transcript

Audiovisual Cultures episode 114 – Vane with Paul Stone and Chris Yeats automated transcript

hello and welcome to the audio visual cultures hi I'm Paul left in there thank you for joining me for another foray into the world of media arts and culture this conversation was originally recorded as a contribution to the Sox radio residency at the new bridge project a new bridge is an artist's studio gallery and project space in Newcastle upon Tyne and the north east of England's more information about all of that is linked in the show notes wherever you're accessing this episode's along with lots of other useful links a bite to taste casts I'm really pleased to present this longer cuts of my chats with directors of V. N. pol stone and Chris units he generously talk through some of fans history as an artist led organisation and gallery and its recent necessitated may from Newcastle city it's heads we also talked about the impact of the pandemic as well as the lingering ramifications of the T. Tyson its economic crash and I just all of these things have affected the arts psychology and funding and everything quite generally hopefully by the time this episode releases there will be firm our plans that we can share a bite what twenty twenty T. is looking like for fan which significantly has its twenty fifth anniversary in the summer do check our socials for that we are AT cultures pods I'll probably be doing a lot of sharing of what fan are up to date I know as I record this certainty on Instagram they're sharing past exhibitions that they want to highlight from the past twenty five years do you check them by their fee and calorie wherever you're taking foreign socials as ever a huge big massive thank you you too all our listeners fortune and then answer all of our very generous patrons at Petri on dot com forward slash AP cultures for keeping us going as you'll hear in this episode it's a really tough climate for all areas of arts and the creative industries just nine and a big message coming out of this conversation is the arts are non negotiable and we need to fight for them we need to fight as well for her arts criticism I always keep coming back to see the conversations I always had was solidly match appoints folly and worse so I really hope that and if you're listening can take away some messages safari around the sayings and that we can really start to push back on the cuts were facing an arts and humanities education and the arts and culture sector for now I am going to pass you over to Poland Chris it's reedy radian site file hope you get a lot I defend I hope it does give you some food for thought and we can really figure out how we can make our best friend Paul stone and see it thank you so much for joining me for the S. hyphen really came to speak to both surprised fan for some time and I'm just delighted at this socks media residents say giving me the excuse to finally jump and then to give you both the Shiites the Syrian was established in nineteen ninety seven and I think it C. H. and the timing of that is something we might talk about a little bit but Kitty chief he and turned describe your roles as directors and maybe a bit of your own history with B. N. O. tri poll first and then move on to crest so be nice to get the voice attached to damn sis while I say %HESITATION I'm told I'm the creative director of Bain and I'm also gonna tie rack to choose kinds of direct summoned director bangs company the old side %HESITATION great start speeds and chalk Graham the sole saying many of the things they send you to this in your organization startup challenge talks between us the point is to decide is that it didn't actually sets banging up with those involved from the very early days and since I'm from express to the public manifestation everything is kind of thought into this role rather than you know it wasn't a job that I applied for because there was no joke start with helps creates the joke we're not backgrounds and since the northeast as I came here as students in the late eighties I went to North America which I have a BA and MA in fine all fine despite this is not just after graduation lodging mice and stuff I was doing was outside the region one of the things that led me to come and vote in organizing projects and become a trusted name when it was set up was the fact that there weren't many opportunities for artists in the northeast so we decided to make all right basically all right Chris all the time right just saying we are obviously a small organization but we have a long history I will was involved from the initial steps back in the nineties I was actually it also student at Northumbria but I was doing my MA and I found out this was an organization promoting normalization group of artists not just used to meet on a regular basis and pumps on the city center and we were really just talking shop people just get together and discuss the work and it was first mooted at one of those meetings back in ninety six that'd be good to have a grassroots event it was at that point that we decided to kind of what would be called a festival but it seems a venture round the city affection that became strained ninety seven the first thing thanks was it was it was a way of actually creating opportunities for artists in the area we always wanted to do something which showcased what was going on it was it was an open access is not so it's going to be obnoxious to any any %HESITATION two stocks were involved just say I'm just I'm actually from the northeast originally so when you counsel I've moved all over the country so I got to get my first degree down college sitting in MA a relatively light sentences choose student I suppose at nothing but it was way back into my practice is at that point she done any organizing the other shows so that was a big move I think that was moved over to the dark side okay as a group producing web select but it knows only van offense the first four from nineteen ninety seven to two thousand both caught myself did participate as artists later on we moved to sack not really going to appoint that's enough for the world about me that's okay Sanchi it's really great said here more papers if you're back crimes because you do so much facilitating of so many other artists so it's nice to have a bit of the spotlight on each TV I think in case there's anyone listening he doesn't know very much about eight A. N. hi E. G. thank everybody best describes nice are you giving us a nice idea of the history of high it emerged by hiding his head being operating Grady said Stan is quite difficult questions one that sort of constant eight Texas so do not just cases I mean it's not longer story could cost you see results of the developments in the outlook examining some of that over this year because we're doing a lot of work on the knock on so global data sets this kind of sort of mold on two faces divine this is been a long process but to answer your question we started out we called ourselves not just that organization that is crisp wanted out because we when it became more of a job as an admin I'm developing payments which you didn't at the beginning research aside from not this office now we more recently this is possible working through decades a couple decades we've beginning to defuse the phrase office that again we're not sure I'm working on just because we feel that that is a good description of what we do and it never really wasn't the case spot iron artistic practice might just put on the back burner as he became boss everywhere organizes curates as soon as ISIS we're not sure that's always been very very much Cole how we approach this a project is the times being an artistic practice that is a long conversation about what is autistic watches and you use it he doesn't we've been very much involved in the world and by me throughout thank you St city of deciding what the best model for us cells Wallace is always been very much picking and choosing what we thought were the best bet some of the models means that are eating their guidance when we set up from the licensing process in network I'm still looking things to die and not more so it is interesting to us either that's something that we should be working as well whether it be looking at stuff and saying that's what shouldn't be happening you know what we do is such a good reaction because that's part of the process is still to formulating what we do move anybody comes out so it's a decision I really lost during the time that it also comes in which the public profile like lots of places because we've been open classes until such relocates nastiest US secretary print so it's almost like we re imagined now what is that and using the title let's say this whole sordid bites not readable is office that we should use it the people should be using lots of going back to history of how old the sort of what if you want to call it a group that would be impossible around the U. caning the paroled unless things start up Oxlade I would argue not radiologists that anymore because they become institutionalized one thing that runs through paying nothing Kay is a resistance to being institutionalized not serve challenging place to be in because it means it's not just a sort of Stalin's successor purist on cementing light box if you pay the price stocks as well as in like if you don't take certain routes you know you will get money for certain things I mean we do get some money for things that you know it keeps you in a certain neurons lands in some cases the banks sector releases such as my son overground to say isn't it in resistance what was happening at the time and I think there's always been a little bit of a gentleman be spiking a set that is almost like sitting in a straight night refusing to do things in a certain way not just sheer bloody mindedness that just because I actually think that's a different way to do it what is almost been reluctant to use one of the terms of we don't so we don't think of myself as curates such neither was a come from a formal Q. rating background since our June the PMA in that subject we've always taken the parts of the world in order to facilitate something is about to turn for what we do and that we never really have a presented a sort of heavy handed approach he said this is the team this is what you're going to do I mean we do we have put shows together just seems but would also allow the boxes the room about not so it's never been a question of we have to tell you to what was done in terms of obviously there are we talking actually how we assist in certain ways but we we've never taken our very very heavy handed this is the socks into it that makes the program is directed by artists yes so that's kind of who gets too great a focus leads down to a number of things that we some that's proactively submitted by exit why does some bits comes to us from what I've heard anything from direct proposals to you maybe negotiation every years of people saying what about this idea so