1. Title:
Silent Debate
Motion: “That this debate is not a dialectic”
2. Description of concept of project/ Statement of Intent:
In a debate, an individual or team will publicly engage in a spoken dialogue with another within a given time frame, each contending antithetical positions with the intention of proving one ’truth’. Silent Debate aims to provoke argument about the nature or necessity of the curator by asking curators to begin contributing only after the exhibition has begun. Each proposition will be presented visually at either end of the week.
3 Practicalities for artists and for curators:
Participating artists will be asked to deliver and display artworks (max. 3/ person) to the seminar room at the beginning of the exhibition (8th May). Artists working in performance/ video or other non-object based practice are asked to participate in the initial stages of the exhibition in whatever way they deem appropriate. All participating artists will be required to engage with a team of MFA curators and other MFA artists throughout the week developing a second format, theme and/ or content of the exhibition in preparation for its concluding day.
4. What will be the outcome?
Unknown.
5. Timeframe of Silent Debate:
Tuesday 8th May 2007
– Works/ elements of works are to be left in the Exhibition Space, Laurie Grove Baths, Goldsmiths University by participating MFA fine art and textile students before 11am.
– ‘Brainstorm’. Silent Debate invites a panel of reputable curators, dealers, art administrators, New Cross residents and artists to discuss the exhibition as it is, and as it could be. Begins 7pm.
Friday 11th May 2007
– Silent Debate re-opens and concludes.
6. How you will employ the seminar space for the week of your project?
Open for debating/ displaying/ moving curators, artists, artworks and equipment, the exhibition space will be open to the public at all times (7th – 11th May, 9am-6pm), with press releases available.
If you have any queries about the Silent Debate please contact the Silent Debate curatorial team on silentdebate@gmail.com, or call 078 5433 1418.
7. Curators Involved:
Konstantinos Dagritzikos
Isobel Harbison
Christine Kunze
Alex Reynolds
Caterina Riva
8. Artists Involved:
Sergio Allevato
Jorge Cabieses
Tamsin Casswell
Asiya Clarke
Irene Hernandez
Harriet Hill
Emily Hussey
Chrustl Mudrak
Kate Pickering
Bona Park
Ehsan Sardjadniya Kons
Sally SpinksCat
Florin Ungureanu
9.Invited Speakers:
Miria Swain
Arthouse; Anita
Kit Hammonds
Ian/ Sophie [Rubbish and Nasty, New Cross]
Vanessa Desclaux
Simon Bedwell
Short bios of the speakers:
Miria Swain
Miria Swain has just been appointed as Offsite curator of the Milton Keynes Gallery. Miria also tutors at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford as well as consulting on the Channel 4 contemporary art collection. Previously Miria has worked in modern Art Oxford and was curatorial consultant on Channel 4’s Big Art Project. Miria has contributed to variety of art publications and catalogues, including Untitled and Art and Architecture Journal.
Arthouse Collective; Anita
Anita is an artist who works with monoprint with recent exhibitions at the limelight, Lewisham and at the same time she co-ordinates the Arthouse. Originally funded by Carnegie for use as a public library is now an artist run co-operative with an adjacent member-run Gallery. Disciplines include painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography, performance and installation. The Arthouse also provides an extensive, life-long-learning workshop programme.
Kit Hammonds
Kit Hammonds is curator of the South London Gallery. Previously he worked as a freelance curator on projects such as Arts & Ecology (RSA and Arts Council England www.thersa.org/arts) and Publish and be Damned (with Emily Pethick www.publishandbedamned.org). Kit is a regular contributor to Untitled and Tema Celeste.
Vanessa Desclaux
Vanessa is currently assistant curator of performance at Tate Modern, recent projects include Actions and Interruptions and USB Openings: Saturday Live. Vanessa has recently collaborated with artist Benoit Maire, to produce an artist book which will be published by Revolver Books this summer. Vanessa contributes to a variety of magazines and art publications, including Untitled, Art-News, Contemporary and Art_Press.
Simon Bedwell
Bedwell is an artist who was one of the founding members of the artcollective Bank, which was active in London during the 1990s. Bedwell’s current practice works through sculpture and installations and his most recent Solo exhibition was called ‘The Recievers’ in the M.O.T gallery. Bedwell is currently tutor on the BA Fine Art at Goldsmiths.
Here are some images from part one of the project:
