public

capital

admin — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 14:57:11 +0000

Sub-Title

curated by Frances Morris

End Date

28 Sep 2001

Start Date

1 May 2001

Location

Tate Modern and the Bank of England Museum; London

Body

Capital is a series of encounters between two iconic institutions and the economies they animate; the Tate and the Bank of England.

In the Reading Point on Level 5 West at Tate Modern and in the Bank of England Museum, at unspecified times during the day a visitor is approached by a gallery or museum official. "This is for you" accompanies the presentation of a beautifully packaged gift -a limited edition print- produced by the artists.

The Bank of England is the banker to the whole British financial system, and also plays a major role in structuring global monetary relations. It regulates the financial economy by managing the availability and price of debt. As the lender of last resort the Bank guarantees and distributes the necessary trust, to secure the various interlocking domestic and foreign financial markets.

On the other side of the same coin, is it possible to situate the Tate - through its constant expansion- as the principle institution in a parallel symbolic economy. Like the Bank, Tate connects with a vast network of institutions both nationally and internationally, making-up the global economy of art. Does the Tate guarantee the integrity and value of the artworks and images it distributes within this economy?

Perhaps the traditional missrecognition of the similarities between both places has its origin in historical accident. The Bank of England was founded upon a debt - a loan to the King in 1674 - while Tate was founded by a gift - from Henry Tate in 1897.

Amid enormous speculation about the function of the gift in the social sciences, anthropology agrees on one thing; receiving a gift triggers the obligation to reciprocate, the counter gift necessitates a return and so on. An endless economy without apparent origin. If the gift and its subsequent debt, or a debt and a subsequent gift animate networks of social obligation, how are these forces structured and regulated?

Is the role of the Bank and the Tate to make these economies, and to make these economies visible?

The honorific Public Gift dominates the economies of our cultural institutions - gifts of artworks, collections, money and services- and as with all gifts, it’s characterised by the mis-recognition of the debt it entails. Or more often, the nature of the return is left unspecified. In an economy of value represented by the movement of money, a debt guarantees a contractual return with interest. That’s why a loan is never recognised as a gift.

Capital was detonated through the issue of gift, but was also accompanied by the publication of a book and a series of seminars exploring some of the themes: that of Gift, Economy and Trust.

Read our reflection on the project An Economy of Love. Or read a published conversation exploring some of the themes in Accruing Interest

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Capital: Book

A book accompanying the project, folds texts and photographs of both institutions around the themes of gift, economy and trust -with forword by Lars Nitve and essays by Frances Morris, Marilyn Strathern, Jeremy Valentine and Nigel Thrift.

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Capital: Seminars

All seminars were curated with Jeremy Valentine, and chaired by [the late] Paul Hirst former director of the London Consortium

Gift: 13th May

Marilyn Strathern Department of Social Anthropology, Cambridge University
John Urry Department of Sociology, Lancaster University

Speculation about the function of the Gift generated by anthropology agrees on one thing. Receiving a gift triggers the obligationto reciprocate. If networks of social obligation are animated by the Gift and its Debt, what is the role of the Bank and the Tate in participating in these economies, and making them visible?

watch the archived web-cast seminar at Tate::
Capital seminar 1: Gift

Economy: Sun 20th May

Jean-Joseph Goux French Studies, Rice University, Houston USA
Scott Wilson Institute for Cultural Research, Lancaster University

The existence of a financial and cultural economy, is in many cases taken as measure and test of reality - 'it's the economy, stupid'. But is there an original sense of economy, that would designate a purely financial, or purely aesthetic function in which 'other' obligations would play no part?

watch the archived web-cast seminar at Tate:
Capital seminar 2: Economy

Trust: 27th May

Geoff Mulgan co-founder of Demos, adviser to the Prime Minister's Policy Unit
Nigel Thrift School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol

Modern money and artworks evolve as ever more sophisticated technologies, requiring elaborate discourses to interpret them. Both are able to facilitate our experience of daily life, and connect globally with unimaginable force and complexity. How then do we trust the values that circulate within these economies?

