Pub Conversation: Ryan Gander & Bedwyr Williams

Self Service and Pub Conversations.

In 2006 through to 2008, Self Service initiated a programme of talks taking place at the Lamp Tavern in Birmingham.

Each Self Service member chose an artist or person of influence to their practice who was in turn invited to nominate someone they would like to have a public conversation with. Topics of conversation were held entirely open and reflected the interests and enthusiasms of the artists nominated.

Each conversation was recorded and released as a podcast, however the Pub Conversations website no longer exists so the files are re-posted here by way of an archive. All posts related to the Pub Conversations series can be found at www.npugh.co.uk/tag/pub-conversations/.

Self Service is a constantly evolving group of Birmingham based artists who originally came together in 2004, with the aim of generating projects which would create intimacy and enable the development of dialogue amongst the disparate groups and practitioners in Birmingham who made up a somewhat fragmented visual arts community.

At the time of Pub Conversations, Self Service consisted of Tom Bloor, Jo Capper, Mona Casey, Faye Claridge, Ruth Claxton, Greg Cox, John Hall, Cheryl Jones, Nikki Pugh, Liz Rowe, Charlotte Smith and Matt Westbrook

The talks were supported by Arts Council, UCE and Business Link.

Ryan Gander & Bedwyr Williams, July 2007

pub conversations from nikkipugh on Vimeo.

Ryan Gander is a London based artist who makes works in a variety of media that draw on multiple layers of fact and fiction, often hinting at obscure narratives that reference contemporary culture, everyday happenings or personal histories. Gander’s achievements include being awarded residencies at the Jan van Eyck Akademie in Maastricht and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, after which he won the Prix de Rome for sculpture (the national Dutch art prize) in 2003. In 2005 he was short listed for Becks Futures at the ICA in London and won the Baloise Art Statement Prize at Art Basel. He won the ABN AMRO prize of the Netherlands and was also included in the Tate Triennial in 2006. Previous solo exhibitions include shows at the Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam; Cornerhouse, Manchester; Marc Foxx, LA; Massimo De Carlo, Milan; and Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Bologna, as well as several shows at Store Gallery in London. Alongside his artistic production, Ryan is founder and director of Associates, a not for profit gallery with a programme of twelve exhibitions by artists who have never previously had a solo show in London. This year Ryan is on a one year sabbatical, and will be having a solo exhibition at Ikon gallery in Birmingham in 2008. Ryan is represented by Store, London, Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam and Tanya Bonakdar, NY.

Bedwyr Williams is an artist who lives and works in Caernarfon, Wales. He uses a wide variety of media including video, photography, drawing and performance, stand up comedy and even karaoke to explore themes such as provincial pathos, macho stereotyping and art-world pretentiousness from the perspective of an artist born, living and working in north Wales. He was awarded the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Award for Visual Art in 2004, represented Wales at the 2005 Venice Biennale, and was shortlisted for Beck’s Futures in 2006. Bedwyr’s exhibitions and performances have taken place at Camden Arts Centre, London; Chapter, Cardiff; PS1 New York, Ffotogallery, Cardiff; Store, London; and Oriel Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno. Williams is represented by Store, London.

[audio:http://www.npugh.co.uk/media/pubcon/Ryan%20Gander%20&%20Bedwyr%20Williams%20050707.mp3]
[Download file]

Pub Conversation: Leo Fitzmaurice & S Mark Gubb

Self Service and Pub Conversations.

In 2006 through to 2008, Self Service initiated a programme of talks taking place at the Lamp Tavern in Birmingham.

Each Self Service member chose an artist or person of influence to their practice who was in turn invited to nominate someone they would like to have a public conversation with. Topics of conversation were held entirely open and reflected the interests and enthusiasms of the artists nominated.

Each conversation was recorded and released as a podcast, however the Pub Conversations website no longer exists so the files are re-posted here by way of an archive. All posts related to the Pub Conversations series can be found at www.npugh.co.uk/tag/pub-conversations/.

Self Service is a constantly evolving group of Birmingham based artists who originally came together in 2004, with the aim of generating projects which would create intimacy and enable the development of dialogue amongst the disparate groups and practitioners in Birmingham who made up a somewhat fragmented visual arts community.

At the time of Pub Conversations, Self Service consisted of Tom Bloor, Jo Capper, Mona Casey, Faye Claridge, Ruth Claxton, Greg Cox, John Hall, Cheryl Jones, Nikki Pugh, Liz Rowe, Charlotte Smith and Matt Westbrook

The talks were supported by Arts Council, UCE and Business Link.

