reem Charif talking about Febrik’s work in Palestinian refugee camps
Clare Cumberlidge, General Public Agency and Marijke Steedman, Whitechapel Gallery, ‘Curating on the Edge of the Institution’
Adam Sutherland, Paul Domela and Kerstin Bergendal discuss the role of artist and arts organisations in developing a different
idea of the future for communities.
Adam Sutherland, Grizedale Arts: ‘Seven Samurai’
Kerstin Bergendal talking about her work with Arts Plan Trekoner, Denmark
Synthia Griffin of Tate Modern talking about the future of the arts and regeneration
Michael Prior, Synthia Griffin and Charlie Tims discuss the value of future developments in regeneration
Photos
Click here to view photos of the event
Further Reading
NEW Download 'An introduction to Echo Archive' essay by David Gunn, Director of Incidental.
Click here
Download a list of resources compiled by the Conference Programmer, Michael Prior, which relate to the conference theme.
Click here.
Venues
Future Perfect took place at Toynbee Studios and venues across London including conference partners, the
V&A Museum of Childhood and Whitechapel Gallery.
Other host venues included:
- Chisenhale Gallery
- Four Corners
- Guest Projects
- Iniva
- Space Studios
- The Women's Library
- Toynbee Hall
- Toynbee Studios
Conference partners
The enquire programme is funded jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Children, Schools and Families,
and Arts Council England as part of the Strategic Commissioning Programme for Museum and Gallery Education. The enquire programme is managed by
engage and has been developed in association with Arts Council England.