watch the archived web-cast seminar at Tate:
Capital seminar 3: Trust

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A documentary of Capital was exhibited as part of the touring exhibitionThe Gift: Generous Offerings, Threatening Hospitality in 2003, and as part of Zero Interest/ Interessi zero at the gallaria civica di arte contemporanea in Trento, Italy 12th March 29th May 2005

value big foot

admin — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 16:00:56 +0000

Greek sculpture, BM
Value of Things 2000

Social Cinema

admin — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 19:53:44 +0000

Sub-Title

A collaboration with architects Peter Thomas and Catherine du Toit of 51% studios

End Date

24 Jun 2006

Start Date

17 Jun 2006

Location

The London Architectural Biennale London

Body

We collaborated with architects Peter Thomas and Catherine du Toit of 51% studios architecture

The Social Cinema project consists of a series of temporary cinemas, each installed for one night only into the existing urban fabric of the Biennale designated route between Exmouth Market and the Millennium Bridge. Films about, set in, or commenting on London and its architecture were stunningly projected upon the city itself.

At each location, buildings became screens, steps seating, and residents generously gave power, or loaned their houses as projection booths. The architectural fabric of the temporary cinemas was improvisery, playful and subtle; pallets borrowed from an adjacent market made temporary bleachers, plastic crates from local pubs and restaurants became seating, neighbours joined the audience, and volunteers with torches transformed into ushers. Social Cinema turned un-built spaces into auditoria and spectacularly intervened in neglected places around landmark buildings.

The film programme of the Social Cinema traced an evolution in the moving-image representation of everyday life. From the observer and observed of classic documentaries, to contemporary participation in those representations through mobile technologies, by people living and playing in London.

Each program began by introducing ideas and observations on London and its buildings with excerpts from lectures in the Architectural Association Archives; including contributions from the architects Cedric Price, Denys Lasdun, Reyner Banham, and Ron Herron; we then looped back to the 1960’s showing some magnificent films from the Free Cinema movement, of everyday - meaning working class – experience. Free Cinema was followed by a selection of extrordinary amateur films from Straight 8 and these segued into short films previously uploaded onto internet sites where skateboarders, shoppers, and tourists record their interactions with the architecture of the city.

Social Cinema 1
17th June - 9.30 pm
Car Wash Wall opposite the Zetter, St Johns Square, EC1

Excerpts of lectures by

Reyner Banham House Of The Future 1976
Ron Herron Sets Fit For The Queen 1976

Followed by

Claude Goretta & Alain Tanner Nice Time 1957

And the Straight 8 selection of

Chris Vincze Evol 2005
Diego Arrendondo Tequila Chamuco 2005

Followed by

Short films found on-line

Social Cinema 2
23rd June - 9.30 pm
Finsbury Health Centre, Pine Street, EC1

Excerpts of lectures by

Cedric Price Aiming to Miss 1975

Followed by

Leslie Daiken One Potato Two Potato 1957
Daniel Mulloy Antonio’s Breakfast 2006

And the Straight 8 selection of

Dave Waters Harry 2005
Chris Durban & James Owen Class of 2005 2005

Followed by

Short films found on-line

Social Cinema 3
24th June - 9.30 pm
Pauls Walk under the Millennium Bridge EC4

Excerpts of lectures by

Reyner Banham This Is Tomorrow Exhibition 1976
Denys Lasdun National Theatre South Bank 1989
Jacques Herzog Tate Modern 1999

Followed by

John Smith Girl Chewing Gum 1974

And the Straight 8 selection of

Sandalz Deja Vu 2005
Benrt Lutzeler Rapid Eye Love 2005
Darren Walsh Rauhalglauarghuauagh! 2005

Followed by

Short films found on-line

Programme is subject to change, all screenings begin at dusk / 9.30pm

You could visit Architecture Week, or 51% studios architecture

Thanks to Clare Grafik at The Photographers Gallery , and all the volunteers

Generously funded by the Arts Council England and Awards for All

Some of the on-line archives are: YouTube, Vimeo, and Revver.

value cover

admin — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 15:48:57 +0000

Value of Things
London 2000

British Art Show 6

admin — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:06:12 +0000

Sub-Title

Commissioned by curators Alex Farquharson and Andrea Schlieker

End Date

17 Sep 2006

Start Date

24 Sep 2005

Location

Gateshead, Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol

Body

Commissioned by curators Alex Farquharson and Andrea Schlieker to make a new work for the British Art Show Six; we collaborated with Eileen Simpson and Ben White.