it's values you know I'll let live open to not stand can be minimal to quite major not where the level when he publicly viewable I'm not gonna talk about CD cases this is not meant to be a suspect is not an ego driven yeah duration even if we also involved a correction center definitely think about stocks that thing it means the pregnant friend much is when we work on it and likewise the other discount when working on Saturday shows which took lots and lots of guns in those things come very much is that almost finished products some of them are a lot more loosen on phones and I dare make you work the top kind of artists in more detail in this again that's not to say visible from the outside and neither is it meant to be because it's not about and neither my training it sort of all this open free for all because it's not all anger started like that it is not now we took a long time beating away from now I mean it's kind about trying to do the guiding role then yes imposing there's also some of the changes that will say %HESITATION external ones that ask you do you receive money offices sent things that that sort of expected I don't mean that we do things we don't want to that's not true but again it's not just a sort of personal space I think from the outside we get this clock nothing less people artistically you know kind of thing this set that will die scratching our chins and sums up from down to people's work and it's just so far from the truth whatever you got full stop %HESITATION it's about you know points to five percent of the time it's not I think I mean you know how to say no to a lot of really good things yeah we would really like to date there is you know I mean anything supplied was accidentally gender singing there's no obligations have sort of balance and look outside of our own experience backgrounds incentives it's contents the program negative deal that we did that comes from people I mean but we approach people some of the times people kind of not shy approaching us I mean I think says it's it's it's question moving beyond our own personal tastes about taught me one thing when we try and let me do it it definitely is having this kind of tokenism and the way we program we're very aware of all the debates and ideas all the interested parties what we do it we do it in a when we program in a very %HESITATION and it's passed away it's it's we have our own flavor that we want to get to them as we have our own ideas about it but we we want just to give the artists in the most conclusive way so we want to give them that freedom and that actual voice such a very conscious of being Pachter topic if you open a pick a well actually when I just go over every inclusive in that sense no we not we wouldn't show web that we couldn't stand behind it might not be specifically talk personal texts such a certain nations of what that means you know changeover times I'm wrong it will recurring thing over Baynes longer lifespan now is that the certain things you can say kind of mission or whatever there's been constant from the very beginning things actually taken many folds I mean typically I think I've lost unions grad also wanted to debate about access to but also things that exactly suited within the art world what is it doing shows what should be long long to send email nope not anymore network us on analysis where you actually get the gallery space the last time the weather actually talking to a high concept curated shows whether you're talking about having a group the actually on salt is whatever reason that involving creativity on the looking for space show where what they does is give the space those people yes that would be disingenuous to say that's no kind of negotiation about schools I mean also distant things come gone do for whatever reason would be that society schools complete character but I mean space out trying to get that person talks articulate what they're doing as best as possible with helping them but not trying spokesman gonna be coming up with what he's going to sensitive institution I'm thinking of people sitting in the huge pressure institutionalized itself right now right we have to wait for me to even talk about buying this organization when it's two people to the contrary I think between themselves doesn't work like the stock may be breaking into someone's on your show every now and again yeah I was hoping it again you can make a whole series about what is access we are seeing a random choice seeing as an institution by some people outside because we've been around so long and especially serving abroad this was just that however that would come with you I mean one of the things that's famous founded on walls because when it was just like what you just because you see stuff all the time %HESITATION you know take over not just have a shot I will put you working great but yes things do not solicit I mean the reading walls back in the dog days of nineteen ninety six I mean the fewer calories full stop to be a local law to stand I mean was largely dominated by stock that one of the two universities in New yeah not a great northeast about the wish I was you know when it was new castle the new castle group it was also told that Univest outside the academic system yeah I was not %HESITATION whether student groups result she bangs early beginnings very much grew from adults you get groups not seeded ridge properties we think off now things I knew pretty things are not these are I mean lots of pains it's based because also meant to sound like a dog cages you know when you talk about nineteen ninety six after member that will be but since G. save Georgia people didn't have an email or by about that's true so when talking about how people networks it wasn't doing things that what we're doing now it wasn't great and what's not its stock from that network is a machine that is about the monthly meetings and pups the stock physical thing was the only real at the lychee hops get they haven't used to bring that equipment that welcome all right disposed to cross the web connection right it was very different well yeah you know to the house you know how's it look downsides because again it was I don't know I don't know really what's complete crap to contents networks difficult extends to students about the good for the people there and that is all kinds of ways you should exclude people not deliberately and consciously and not something you just need to keep looking out windows meetings become people came to the book once a week in the evening we have the high room well either we sat down beside stone decisions you know I mean when the hands up in the attic not %HESITATION is a hell of a lot of it is also a lot of sort of mythology around offices let's stop being Democratico collective you know I mean it's it's fine in some instances in other instances not the story of Bangor went boy will this intricate details of it I have the space to do for five years before we had the gallery about you having to go we call be making these decisions with their thirty white folks every time at some point if it's to progress beyond we came from his reaction to the not being any opportunity we created opportunities eight people called greatest opportunity but then actually you get to another level where do you go next actually to go somewhere next so more great it has to be in charge yeah all we stay right where it was a big debate I mean I haven't really talked about yet in an ice my set up when the national lottery started in the early nineties the funding they also not there's a year or something up until the year two thousand you took out of the office so those year architectures year it shouldn't see the different city or region in nineteen ninety six the north east of England and Cumbria at the so the last official gonna celebrations it's not a lot of big name artists logic or shoot it and you should construct some which I was also as it neared Pontificio program also there's lots of different stuff now based off the nice guy second because it actually grew out of the discussions officer having in ninety six and how bout they all she wants to do something but there's some there's also done something in ninety six is sort of cringe cylinder refuse I against that of what was happening in ninety six or just not really against what was very nice it just actually please look at this as well yeah name is actually always step in that was kind of bit ram truck will start with always walls about looking at longer term you do still strikes away saying let's build something that kind of exist whatever reason it was kind of funding legislation so mice the the wall so I did it on the band's eggs and breakfast was still doing it says very nice and very nice it rain or something two thousand it's a long story short kind of went from fifty artistic not seven largest banks yeah I was do you guys think about my time goes two thousand fifteen eighty exhibitions in two months and two hundred office largest antique shops should taking over not consult with one of the cycles of generation your customers lost and shops you know it's it grew into this monster almost well yes very good a real kind of another thing that people don't notice much now well because this generation and I'm looking I'm just looking archive there was actually told that about well it's got so successful back to commerce you can keep doing this we could do it every year Lasker citizen participation actually while he was going to do it we went to me we were either not working on the doll all working part time things not not mean anything it reached a point of stopping also I was you know going from my background and yeah I think it served its purpose yes Sir %HESITATION that thing was well actually what is going to come next and not short came most species selected working with the people on the network I was talking about earlier longshots lessons of Morris you should come on things not to be confused with selected shows shows I am in the early two thousands before we actually extends side noodles into the face crying because when they're selected actually lost in the same office we can expect it each time I say much less at the gallery just be done with this kind of tending am to shops in Tempe spaces online %HESITATION undo that extends but hope to have that space for a few years without such what best served in Europe but also not you what brings in the beginning it's really time possibly months with the people that's going to do that sort of stuff I'm not and I'm no way I'm very proud of what we did what she traded in those first few years the improper hot and you have got some people don't understand the impact it's actually I don't what's existence right such they encourage it some of the benefits what we know what we did was our claims knows original set before we did it by looking at examples what people to not sweat landfall not so I'm not you know just what I learned is being not to speak out shows between graduation