Is context only half the work?

Conceived by Barbara Steveni in the 1960s, the Artist Placement Group was an organisation that actively sought to reposition the role of the artist within a wider social context. Building on this legacy, we will explore what context means today, how to take social conditions, politics, history, and geography into account when producing work, and what methods and approaches can be considered to understand and embed work in new contexts.

Is context only half the work? is moderated by Gavin Wade, Artist-Curator at Eastside Projects. Speakers include visual artist and curator, Jeanne van Heeswijk, local resident and project manager of Homebaked Community Land Trust, Tom Murphy and Arman Nouri, Director of Kin Structures and Programme Manager, Culture & Community Spaces at Risk at the Greater London Authority.

All Constellations ° Assemblies will take place in The Hall, UP Projects’ digital participation space.

The Constellations ° Assemblies series is one of two strands of activities as part of Constellations, a free learning and development programme for artists, curators, producers, and practitioners active and/or interested in the expanded field of public art. The other strand, the Constellations ° Cohort, supports a group of ten practitioners to develop their practice, collaborate with others, access new networks, and contribute to critical debate surrounding the future of public practice.

Constellations is generously supported by Art Fund, Arts Council England, The Barrington Hibbert Associates Access Fund, and the Constellations Patrons and UP Supporters. To find out more please visit our Support Us page. Constellations is curated and delivered by UP Projects, working in partnership with Flat Time House and Liverpool Biennial.

Accessibility

Live captioning and British Sign Language interpretation will be available at this event. Should you require access to British Sign Language interpretation, please email info@upprojects.com in advance of the event so we can provide you with dedicated access links to the event.

About Gavin Wade

Gavin Wade (he/him) is an artist-curator, founder of Eastside Projects, and Senior Research Fellow at Birmingham City University. His (co)curated exhibitions include ‘Sonia Boyce: In the Castle of My Skin’ (2020), ‘This is the Gallery and the Gallery is Many Things X’ (2018), and ‘Display Show’ (2015–16), Temple Bar Gallery/Eastside Projects/Stroom den Haag.

Gavin makes/has made art on twitter, in public squares, publications, albums, shopping malls, naval frigates, cathedrals, commons, parks, The London Underground, Dudley Zoo, and the future Smithfield Market in the centre of Birmingham. His books include ‘Upcycle This Book’ (2017) and ‘Has Man A Function In Universe’ (2008), both published by Book Works; and The Interruptors: A non-simultaneous novel, featuring John Latham and Barbara Steveni, Article Press (2005).

About Jeanne van Heeswijk

Jeanne van Heeswijk (she/her) is an artist who facilitates the creation of dynamic and diversified public spaces in order to “radicalize the local”. Her long-scale community-embedded projects question art’s autonomy by combining performative actions, discussions, and other forms of organising and pedagogy in order to assist communities to take control of their own futures.

About Arman Nouri

Arman Nouri (he/him) is a cultural worker with a focus on the role of civic infrastructures and cultural production in community and neighbourhood development. He is currently leading the Mayor of London’s Culture & Community Spaces at Risk programme. Arman is also co-founder of Kin Structures - an arts organisation exploring new approaches to building and sustaining community infrastructure. He is a Unit Lead at Central Saint Martins, where he co-delivers Critical Creative Practices, as part of the Cities MA. Arman is also an advisor to Theatrum Mundi, a Public Practice alumnus and a member of music crew Houseplants.