ARTISTS TALKING

Working with others is intrinsic to our understanding of art as a social practice; art like any other work is a social or group activity, despite the tradition of framing the artist as a solitary genius. However, we do not want to fetishise collaboration as a mode of production, we simply think it is the best way of making art. Collaboration brings a discourse that supports the enquiry of a practice; positions and ideas have to be articulated and discussed, research is examined and knowledge is shared. We choose to work with people with whom we have convergent interests, particularly those who explore how cultural work can contribute to change, and with whom we can establish a joint project with mutual aims.

In June we showed a work in Venice that had been made in collaboration with Dave Beech and Gavin Wade. The text work, The Aesthetic Function of Public Art, is the culmination of our longer-term project, Three Functions. The three text works entitled The Economic Function of Public Art, The Social Function of Public Art, and The Aesthetic Function of Public Art, aim to examine the tensions and contradictions that exist within public art. The Aesthetic Function of Public Art examines the ideology of aesthetics, a charismatic and deceptive form of knowledge often described as ‘good taste’ that, as described by Dave Beech: “fulfils its social function by masquerading as asocial. Taste conceals its modes of acquisition so that its social divisiveness appears as natural distinctions between those who have it and those who don’t.” The public text works contest public art, we want them to initiate discussion; by making these direct statements we hope to generate debate about the function of art.

The Aesthetic Function of Public Art was installed on a bridge and published as a poster work during the 51st Venice Biennale, as part of Gavin Wade’s ongoing project Strategic Questions. The project consists of forty questions written by R Buckminster Fuller from his Design Strategy (1966) a proposition that called for all parties concerned with humanity to answer these questions, this he believed, would enable them to successfully combine their efforts. The Aesthetic Function of Public Art is in response to question no. 31 What are aesthetics?

We have also been working with Insertspace, a newly formed artist group based in Birmingham. Together we co-curated their first project It’s the only life I know, a poster project that presented text works that discussed art and its relationship to the ‘public’. The posters were free and available to collect from various sites across Birmingham. We also mailed the posters to 250 galleries, along with a request and instructions on how to display the work. The texts were from artists Mark Hutchinson, Oliver Ressler and Dave Beech.

Three Functions is currently on display in Leeds (until 8 July) for Vitrine. Three Functions posters and the essay Sloganeering by Dave Beech is available from Vitrine, more information from
www.vitrine.org.uk
31. What are aesthetics? The Aesthetic Function of Public Art can be seen from the bridge at Calle Chiesa, San Marco until 6 November 2005. A poster is available. For further information see www.strategicquestions.org
www.hewittandjordan.com