Future of the Art Space

Excellence afternoon conference organised by Central St Martin's. Student projects really successful and the discussion was great! It is the culmination of projects looking into art spaces - galleries, theatres, concert halls in 2015

the projects mostly looked at unconventional ways of delivering art.

The introduction was by Charles Leadbetter and he given an excellent summary of what the future may have in store for the arts. We then split into groups. I facilitated the 'Risky Projects' Group. Each group reported back after an hour's discussion and Charles Leadbetter summed up.

It was very well organised by Central St Martins and the students of the Creative Practice for Narrative Environments Course - there were specially made table clothes on which we made notes, corrugated cardboard partitions doubling up as notice boards and a really good discussion.

The main focus seemed to be on participation and distributed arts. Our group considered the problems of setting or funding an organisation that was designed to provide 'Risky Project's - a hybrid between art and sport. If really risky how could a responsible organisation fund it - it it was funded how could it be 'cutting edge?'

If in 10 years time participation is the name of the game - might not the arts organisations react and seek more elitist art to support?

Could there be a threat to traditional arts organisations if the government could see popular participatory art it could fund in preference?

Might it become a case of Bread and Circuses?

did a hybrid form blur distinction between art and sport and did it matter?