before I became involved in organizing your life took those lessons and kind of find them seeing here is not the case is now in the northeast for the gun not training with the difficulty thinking invented the whole thing didn't well technically technology to do it you know they're the people that we met that will when talking about profit jumps and tricks you know great yeah I mean one thing that express scripts not Shaq United's shipbreaking minds to stick it out on the axis yeah it's easy to scrub his business sort of upwards trajectory not does not and it is absolutely amazing deed going from there's different faces another follower type yes we didn't do anything we're we're still working on stuff like I say people upset you can refresh and like that he does now that incident it's absent blues again I guess that's the thing with the loss of mythology around artists that still musters Randy's teaches about almost missed out will always wells lots of mythology it's always not project returns says don't really like to talk about I see that setbacks but things that we didn't follow through and things like that you know %HESITATION school was closed after recess just reassess what you're doing I mean one of the things we've never we've never wanted to be an out of which about with never being done didn't driven it that way so that's what we exhibit this talking possible avoiding being this institution you see it's the same people chasing the money as well I serviced and constantly just servicing Hyundai you see see off to see %HESITATION graduations ceasing to be what we started out the baby coming basically it is a service organization are you paying prices price but you don't know just how we can help you help your help on this front background overruled as much money yeah I mean that should be anymore but you know you just won't get to if you don't actually played smoke or we should it's %HESITATION the expectation more exhausted you don't stay with an organization dress that's gonna bounce an idea not defined as not just practice hello this is that because of the months I just love yes my name you know people I know people and the people that were there that he does things up other went off it was either you know they don't exceed state notwithstanding all could be directs this institution what's happened in public doesn't interest me inside the possibility that he twice as much as I do now miton trust me but you know how isn't good enough to want to make me go out and do that now you know and it's not because it's easy to stay where we are sitting not to use it because you know it was a huge amount of responsibility what we do on the very front child and I guess basically between bit fragile moment special counsel businesses across all the members are just going through such a terrible couple of years and well without wanting to dominate conversation instead of talk about I'm going to one of the things is that you might not think it to look after this good job good I'm glad to send you sound that actually you know dog we're very on child yeah it's kind of the thing you know when you're talking to clubs and things this is not the initiative on Cecil to institutional site that we have it's questioned all the time but one thing is like you're not actually come this terrible terrible things happen to the world of Luscombe yes actually my stupid that pretty quickly binding and does not without help from the people in the singing of the action without massive training measures to many things I mean I'm also not sustainable because actually yes because it's so flexible about saying what we we have gone through changes manage those changes as an organization I would say pretty well yes I'm showing accountability and then always I mean some of those changes it's about history changed from non venue based more value based way of a missile is being suspect is said to think well also conditions all the organization you know it's always been a mixture of choosing what we think is best what you what we think is best artistically mixed with some you know there's some properties and about you know where we are what we can do what we do have to because you have to base that recycles yes never not trust fund kids don't have that privilege use where it is very popular today about what we do you know I mean so some of those research taken hostage and forced by external circumstances again I'll see the last couple of years it's been the biggest of external circumstance content it myself which is also the kind of I'm not going to have to move my venue which was always going top wondering about two years guaranteed I mean I'm hoping that for decades it wasn't the best times of my speaker I'm not it was coming up more expensive and when you get you paid a big shots more than your open you realize how much you're paying service subspace so how do we scale down a bit of a base constitutes and size yeah that's practical side of it we need to actually see the town's got a bit because you know we've we as in the country of the world is never really recovered from top out of financial crash is now in years ago next month that we still stand still since then the amount of data was being brought up as a result of pandemic is scary the one that we repaid within our lifetimes there's not much there the magic from the guys coming and getting this moment it intends responding to the future we have to sort of take a mixed use of the choice again choice on external circumstances you know comes out today guessing the small manageable it's only been I am impressed on the see more of the last two years how much we need to survive on what we've got and make it more manageable size %HESITATION dot will give all minds for the new space is going to be still begin the spicy hot well the last month is now off their space needs to engage in the process of hiring yeah I've missed twice as big as the gallery Hans Hans two thousand five to two thousand eleven ways king's behind central station Newcastle where the new times degree in in that you know so much bigger and cheaper this thing about this new space this streamlining is aware that the fact that we won't be we're not servicing this building again it kind of opens up a whole new range of opportunities and an interesting right somebody's going back to the early days of greatness well so we could be more more reactive to taking up the empty spaces again during cop shows you know with it correctly now we just call it pop up shows come the pre gallery days we have a long list a different kind of flexibility because it's it it's opening up different kinds of changes working artists as well as your reservation but also we can re examine it can look at the changing role of the calories in the colors she teams up with the changing role within the community of artists and that we have talked about what becoming even more advantages knocks that sense of the that would not just this I could tell that one very much talk to these picket communities as these holdings connected communities beyond the is where the autistic community as well yeah research the choices of things that we were considering anyway more recent events jolted us into rethinking things I mean I've gone on about how we know institution we were becoming there's danger lastly you blink and sometimes watch some of the things you say enough to do happened you know nothing else is anything but then when in the midst of the lockdown balls going into work I'm looking at these big speech was not big by some people's standards we are quite big M. two gallery spaces and %HESITATION we couldn't do anything and that the relocation came into being on such as the logic let's not try to replicate this space also point to make it really is like this is always a sort of like questioning be pressuring yourself from yourself yes actually well next need to replicate what we did before not she does not use babies it's a chance to such decent difference not something not swapped again not entirely unique but also do brunch revise history but also resisting up thing about CBOE you've done this what she needs to do the same again make it bigger so who better to change I'm not really convinced on which the change that has been in the world I mean call me cynical but see this kind of idea of incremental growth and everything is not slay is actually incompatible the idea of staying ability with the talking the most obvious environmental what's up the hostages some might there's always something I know jump high jump high jump high and it's just not in terms of what resources it's conceiving whether it's actually your emotional resources you know chance yet you got out you know whether she's a physical results intense just like what we're doing to the comments section not just looking about what you what you want from life from night watch what's next thing to do because that's what we're going through this really quick for me is the world's first commercial accounts from feedback has been the subject of the processing the life work balance you know what we what we are what we're not going to be one to what we want the organization to be as well as changed all my thinking anyway you have to think about what you will say in the time this last not sounds great mobile it you have been there read read sensitive medical you know well you can think about you being back in about twenty five years cannot well it's not possible to cut its but yeah my doctor five more years left on this S. walk right well to do and I'm not gonna be retiring in and this is kind of what we'll do what you want in the next ten years twenty years I thought well is actually not not site already excluded myself from going off to another job they're also gonna say smaller than anyone thank you let me push it to mount you're welcome think about this now broadcast notes the name they say they're getting in the core of the yeah every and you know so what you what do you want people that we kind of like things also it's not really quite cheap site we with the solution something called the dressing what we sought to be see if problem is minor means a case I think now that everything's fine let's not talk about I'm done talking about what exists now I mean I still think there's still room for a different kind of voice yeah I could expand on that by really reluctant to talk about she said pointing fingers under what they got wrong well I mean it's just that that's just different kinds of challenges now this always comes the challenges with that twenty five years ago maybe not there anymore these different kinds of challenges that this still extricate to const if you like well that might just be different ones the ones they were attacked and you know people welcomes quite things that wasn't there long because you know people see what about getting that you call this success nine I will success is always kind of wired the expenses someone else because all admitted resources to