Building on the Workplace (2002-) organisation founded by artists Paul Moss and Miles Thurlow, Workplace Gallery (2004-) www.workplacegallery.co.uk is situated in Owen Luder‘s Trinity Court shopping complex in Gateshead town centre, the Brutalist megastructure that made infamous in Get Carter. The centre is in its last days, destined for demolition – allowing Workplace to operate provisionally in a space which is, by national standards, enormous (but very very cold). Rather than operate by committee, the organisation represents artists – including Marcus Coates, Darren Banks and Catherine Bertola – on a commercial basis. Taking advantage of the global boom in the market by attending international art fairs in London, New York and Miami ensures that artists in the North East of England are able to make a living from their work while keeping a local art economy afloat. Emerging out of the Side Cinema (2001-05), Star and Shadow Cinema (2006-) www.starandshadow.org.uk is located in Stepney Bank, Newcastle in the former Tyne Tees television warehouse. The independent cinema, bar, exhibition foyer, darkroom and arts office space was constructed entirely by volunteer artists and cinephiles – among them Susie Green and Ilana Mitchell – to support innovative practice by encouraging community participation. Its cooperative membership-based structure is perhaps more familiar to Scottish artists. The Embassy shares Workplace and Star and Shadow’s concern with performance, film and video based work and identifies with their independent character.
Alexandr Petrovksy
Ed.
Hayes Argot Pit, Monaco
No comments:
Post a Comment