Leo Fitzmaurice & S Mark Gubb, April 2007

Leo Fitzmaurice lives and works in Liverpool. He is currently showing work in Birmingham as part of The Event (see www.the-event.org for details).

Solo Projects in 2007 include Detourist at MOT international London; curating Stuff Happens as part of Parade, Angel Row, Nottingham; Sometimes The Things You Touch Comes True, Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

He will feature in the following group exhibitions; Good Riddance, MOT international London; K3 Express, K3 Project Space, Zurich; Golden Fluffer, Transition, London; Ill Be Your Mirror, Promo Alfonso, London; Drawn Apart, Contemporary Art Projects; Day and Faber, London; Play Urbis Manchester; Blickachsen 7, Blickachsen, Germany; Drawing 200, Drawing Room, London; Shrinking Cities, Van Alen Institute and Pratt Manhattan Gallery, NY.

Fitzmaurice also has work in the following collections: Arts Council, Hiscox, Manchester Art Gallery, Harewood House and many private collections.

His guest, S Mark Gubb lives and works in Nottingham. Recent residencies include the Arts Council of Englands International Fellowship at Bunkier Sztuki, Krakow, Poland and the Wheatley Fellowship at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. Recent exhibitions include His Life is Full of Miracles, Site Gallery, Sheffield, Sideshow in Nottingham, Come With Me, Dont Ask Me Where Cos I Dont Know, VIVID, Birmingham and Things We Lost in the Fire, Transition Gallery, London.

Mark is currently co-ordinating a nine month series of residencies and exhibitions at Epic Skatepark in Birmingham, working on a project for Grizedale Arts in Egremont (Cumbria), working towards a touring solo show at City Gallery (Leicester) in 2008, a two person show at Castlefield Gallery (Manchester), late 2007, a solo project with the ICA (London) and curating a large scale touring project rooted in the relationships between art and skateboarding, being partnered by Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Milton Keynes Art Gallery, the ICA, Chapter (Cardiff) and City Gallery (Leicester).

Mark also lectures in Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University, and is a freelance journalist for a-n Magazine.

[audio:http://www.npugh.co.uk/media/pubcon/Leo%20Fitzmaurice%20&%20S%20Mark%20Gubb%2012-04-07.mp3]
[Download file]

Pub Conversation: Ruth Barker & Niall MacDonald

Self Service and Pub Conversations.

In 2006 through to 2008, Self Service initiated a programme of talks taking place at the Lamp Tavern in Birmingham.

Each Self Service member chose an artist or person of influence to their practice who was in turn invited to nominate someone they would like to have a public conversation with. Topics of conversation were held entirely open and reflected the interests and enthusiasms of the artists nominated.

Each conversation was recorded and released as a podcast, however the Pub Conversations website no longer exists so the files are re-posted here by way of an archive. All posts related to the Pub Conversations series can be found at www.npugh.co.uk/tag/pub-conversations/.

Self Service is a constantly evolving group of Birmingham based artists who originally came together in 2004, with the aim of generating projects which would create intimacy and enable the development of dialogue amongst the disparate groups and practitioners in Birmingham who made up a somewhat fragmented visual arts community.

At the time of Pub Conversations, Self Service consisted of Tom Bloor, Jo Capper, Mona Casey, Faye Claridge, Ruth Claxton, Greg Cox, John Hall, Cheryl Jones, Nikki Pugh, Liz Rowe, Charlotte Smith and Matt Westbrook

The talks were supported by Arts Council, UCE and Business Link.

Ruth Barker & Niall MacDonald, October 2006

Ruth Barker and Niall MacDonald discuss the effect of morality and ethics in their decision making as artists. Their conversation begins with an introduction to both their practices and respective contexts. This then leads into an inquiry surrounding the moral factors inherent within an artwork, as well as the perceived moral and ethical motives of an artist.

[audio:http://www.npugh.co.uk/media/pubcon/pub_conversations_32kbit%20fast%20qualit.mp3]
[Download file]

Pub Conversation: James Hyde & Gavin Wade

Self Service and Pub Conversations.

In 2006 through to 2008, Self Service initiated a programme of talks taking place at the Lamp Tavern in Birmingham.

Each Self Service member chose an artist or person of influence to their practice who was in turn invited to nominate someone they would like to have a public conversation with. Topics of conversation were held entirely open and reflected the interests and enthusiasms of the artists nominated.