go around we have some parts of those resources not so much of the people that you know I knew some of this was a basket with people saying what I could do that without such results the challenge to Wilson sorry are we doing that it's not the best because again not right but sort of talk that gets right it does yes Sir everyone I'm not seasons yeah on the night doing best the best best it's the best you end up talking to the press release talk you know and I don't think that's useful I think actually in a condo this is the best is actually in the basket I mean I hate among white I hate not compressed to sides of things yeah it's naive to think that would knock knock competing you pine for funding you're competing someone gets it someone doesn't and it's not simplest best person walks in memory is just not true of life and again asked me piss me off the record hello Mister people think holes in accurate honest people that think you know a more deserving I spent lots of time helping you know again it's not public this is what we spend a lot time hoping to strike operations not just officers showed great we can do about that put all your money on that number eight sometimes these things I mean you have to you have to be above the center level yes it's not just like a random but you know is that about on that we get it will help what level of blow up doll on stays is just just trying to be aware that the actually does a different way of doing things to the way you did them in a couple years ago it's not just occasioned by massive global brands like pandemics also actually down to more mundane things in fact the same exactly I think requirements establishment right I got trouble thought you too would not apply in certain areas in the northeast because I'm too outspoken about certain things that she does not apply to it once the decision making problems something more reaction to revise and I'm gonna leave it at that asking this is let's not look at it on Monday night but you know it's kinda well watching around my own %HESITATION without similar same not without some respects we wouldn't you know we are not council yeah but this is not a validating you know as a validation engineer from eagle point you wouldn't happen if people didn't look at the work that was produced in sight well some of the least is good how big he supposes farms our office is without box thanks doctor you never know resources other than energy energy of office hell's artist will douse it took out and it's still %HESITATION is heavy dependence on artists in the sense that spec also you work with it's not that co productions you know what side of the sensations when the creatures and the co productions but without so much about the actual web just happens when the people are just turning up and doing work without dots then we wouldn't have a reputation which is positive reputation all side but not the big public gallery it's not a bad not for all of the old uses me looking at that you know how we do stuff to do things in a very public in the early days you know them about small space is not marketing manager notification officer in back to times we do have groups of people coming through one thing positive things not reinstate said as we look at our next concert of expending Selectric March community and council as receptive to that sort of way this will be hot that's going to actually allow to meet people but yeah I mean also so awesome main audience good things are happening come to blows through artists yet wanting to but with this other than not sometimes we do I don't just mean not that people may not someone going away yeah look right I think that's the real dedication for us is that we help stocks reputations are understood to be honest it's an international reputation because of the profit is not without honor I mean we do house relatively large international reputation I mean this website just because they do cover the areas so time given I mean when we cited well they were just entering a new phase now I think I'm most obvious and when we sit around at the gallery phase if you live in two thousand five the full box yeah we invited artists to work with this and so there's also still working with this seventeen years later and so the office will also work with any projects and got some relationships going back twenty years mall synopsis other office near completion you gotta keep open so what we did approach this is a small cohort of international artists when we open the gallery let me pop up program also going on doing stuff outside of the gallery I mean this is also do not bend to thousand six of media outlets out there remains a not for profit organizations mean com make money I mean money up thank I. straight into I mean it's basically self what comes in goes out so who is taking off as people call had rounds of being not for profit levels and metrics commercial point is connection arms and money to run their organization was not strong but many still somewhere send me physically been doing much of the last two years and since then we have been doing online still working if you price and ropes across the square you know what you actually sign anything on dolls I mean it's good so the promotion for them and because it also houses well just because the office is quite expensive thing to do this is an international activity has created other kinds of opportunities for artists okay not just for artists that we've shown specific opportunities beyond even next to the chick in career change opportunity since it and that's a great thing for us to see happening I mean we're looking a little bit I mean happened tools reading much about because of twenty five years this option G. license it's not just on the best between starting imminently Ole miss out to John Ritter will stop people tend to generate we've been doing the pandemic against Jaitley said of like unity trolls are similar archive six days a year in more recent stuff picking stuff out making sure things are archived as can be on a website we can be doing stupid stuff on you know social media things are not looking at all the stories to try and save some of what we've been talking about will be expanded upon in nice and there's also a story %HESITATION everything that was in the past okay your short videos major processors and things I'm not certain that this man can be I'm gonna brought a hundred fifty or even not near to impossible the region daisy Boston shows the public we have been busy yeah understood nice is the recent official %HESITATION so too and what written document talking may sound a bit driver Transamerica it's not just the string is actually the history is very person nothing to to die they just need to find a man going about his office like well is this well not trying to draw that sounds it's not just not okay here's our archive is nice pictures exhibition did seventeen years ago it's M. O. Y. what was that if they were from outside Newcastle what they find you guys trying to us normal will sit by the way here things are but this is still very relevant today in a may reactivate what contextualizing not externalizing it both the benefit locals orients and I'm hoping for the peak is about sex going about so I did not well thanks it was it's another gallery on the next prompt got as well this is our story yeah and I'm not make qualitative judgements but with the battle with brokers say west anyone and I'm trying to say that better than anyone actually it's a different story yeah hi Sir different story this is John transplants on the how to get it beyond %HESITATION here's a press release for a leg to show us your bill not so silent and drawer out things crossed by time out to get the actual birthday this not about some physical events and I discussed these are not less camels which come together to do that you can have the benefit seeing me in person rumble age or something like that stage should have built a stage I'm not just talking for months so she's context I think not I think it's still questions based on about the same way we could what we did send certain things in the day yes looking back is also complete contempt contacts because right right yeah me chomping stands together what we're talking about those debates have gone away when you start out you can just like pushing pushing pushing pushing towards his back to world what sense basically maybe over dramatic did you ever come well that moment did you know certain things about that certain things certain things we probably contributes to grazing actually negative things for us now yeah yeah maybe drops calling again back to the very beginning we know we dropped going south sauce that one point when we first got the offer of more regular funding well now it's got so it was said it was it was a negative yeah a line of be professional in which is really a whole lot problematic surround that this happened today you're not straight you know then it'll sauces that straight around the stock should actually what Sydney along Hyundai can just mean showing your banks on the other hand you know your institutional constituting so lost actually sort of are you really any like Sam not gonna stop by I mean another thing Appleton's Constanten international presence not in the office to better route to adopt is primarily not even about taking calls and not such good routes to get yourself somewhere five days and showcase not just where to lots of people since the show was I think I see smoke and in New York right right yes I call you like guys Jakub might remember everything the things that they're not you mean outside about in multiple places but the space is two blocks but again it's all help to make contacts learn about United what with in those yeah she may draw some blood loss senses yeah we went on smallest on the galleries all senses next year based things again also why this so if you want to call it a group that she's got something to make those connections then right posted at the office yeah that's maybe more motivating kind of things do you need special stuff not just make this connection is great if you can make some money as well not least just the cycle not also what happened when we moved into our now last time good good cop comic what he's calling it now that almost ten years to the day old several twenty eleven to mid September twenty twenty moment moved out mission house right in the centre Newcastle is big Stockard at the time but with various points at one point I'll see those two other buildings within the same block tops you bridge agrees graces insult not one point one is the H. three hundred phones and other %HESITATION charitable organizations and that means much total commitment about you know sort of being a one of the ways Gostkowski's relevance unix also means connecting different communities points you got you have is not building models it was actually sent to the actual mix was not she not supported financially by anyone individual things like going