During our research, we realised that each of the host cities houses a regional Media Archive; The Northern Region Film and Television Archive in Newcastle, The North West Film Archive in Manchester, Moving Image Archive for Central England in Nottingham and the South West Film & Television Archive based in Plymouth. We have been working with these archives on a project that will evolve during the exhibition tour.

All creative work is born into copyright; every image, text or sound is automatically designated as the property of its apparent author. Copyright is founded on the right of exclusion. And even material deposited in Public Archives is considered a property, access to which is subject to the generosity of archivists and keepers; effectively copyright restricts the creative re-use of public resources.

For the British Art Show Six we sourced orphaned, or out-of-copyright material from which to edit four new films - one for each city - while simultaneously searched for copyright expired music in the British Library and Library of Congress sound archives to create appropriate soundtracks. Our intention with the project is to encourage interest and discussion into the nature of film and other public archives, the public domain and the nature of creative practice

A film was added to the exhibition, at each of the host cities during the year long tour

Screen Tests 1-4 Screen Test

Baltic, Gateshead 24 September 2005 – 8 January 2006.

The Northern Television Film Archive declined to participate, so we screened Screen Tests, made for Manchester

While the film was screened silently, Ben White remixed the soundtrack live, at the opening event

Screen Tests 1-4 Screen Test

Urbis, Manchester 28 January – 2 April 2006

Screen Tests unfolds as series of Andy Warhol-like screen tests, slowly revealing the location and the occupation of those before the camera - students and models from the Manchester School of Art.

While the film was screened silently, Ben White remixed the soundtracks live, at the Whitworth Art Gallery Live Art event

Screen Tests 2-4 Dragline

Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham 22 April – 25 June 2006

Dragline stumbles across an autonomous event; and returns the default setting of contemporary digital sampling and looping to its industrial roots, via 1970’s structuralist film.

While the film was screened silently, Ben White remixed the soundtracks live, at the Future Factory Live Art event

Screen Tests 3-4 Broadcast Times: The Birth of Westward

A Bond, Bristol 15 Jul – 17 Sept 2006

As the exhibition train leaves the platform, we are taken on a documentary journey of A happy hunting ground for tycoons the birth of commercial television broadcasting.

Ben White remixed the soundtracks live, at Spike Island on the 15th September 2006, see the British Art Show Live Art link for details

While working with the archives, we negotiated to release the source material - visual and audio- and our new films into the public domain -on a freely available Screen Tests DVD - through a version of the Creative Commons License. The new artwork and its constituent parts become, in perpetuity, a legally protected creative resource. Artists and others will be able to use and re-use the artwork as material for future creative exchange, enriching rather than depleting the public domain.

See the related and evolving Enthusiasts: archive

Eileen Simpson and Ben White have initiated the Open Music Archive

The Archives

The North West Film Archive in Manchester

Moving Image Archive for Central England in Nottingham

South West Film & Television Archive based in Plymouth.

Northern Television Film Archive in Newcastle declined any involvement

The British Library Sound Archive exactly what it says

The Library of Congress Recorded Sound Reference Centre

You could also visit the British Art Show 6 website, or read a Guardian review

spoon print 2

admin — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 15:42:13 +0000

Gift: side 2
Capital, 2001

Screen Tests_FandB

admin — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:22:10 +0000

front and back
Screen Tests, 2006

spoon print 1

admin — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 15:41:36 +0000

The gift side 1
Capital 2001

Screen Tests - DVD

admin — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:17:09 +0000

Front Cover
Screen Tests 2006

capital bank bag

admin — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 15:37:10 +0000

Invitation card
Capital 2001

public

capital

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Related Films

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value big foot

Social Cinema

Sub-Title

End Date

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Location

Body

Related Films

Related Projects

Related Publications

value cover

British Art Show 6

Sub-Title

End Date

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Body

Related Films

Related Projects

Related Publications

spoon print 2

Screen Tests_FandB

spoon print 1

Screen Tests - DVD

capital bank bag