Each conversation was recorded and released as a podcast, however the Pub Conversations website no longer exists so the files are re-posted here by way of an archive. All posts related to the Pub Conversations series can be found at www.npugh.co.uk/tag/pub-conversations/.

Self Service is a constantly evolving group of Birmingham based artists who originally came together in 2004, with the aim of generating projects which would create intimacy and enable the development of dialogue amongst the disparate groups and practitioners in Birmingham who made up a somewhat fragmented visual arts community.

At the time of Pub Conversations, Self Service consisted of Tom Bloor, Jo Capper, Mona Casey, Faye Claridge, Ruth Claxton, Greg Cox, John Hall, Cheryl Jones, Nikki Pugh, Liz Rowe, Charlotte Smith and Matt Westbrook

The talks were supported by Arts Council, UCE and Business Link.

James Hyde & Gavin Wade, December 2006

[audio:http://www.npugh.co.uk/media/pubcon/James%20Hyde%20&%20Gavin%20Wade%2023-11-06.mp3]
[Download file]

Pub Conversation: JJ Charlesworth & Josie Appleton

Self Service and Pub Conversations.

In 2006 through to 2008, Self Service initiated a programme of talks taking place at the Lamp Tavern in Birmingham.

Each Self Service member chose an artist or person of influence to their practice who was in turn invited to nominate someone they would like to have a public conversation with. Topics of conversation were held entirely open and reflected the interests and enthusiasms of the artists nominated.

Each conversation was recorded and released as a podcast, however the Pub Conversations website no longer exists so the files are re-posted here by way of an archive. All posts related to the Pub Conversations series can be found at www.npugh.co.uk/tag/pub-conversations/.

Self Service is a constantly evolving group of Birmingham based artists who originally came together in 2004, with the aim of generating projects which would create intimacy and enable the development of dialogue amongst the disparate groups and practitioners in Birmingham who made up a somewhat fragmented visual arts community.

At the time of Pub Conversations, Self Service consisted of Tom Bloor, Jo Capper, Mona Casey, Faye Claridge, Ruth Claxton, Greg Cox, John Hall, Cheryl Jones, Nikki Pugh, Liz Rowe, Charlotte Smith and Matt Westbrook

The talks were supported by Arts Council, UCE and Business Link.

JJ Charlesworth & Josie Appleton, April 2007

JJ Charlesworth has been writing about contemporary art since he left Goldsmiths College in 1996, with a constant focus on the relation between art and political life. He writes regularly in art magazines such as Art Monthly, Art Review, Flash Art Time Out. He has published numerous catalogue essays on emerging artists. He teaches and lectures regularly at art colleges in London, and in 2003 was a selector for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition. He is currently reviews editor at Art Review, and is also organiser of the ‘Artistic Autonomy’ campaign strand of the Manifesto Club.

His guest, Josie Appleton is convenor of the Manifesto Club, a campaigning group that aims to challenge cultural trends that restrain and stifle people’s aspirations and initiative. She wrote the Manifesto Club report, ‘The Case Against Vetting’, and oversees the campaign work on vetting and child protection issues. She is a journalist and writer based in London. She writes regularly for spiked, and has contributed to a number of publications, including the Spectator, The Times, Times Literary Supplement and Daily Express.

[audio:http://www.npugh.co.uk/media/pubcon/JJ%20Charlesworth%20and%20Josie%20Appleton%2022nd%20March%202007.MP3]
[Download file]

Pub Conversation: Miles Thurlow & Carmen Cebreros Urzaiz

Self Service and Pub Conversations.

In 2006 through to 2008, Self Service initiated a programme of talks taking place at the Lamp Tavern in Birmingham.

Each Self Service member chose an artist or person of influence to their practice who was in turn invited to nominate someone they would like to have a public conversation with. Topics of conversation were held entirely open and reflected the interests and enthusiasms of the artists nominated.

Each conversation was recorded and released as a podcast, however the Pub Conversations website no longer exists so the files are re-posted here by way of an archive. All posts related to the Pub Conversations series can be found at www.npugh.co.uk/tag/pub-conversations/.

Self Service is a constantly evolving group of Birmingham based artists who originally came together in 2004, with the aim of generating projects which would create intimacy and enable the development of dialogue amongst the disparate groups and practitioners in Birmingham who made up a somewhat fragmented visual arts community.