to school to those of the organizations both arts and non arts organizations received the different cuts funding actually what we had actually we were neighbors yes we went together Mr will witness and these people but you know good bit more contract I'm just giving up says knocking on someone's door guideline do you want to do this yeah but what we did so when we talk I'm not buildings got the most basic level is that Chris and I also two three directors well now you say police initially but then you know con came to the mall hands off there's still so it's some kind of to the directions to the building beyond the mundane things that make sure you'll find it shocking things that I will say to me not that guy right jumble combines because an organization of some inventions machine in house he said that our older screen six point out he's involved is now working Seinfeld you know we reset we re well at that setting the gallery up now every guy he says we've got mix instead of these toll building will have either a nine floors in matching that now go different smaller sites around case at town center but I'm still a base serving as part of that system the store once you get this moving into focus becomes spread horizontally rather than vertically now I just as importantly there's not enough space because it was sort of time to walk track did you know I mean %HESITATION this is sort of an umbrella organization some people gone their own ways how to you can wait we try to stay in the house which really wasn't happening you notice more sets and guys have let's say a relate actually help him out on the road from where we were yes but then actually in some ways very different contexts so I mean we'll see how that pans out and sensible different things that will be that I say certainly expensive also found that I mean we all of this %HESITATION directs locus working unpaid basis for not not going be says it cut somebody's neck collars that we do sauce fresh environment program we do do that with offices that and again not at the office of each of the gallery there's some junk out of whatever project is we do all that kind of stuff number involved in running studios often moved lobbies cut boring mundane steps taken a number of stations a local woman dance stuff that actually is his pasta this is why sports thing we don't make a big song and dance about that yeah you start making big sometimes not realize when we have to meet you thanks how to more safety nets but I realized that people will realize can you others people didn't ask people didn't know about what was happening there some people again time for more late night conversations some people chose big role what was happening no not really it's not my circus you're not really interested in supporting artists despite it may be being that Joan yeah is it late but you know so why don't you know it looks about white to coach in the northeastern United well why did all three sessions what you got yeah I think certain people are just happy that's just an example of something wrong naturally the college she all she talked to she wore different unstuck thanks not make sense so despite beating around the bush not saying right now they should be yeah I miss the all different year groups but the conditions they should be more lexicon of the should be ball galleries is that you say and then I got out so it's about money not my fault not that great I should take that much money to be where I am well we will address the reports for the speaker to be thought somewhere else but that wasn't really well I mean I'll come on my mobile this Nixon said that means you can think of the city council thank blindly tried their best opus I would say what and because it already has consented remembering what was happening anyway I think it's not priority you know in the end the dice there were people that were meant to be used the people that lost their businesses because without meaning I was an inclusion such sports as much money into that since his neck item also union number what's that well my experience I have no problem further we have to be docked up there seems always to Dale and it was gonna happen one that mean a lot longer than we thought we were going to ask you so you're going to gas comes not with that is the building unless it's not it's actually that's real doubles more group will be people in the city including thank among Miami does every workable remember that we're going to shut down we have a site that will not someone's gonna resign business vice city cheats you get this long time dream ball that because I really want to I'm not interested in playing the game really in some ways it was years ago now he's got to you know if you look at what my house I'm TV's back in again passes Susman thank god because people make so we're at war right I checked your site not right when they say the new shopping on saying this is going to bring you know access city or what this cultural organization going night we bring next mountains the city people make things up not just the truth of it having said that will explain how to nominate me we've had a million pounds okay one day a lot of time not every single counterparts been spent within Newcastle I mean I thank my god you know that things are not is it what hasn't been retained in unison now about S. baby yes I but I still live in the house I'm left the city in protest we went very supportive right now I read a kite but I mean over time yeah and those of the old timey I took was not moment it came up with the people there so yes some people stay some people gone I bristle when I see sort of talking accounts not supporting market based things I've done I think that's the case well it's not my experience controversial subjects on that okay wildly denied by anyone the council the signet segments to help try and help you but you just send down vital options anyway yeah I think people remember certain sayings and we know what happens whatever they say that it's all been incredibly insightful I feel very lucky because I feel like this is being the moments where you both needed to see Brady reflects and get stuff off your chest so even just a little bit even if you could say everything you wanted to say but you've been guard is really gone and said yeah yeah I just really appreciate that you intend on searches every question I think I had as well J. either he has maybe any messages of hope she have any hope for the future of the arts and this that there will be some you know because coming from northern art ends I feel the pain of the arts community and the space above very arm's reach as well and people just have to get on a day in themselves use about experience and since its full year you're the pandemic that's my exceptional new stuff that people been left with let's go to the wrangling is already that says black people have been left in limbo yeah this afternoon but before you actually got to under yeah that's right which I mean I think it's difficult I mean it's gonna get us now when J. C. digital because in one way that we all love to sell my resilient and will find the right route you know when I say you got cut down for a bit let down the line string again with people like still not how bout that you know I'm wary of using the wiper is an object yeah %HESITATION narrative because oxalate it's also I feel I don't once rushing courage discipline exactly it %HESITATION because it's like Hey you should or even hold the %HESITATION wins or not students anyway oxalates talking itself now getting near cards or if you should be getting under the hound I will survive I don't have an ounce of possible to think where we are at the moment we society are the main things really impossible nothing is a bit of a rush to go down since I really don't you know I don't think really quite comprehend what's happened in the last two years nothing mean about what we'll see is about things that when you think you can pay the rent on Alton but it's also you know now I don't have that much of spiritual side but I think we've been through massively traumatic experience is traumatic about how we actually go forward and signed its government's descent it says that it's not safe for us and you know it's still long so Tyler thing to always sort of been through set next and a certain part of rebuilding and maintained over the last couple years but also trying to do things differently you know nothing I've been doing a little reading around this you know I think when I look to the pandemic look you know at this locale there's a lot of fights that in people resume writing that was so grim in so many ways couple spots take now because this is kind of going on yeah it's a lot of initiative builds up angst and so too I'm good things I'm not sure I don't know that we get this done and I come across that very dark here there's still a lot of actions to be taken if you're not gonna come out this data we went to the dangerous actually west nothing missing nothing all governments almost sort of contempt near all actually doing the right thing what you think I think I'm not saying the same thing which was but you know it's kind of like well well that's just about to start the choices remains lots of directions being given I think it's still quite low choices to be made about what she already how differently do do things how much we support sticking prostrate that trying to scramble by the law the biggest challenge in essence second mobile radio thing to society it's not just about %HESITATION will start up again sorry contracts last two years this is a whole different way of doing it all right and all the other things that happened with highlighted the not just Hockney at last year's use sitting around the table new residents yeah I got the biggest it look bigger debate stopped out students up to where we might stand in not you know we might represent you should strive represent we've always looked at it we can look at it as well great transsexuals different kinds of questions about their representation taken place recently in Glasgow is our reach not intense yeah what's being raised about what we can do is to be but you know still having some I think we've always felt that responsibility that's required to be jacks reported snag with possible dressing problem not solving the problems I think is not spontaneous I really as a bit of pressure sometimes try to make out the city saying not overnight well do ABC that we've dealt with us again it's an ongoing thing it's not set it up to people I solve problems the world because I was but you know it's that sort of taking responsibility we have a responsibility to be part of the process the moving forward so it just means doing things differently our typical it also thinking on that if I'm sounding a bit sort of not really sitting right next to it because I'm not trying to preempt how about my S. it's up to still very much work in progress but cannot you regional question there's responsibility on the sole individually collectively organizing institutional about trying to make things work in a doctor's it's not a foregone conclusion that will blast will stopping around plus the city still sort of come out of this terrible thing that's happened I feel like each month and double I'm optimistic I'm optimistic things aka struggle sometimes I mean things he also struggled without those struggling all times you know I recently yes I do actually despite how might come across remains optimistic otherwise I would get up and do something else United naturally you know this aside from the obvious and less competition and how to fight very hard out sheets you keep going and I've been working on we have been working with people I say we've lost if you were a whole life yeah to the extortionate but we'll save actually helps the artists and non artists now actually keep that business is going during this time so we still kind of dealing with keeping Garrett but yeah you know being open we need to change still making advocating a space to doing things in a different way because there's plenty of people with the same person sent consultations and not necessarily I mean that's always that's always been the case in Walmart they sent things imposed on you you have a choice the space is going to making about how you were dressed not really about you can take the easy route you can take box just put your head down money get on with life or you can challenge things you know and if you don't sex you can challenge inspired by director John things Weidenbach said stuff but you know also you can US just challenging just by doing stuff in a certain way again I'm trying not so just let me jump in the second lead by example I was reading pompous gone say that but just do stuff do you step inside this is good the choice got some up now join you later interest in trying to affect change or whether it's just a formative going into the art world there's lots of people there really informative changing I'm very safety that I think there's a lot of lip service going on the slope to consume I think the real thing that just needs to see or is this just this integrity I think we've got hacked we've got another the most liberal what people do and it's just going to see that actually come into play evil keep reading taking taking control of their own lives to take control of the situation take control of the development of this whatever you call it this ought to come cheap taking control of what's happening in the real integrity that's what's needed and what's what's happening when it's been more of a personal as I said well actually it's a about a negative point here but we also see we've got government is actually interfering more more Anne is less and less arms length yeah and there's a good night I'm not saying I'm doing it you know because less and less dependence %HESITATION condemning hasn't Beijing not help without yeah seeing all this last of the incentives contract to challenge this sort of interference and again subsumed under whether it's the same much talking and acting free not specific so much intense manhunts lake during this time the Sims talk or what did you do especially in the first locked down you know what you've got to talk with you watching you know watching so what does that you know all these people his script rices or whether you're just looking at pictures on the wall yeah yeah yeah that's L. my skill I got soul mates beginning to sort of be it was second also at a loss in the beginning and I think you did you need to keep saying not right now but we've got government which is not something crossed you still saying all subjects and not to send you also has a great capacity and also organize actions of responsibility in fact social change but I it being fake social worker yeah Mr job someone else will work with people that know what they're doing and meaningful life licensing for white tank do you tend to like tickets going outside is not going to change this not missing the conscious thing common look outside yourself look outside your immediate mind set which is coming challenging but it's challenging especially challenging when we've all been on the defensive thank you to your heart's Bible but this still held that's even I still believe I still believe in our yeah some really important messages I think that we need to reinforce I can't thank you enough both of you for all your time today Chris kitschy point people to words where they can find out more by the end the websites and that kind of thing we we we have to go to our website U. K. you'll find all sorts of things were videos of shares as well as exchange that we commissioned on our site to some options we have social media you can see with the kids Facebook the old people like us but we do need to do our goal yes sign galleries and galleries actual social Instagram twitch time with the kids you know coming soon noun okay even after baby at non white noise well they can just wishing you every best wish for what's to come in the coming year I really hope I can get to get salads and a few months and be busy Instagram SS and I mess I really miss fan I miss commercial union high so I spent a lot of time in our past and I miss it desperately so I just ready I'm so appreciative of both he taking so much time to talk to me sure thank you very much thank you
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Audiovisual Cultures episode 48 – The Late Shows automated transcript


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hello I’m Paula Blair and this is audio-visual culture support cast that explores and highlights different aspects of cultural production this Edition comes to you from the Newcastle Gateshead Lee it shows an annual weekend when cultural venues stay open late and put on special activities to get people out and sampling and engaging in the city’s cultural life as you’ll hear I spent the evening in commercial Union house and had the great fortune to meet and speak to Clara Murphy Morgan from milkfish productions Rachel Brooke from good space Paulina Taylor and Alice dirt from room for a performer Maria’s Marasco and poet Jenny McDermott I’ll begin at the end with my reflections as I trundled home that night 20 19 just a very quick shout out because this shows about the late shows but I did it and reclaim the frame bird’s-eye view event this afternoon as well showing baja rose de verano or birds of passage Colombian film based on the true story of the rise of drug cartels in Colombia in the 1970s it’s really amazing film it’s really worth your time so the focus today was ready on the lay it shows and I suppose I when I spoke to Vox Pop in quite a few venues but I mean as usual with it shows I’ve haven’t managed to leave Customs Union ice because there’s just so much amazing stuff going on there so I might pick up a few more interviews at a later date what’s represented on these few recordings it’s really just the tiniest nap shot of what was going on across Newcastle Gateshead I suppose this is new castle gates heads version of culture night because they don’t do your culture night here which is usually in September across many places and instead they do that it shows once here in May Museum on a Friday they have it and whose burn which is in there east of Newcastle and on the Saturday focusing on Newcastle upon Tyne Highlander Gateshead you’ve got the big heading venues like the Baltic Center her Contemporary Arts and the tyneside cinema he does something even said a library they had a silent disco tonight and they had some life music earlier in the night as well and our galleries like the side had something on better managed to get down there yeah so I just hope there’s a few people that I managed to shake loose and I hope that gives a bit of it here sir and you’ve got an idea there’s such a rich cultural tapestry in Newcastle and it’s just great to be able to speak to even just a few of those people who exemplify that and hopefully these are people who will get on again and speak to you at more length and also to people I didn’t manage to speak to hopefully will lead to other podcasts in the future thanks so much for listening thanks so very much to everybody who’s contributed their voice it’s really lovely to get you right there

would you be happy to introduce yourself yes I’m Claire Murphy Morgan I’m the artistic director for monkfish productions and we’re a small arts organization based at good space here in commercial Union house in Newcastle we’re all right here for the late shows what kind of things are you doing and what a monkfish tonight it shows well monkfish is part of a work space community called good space and good space is on floor to one floor five of commercial Union House and we’re a working community so we provide accessible and affordable space for community organizations arts organizations and small charities to work in close proximity with each other the space is operated by a company called North and creative solutions good space has a membership programs all of the organizations that are based here remember organizations so it’s very much about building the work space community where we can come together and where we can collaborate with each other share ideas and lots of tea and cake as well and so you doing some stuff together tonight we are so good space is hosting late shows here and monkfish is part of the good space community so the project tonight is about diversity inclusion and self-awareness it’s very much core to the kind of ethos of what good space is about and monkfish is hosting a word space where people are invited to come into a space pick a word out of a hat any word at random to do with the theme of diversity or inclusion and either write or draw something in response to that word it can be anything at all anything that comes to mind is random is abstract or as obvious as they like and then that’s gonna go on to a big canvas if you like of all the ideas that have come together and hopefully we’ll be able to take some of those ideas and a piece of work from them which shall be hopefully hosted here in good space and so while you’re on the spots what would your response be to diversity I think diversity is about making sure that all sorts of adjustments and preparations are made to include everybody I think people confuse diversity with equality I think they are mutually supportive of each other but they are different and diversity is about that dignity of difference and learning from each other as a result of that of everybody having their own unique contribution to me does monkfish have anything coming up in the future that you’d like to a pretty quick monkfish has just completed a big site-specific program of work working with artists in new and unusual spaces and an around gate said that you wouldn’t normally have seen artists popping up in and we’re hoping they’re in the autumn we’re going to be picking that up in Gateshead and developing more work and develop in our program of site-specific working if people want to find out a bit more where should we direct them then go to our website is http://www.seannal.com we’re also on instagram and twitter as well thank you very much and have a brilliant night thank you