At the time of Pub Conversations, Self Service consisted of Tom Bloor, Jo Capper, Mona Casey, Faye Claridge, Ruth Claxton, Greg Cox, John Hall, Cheryl Jones, Nikki Pugh, Liz Rowe, Charlotte Smith and Matt Westbrook

The talks were supported by Arts Council, UCE and Business Link.

Miles Thurlow & Carmen Cebreros Urzaiz, December 2006

Miles Thurlow is an artist based in Gateshead and co-director of Workplace Gallery (with Paul Moss). Recent exhibitions include Legacies of Dissolution, Colony, Birmingham, Formal Dining, Hales Gallery, London, Blue Star Red Wedge, Glasgow International 2006 and You Shall Know Our Velocity, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

His guest, Carmen Cebreros Urzaiz (Mexico City, 1977) graduated in Visual Arts at the National School of Fine Arts-UNAM (Mexico), and the MA in Curating at Goldsmiths College. She has curated the exhibitions The Taming Power of the Small’ (Mexico City, 2003), Stages and Transfers (Mexico City, 2005), and recently an Audioguide for Sir John Soane’s Museum (London, 2006) constituted by the commentaries of international sound, performance and visual artists, architects, historians, and philosophers.

[audio:http://www.npugh.co.uk/media/pubcon/Miles%20Thurlow%20&%20Carmen%20Cebreros%20Urzaiz%209-11-06.mp3]
[Download file]

Games. Art. 2 podcasts.

Two pertinent podcasts that nudged their way into my awareness within the last 24 hours…

The first is Minkette talking on Shift Run Stop talking about adventures, real people, trains and better ways of augmenting reality.

Shift Run Stop, Episode 55: Minkette (source.)
[audio:http://www.npugh.co.uk/media/Shift_Run_Stop_episode_55_-_Minkette.mp3]

The second is artist and Tilt Factor director Mary Flanagan talking on furtherfield on Resonance FM.

I particularly like the phrase “system designs that ask different questions”.

Below is an mp3 of the relevant excerpts, you can listen to the complete broadcast here.

Watch. Change paradigms.

Preparing to publish

A while ago I talked about getting closer to finishing the Uncertain Eastside publication triggered by my work in and around Birmingham City Council’s Eastside regeneration area.

In the intervening weeks I have registered as a publisher (under the name Present Position) and have been duly uniquely identified and allocated ISBN numbers etc etc. I have had adventures with barcodes, sent off for and received a proof print, and tweaked, augmented and improved the contents.

A quick flick through the first proof copy

Over the last few days I have shared the first proof with a handful of people and had some nice, encouraging responses in return. A good example was last night, chatting with Nicky Getgood and Digbeth publican John Tighe. (John’s pub, The Spotted Dog, is mentioned a couple of times in texts by Ben Waddington and Joe Holyoak, so I’d wanted to check a few details with him.)

As John had a good ol’ look through the proof, he came across the photo above by Mark Hill, one of the Walk and Talk participants. I’d wondered about the building in the background before, but never quite got around to finding out about it. Well thanks to Nicky I now know it was built by a breakaway (Catholic?) group who built their own building to worship in …but then made up with the main Church before it was put into use. As a result the building was never consecrated and is now full of tyres!

We’ve also established that my publication does not make Birmingham look like Barcelona…

A preview of Digbeth not looking like Barcelona

I’ve just uploaded my modifications and am about to order what I hope will be the final proof.

All being well, Uncertain Eastside – Document One: 2009 should be available for purchase towards the end of next week.

Circuit Bending 101 at Meshed Media

On Saturday I was at Meshed Media for the second in the current batch of three circuit bending workshops I’m running.

Circuit benders.

Most of the people who came along for the day had no or minimal experience with soldering, so we started off with a quick introduction to the basics before getting stuck into the circuit bending projects. By project number three it was great to see everyone happy to just get on with it, even if several hours ago they’d never soldered before!

I didn’t get much chance to take photos etc, but fortunately the workshop was mostly self-documenting with various tweets, photos and audio recordings being uploaded as we went along.

Here are some snapshots of the workshop…

Have successfully soldered two wires together. Woop! Mad skillsChrisUnitt

Happy Halloween...two pumpkins with their toyz - Mr_Spoon

Very proud of my Spooky Bending. MWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!
joannageary

…and here are a few videos I managed to take… (you can see all my photos and videos from the workshop on Flickr)

As usual, a big thanks to everyone who came and again to Chris for hosting.