hi I’m Rachel Brooke I’m a host here at good space and I creative producer on the late shows project which is where we are tonight good spaces in quite a lot hosting quite a lot tonight for the Late Show so what with your old age so my role on the late shows at good space as initially to come up with a concept and work with our participants volunteers members and our wider community to create multiple interactive spaces so the initial idea that I was thinking about based around doing something that would be organic improvisation giving people the tools to be creative and use those tools to have one final piece of work on multiple final pieces of work at the end of the evening and then out of that we came up with the theme of self-awareness for diversity and that theme has essentially come from a lot of conversations and a lot of interactions that have had recently and that many of my colleagues and peers of heard recently around being part of society being part of a public space being part of a community and how it feels when self-awareness isn’t considered and how and when that might need to be adapted for diversity so that might be anything from you know I might have a loud conversation on the telephone on the bus and that loud conversation on the telephone might cause multiple people to have a response that is negative yeah and I could come away from that and think oh wow I had allowed a conversation on the bus that was really inconsiderate of me but what I could also think is you know what are the experiences of every other person on that bus and what else might be going on in their lives that mean that you know what seems like just a loud conversation is actually so much more and how that affects them just my loud conversation affects someone’s entire day you know has somebody had you know a bereavement or a breakup or just somebody have anxiety or depression or a learning disability or special educational needs and how does that additionally affect them and so the overall idea is to get everyone who comes through the door to just think a little bit more about how they are in public for this mural that we’re currently sitting out right now I did a Venn diagram which is self and other and in the middle I’ve just left a question mark because how do we self care how do we be mindful how do we consider ourselves and also consider other people and it’s a very complex space and it’s not something that we can approach easily or in a straightforward way but I feel that you know the more that you think about it the more that you’re able to find some balance in life and I hope that everyone who comes here tonight goes away into things a little bit more about that so it’s a really nice idea during the murals and there’s a few of them yes we’ve got a mineral we’ve got a zine and the mural were just inviting anyone to contribute anything any idea we’ve got dictionary definitions up around on the walls for self awareness and for diversity we’ve got lots of visual aids to encourage people to think about what’s happening in the space and how they can contribute creatively whether they want to contribute a word or an image or a feeling or an idea and there’s multiple ways that they can do that they can do that through sound so we have a room with synthesizer or guitar or keyboard and multiple percussion instruments and lots of different things that people can pick up and shake and make sounds with and even some children’s toys there’s a children’s book that has sound effects on it which has gone down very well actually in the zine workshop we’ve heard that that tables been busy the whole night people are really getting into it and contributing I’m really excited to see what comes out of that we have a word room which essentially we’re giving people the opportunity to pick up a word select a word out of a hat or bring their own word to the table if they wish and then they can draw an image or they can write something they contribute something to a collective piece of wall art I guess it will eventually become once we’ve although at the moment we’re still open to what the final outcome of each piece of work will be how it’ll end up being used and how we will exhibit it and same with the zine you know we may end up with multiple scenes and may it have you know end up with five different themes all around you know the one idea and we’ve got a performance room as well and in the performance room we have essentially it’s asking the question of inclusion and should everybody be included how do we ensure that everyone is included and the absurdity of ideas of inclusion in spaces this our utopia the thing that I took away from it because I’ve been into every space and participated when I’ve had a few minutes and I think that the biggest thing that came to me from that space was this idea of how absurd is to even imagine that one could enter into utopia and what red tape is involved in entering into utopia and do I have to you know what is the criteria for entering into utopia and it’s very thought-provoking it really made me think about you know times that I’ve cued for things and times that I’ve waited in line for something and it kind of has to be experienced and I’m actually I’m so blown away by it that I I want to talk with her about how we can set it up elsewhere and have some sort of performance installation that we can take around to other venues and other spaces so hopefully they’ll be more the performers name is Maria smear after skirt and she’s not long been in Newcastle and meeting her has given me this ability to open my mind up a lot with regards to performance and performance art and to how we can use our minds and our bodies and our voices to express and create and feel and heal as well finally I haven’t mentioned the silence room yes yes silence well the thing about the silence you missed them the main goal that we had with the silence room was to have an audio recording yeah what we started doing was putting now clip forwards with paper and pens and giving people the opportunity to pause questions and ruminate and think about what silence is and the response from that has been overwhelming actually we’re really excited by how much content we’ve gotten from that so we’ve got something else that we can maybe continue this project and this idea into something else or recreate in a different space but the overall idea with that is that can we ever achieve silence and even when there’s silence there’s always silence allows noise to come through and I think that that room seems to be going down very well as well people are they come in a bit unsure and you know it’s a bit intimidating but actually once people start to experience it and then just anything you can see obviously clicking people’s head they’re like not sure what’s going on should I come in here we gesture for them to come in we

exactly which again you know is another way of us thinking about how to bring diversity into self-awareness one other thing that’s really important to add is that with the theme one of the more crucial aspects of preparation for the event was making sure that we would be as accessible as possible for all diversity and we have been working with midnight Memphis who is an access coordinator and also works for dementia friends so she is very clued up on how to consider as many requirements to ensure that people of all diversities can be included in an event like this so we’ve got things like noise cancelling headsets we’ve got some safe spaces we’ve got opportunities for people to participate but anyone who just wants to observe that’s fine we’re not going to make anyone feel uncomfortable we’ve got lots of comfy space where people can come and sit down have a cup of tea relax and seeing that being used and seeing people be able to relax and feel I guess book safe here and at home here is really really important we’ve learned a lot in the preparation process as well and a lot of things that we’ll continue to consider when we’re running the space in all of the different ways that we use it going forward is there anything you’d like to say about good space mo generally just so if anybody wants information on what it actually is yeah here at good space we have meeting rooms office spaces and co-working spaces the office spaces used by members who are lots of small charities social enterprises charitable organisations and by them all being here together we’re creating a community that allows them to interact and inspire and support and have a community space to do their work to execute their work because a lot of these charitable organizations are one or two people good space allows to have peers and colleagues we have things like group T Briggs and special lunches and opportunities for people to come out of their offices and sit down and have a cup of tea in a chat but what we also have is meeting rooms which are incredibly affordable I think the most affordable in Newcastle and what that means is that small charities small activist groups community groups people who want to get together hold meetings hold anything from training to creative events that they can come and rent off spaces for a very very reasonable price which means that we are essentially ensuring that people aren’t being priced out of doing good I probably can’t name gdpr I probably won’t be able to say who uses a space but the range of people that come through that door is quite astounding and my day-to-day job as host means that I get to meet some really brilliant interesting fascinating people who are all incredibly inspiring and also you know diverse personalities and that’s a really great thing and it makes me I love my job I love working here and I hope to be here for a really long time and then a co-working space which again is incredibly affordable and if we have some regular co-workers some people who come in a couple of times a month the kind of launch of the co-working space has been quite soft since we’ve been here and we’re gradually building up the numbers of co-workers and we run sort of periods of time where we have free co-working on certain days and things like that but basically if anyone wants to know anything more you can email hosts at northern creative solutions doctor at UK northern creative solutions is the name of the charity that all those good space

I’m Pauline Taylor and I am the coordinator for room for you I’m Alice Stewart and one of the counselors who works for a room for you could you tell us a bit about what room for years and their ideas our own artists and house yeah well it’s an arts and health project as you said we’re called room for you because we’re really making space and time for people and we have a program that works in different hospitals throughout the Northeast so we’re working in Gateshead we’re working in New Castle and we’ve been working recently in Sunderland in each venue we place an artist and a counselor working together and that’s a bit of a unique approach because what we get there is we can offer an artwork we can offer an opportunity for people to join in and do something but alongside that we’ve got someone who’s really able to listen and talk and help the patients and their families who are there we probably need to ask Alice a bit more about that because that’s my role is I encourage patients and companions to create some work while they’re talking about what they’re going through and why they’re in hospital as a counselor often we make a conversation safe in a hospital setting because sometimes patients they don’t feel that they can talk about what they’re going through safely with their own family members and often having a therapeutic input with art on the side at the same time it can help patients to talk about what’s really happening for them because sometimes it’s quite hard sometimes they’re very ill and they enjoy that space and time to talk is it okay to ask what kinds of arts projects you do with patients and what kinds of patients you’re working with well we have a range of different artists who work in the different venues and they each bring a variety of projects and different skills that they’ve got so off the top of my head we do quite a bit of silk painting we’ve made probably mats in the past we do wire sculpture give us a few more what else have we got zoodles felting needle felting yes that’s a good one things with driftwood and cut up marks paper collage Chuco large fabric collage some sort of knitting and crochet skills as well because actually we’re trying to pick up and I think we do pick up on something that somebody said one week and we start to think together and you know the team the artists and the counselors say oh so-and-so mentioned this perhaps we could do that so actually it’s I think it’s developmental sometimes we’ll make we are sort of commissioned by a hospital to make a piece for a corridor or for a waiting room or something like that and that gives us a starting point and a size to work to and a way of encouraging people to join in because sometimes we’re making individual pieces that people take away the little pieces of needle felting perhaps but sometimes we’re working on a larger piece a joint piece of work which is going to be there in say the day room or something that people are going to see when they go and sit with their families and it’s again the content of it is quite interesting we’ve done quite a bit of work using the meaning behind different flowers so one of our artists did some work where she read up about what different flowers meant and looked at things like heartsease which is a type of premiere of viola but it’s name is how it sees it’s meant to ease the heart and you know a lots of herbs lots of things like that that we can incorporate those into the work and that gives you another talking point doesn’t it would you like to just say what you’re doing here for the late shows so room for use based we have a small office in good space in commercial union house and when we heard about the late shows we thought this is a great chance for us to meet lots of people and they’ve already been people coming in to the room to the building finding out about our exhibition we’ve got an exhibition planned for the month of June it’s going to be in Newcastle City Library opens on the 1st of June and it’s on for about three and a half weeks and it’s going to tell the story of room for you our plan is that we’re showing some of the artworks but it’s not just about the artwork it’s about how we work it’s about how people develop and what week how we can help if we can help you know how we can help people through the difficult times that they have and I think to reiterate isn’t it about the unique way that we work that it’s a qualified artist and a trained counselor we don’t really know of many projects that are working and that

my name is Maria Smirnoff ska and I’m a Polish American actor performer and singer I came to Newcastle about a year ago but I’ve kind of been traveling in between a few places but I’ve kind of been based here I just came back from the tour I was doing with a company called theatres on frontier which is based in Peckham and they do shows in various languages so in a way that’s kind of connected isn’t it to diversity yeah yeah and I worked with them years like 12 13 years ago and they do a very physical and visual type of theatre and so we just finished a tour in French all over schools north and south and middle all of England yeah I went really well it came back about a month and a half ago and yeah it’s just settling in and trying to find you know new projects and work on things for the late shows tonight you’ve been trying to get people to utopia I have indeed yes I just I thought its kind of a performative way to bring this idea across and I had a million ideas I couldn’t decide on one and in the end I thought yeah why don’t we try to take people – first I thought heaven and I thought maybe that’s not open enough and I thought maybe paradise and I thought no let’s just go for utopia and it was actually great because it engendered a lot of interesting discussion I don’t know if you were in one of the ones were yes so it opened up a lot of discussion which was fabulous and I had no idea what to expect because I’ve got actually done performative art before I’ve done you know kind of acting in a play where it’s mostly set things can be improvised but not usually so this was kind of a new challenge and quite exciting I must say cuz I didn’t know what to expect and some people obviously didn’t want to participate and you know I didn’t want to force them but some people were very open and came in and it was like oh wow this is so cool like you know it’s really opening up the discussion but in a performative way yeah and so the question was how’d you even get there are there Eska agency – exactly well it was like what makes up utopia what is utopia and how do we get there and you know bringing in this theme of diversity and some people didn’t want to leave they thought earth was fine so that was also interesting like why escape why can’t we fight for a better world here which was great it was like oh gosh yeah so you had some really interesting responses I was going let’s get away let’s get them all to utopia and like no but nobody was able to go unfortunately nobody was actually nobody qualified so the portal didn’t open and take anyone but I think everyone got something out of it I gave little quotes out to read and you know little seeds that went in and hopefully you know hopefully gave people something I hope you know I don’t know but maybe something to think about and just kind of go hmm yeah what is this diversity and actually it’s a good thing Franks it even came out so that’s what I was trying to do tonight do you think you’d see this sort of thing again oh definitely yeah I like that it had kind of a theme which in a way I guess you know it is a bit political and it was nice to do something like that I don’t think I’ve done much of stuff that’s kind of more socially engaged like this that is actually it’s very rewarding to kind of see that open up create kind of a discussion and a community for the moment of the performance in whatever way that is and that’s beautiful I loved doing that actually so definitely yeah so that she based in you can’t that’s me based in Newcastle yeah I’m actually working on a one-woman show up and trying to develop four years and the theme is kind of finding one’s place on earth which is also a universal as well as personal theme so at the process of finding funding to get that going and then I would like to you know perform that and tour that which is another kind of discussion opener in a way relevant to you know migration and humanity in general that would be great thank you thank you Father I also run workshops based on the training I did which was with a company called song of the goat Theatre in Poland so it’s a type of experimental theatre training physical and very vocal so it’s kind of connecting body and voice it’s working with embodied voice and I’ll be running a series of workshops here at good space and commercial Union house come soon have dates yet I don’t have a website but I have a Facebook page where I post stuff and so I will spell that for listeners because it’s not easy so my first name Maria spelled ma RI e and my last name is me Rosco so that’s s m.i.a r OWS K a and you can look on there and I post you know upcoming workshops or performances and stuff on there thank you thank you very much for participating hello so my name is Jenny McDermott I go by JM in the poetry world and in the making world I make poems I perform often and here at the late shows I am selling my wares which are poems original poems that I’ve typed about my typewriter pardon the millennialism and then I’ve made some tote bags screen printed those and I’ve screen printed some original prints as well all with this fine slogan just saying what everyone’s thinking which is make art each ass which can really mean what you want it to mean I was thinking about making a sign that said you know if you’re not into the eating us not for you what about make art great assignment Oh classics something like that just slightly changes and we’re also trying to show off our performance that we’re putting on next week at the shoe tree cafe uncle monkey which is on the 23rd of May yes people would like to follow me I am Jenny underscore piece on Instagram I’ve tried to stop using Facebook I guess millennialism thing but you can find me there under Johnny McDermott and I have made but I made those on my typewriter as well anything else you’ve been listening to audio-visual cultures with me Paula Blair and massive thanks to all of my guests this week Claire murphy Morgan Richard Brooke Pauline Taylor Alice Stewart Maria it’s Morosco and Johnny McDermott’s this episode was recorded and edited by Paula Blair and the music is common grind by air tone licensed under creative commons attribution 3.0 plant available for download from ccmixter dot-org thanks so much for listening if you like the show and find its content useful and interesting please help cover production and distribution costs by donating to pay pal Tommy /pe a Blair and libera Paycom /pe a Blair episodes are released every other Wednesday please rate share and subscribe on your chosen listening platform as this helps others find the show for more information visit audio-visual cultures dot wordpress.com all of our past episodes are linked from there and follow av cultures on Twitter and Facebook and thank you so much for all your engagement on social media thanks to our patrons for your continued support thanks for listening and catch you next time