Sustainable North Workshop Presentations

Pam Warhurst's presentation

This paper examines three aspects of the Northumbrian Exchanges project, a partnership between rural arts and music practices in Northumberland, the Newcastle Business school, the Newcastle School of Arts and Cultures, and the Newcastle Centre for Rural Economy. These are: how curation and embedded knowledges can be extracted in order to exchange, how knowledge archives are problematically presented in the ‘common cultures’ of rural Northumberland, and how sustainability of archives and practice can best be achieved in solid, committed networks of academics, practitioners, and communities creating a third space away from both academic life and the practice.

Martyn Hudson's presentation

This paper investigates how public art projects are being promoted, publicised and mediated as part of environmental regeneration in a climate of corporate sponsorship. It focuses on the use of public art in defining, reconfiguring and re-presenting spaces and communities damaged by mining. The land sculpture Northumberlandia (2012) is selected as a case study to address the role played by private ‘public’ art in what has been presented as environmental regeneration.

Deborah Chambers and David Baines's Summary

The aim of this presentation (which comprised a short introductory paper and the Belle Vue film) was to invite discussion on the new/old model of cultural practice developed by Grizedale Arts, particularly in the context of the economic, social and environmental conditions of the Lake District.

Helen Rees Leahy's presentation

Belle Vue Production's film The Use Value of Art

Network-building is increasingly used as a way of developing an area’s cultural and artistic life as well as tackling its social problems. Hyde Park in Leeds has a burgeoning artistic and cultural life, but also suffers from pockets of intense deprivation and high population ‘churn’. It features one of the UK’s oldest surviving cinemas, and one of Leeds’ most ‘cutting-edge’ music venues, yet local arts organisations face constant funding challenges, and Hyde Park itself lacks ‘visibility’ in comparison to Leeds‘ other creative centres. In 2012, a small group of venues, faith groups, and independent arts practitioners came together to consider whether the area’s social and cultural problems could be tackled concurrently through the development of a community 'hub'. In 2014, the hub will partner with City of Leeds School to present an updated version of Benjamin Britten’s community opera ‘Noyes Fludde’ - based on the story of Noah’s Ark - in carnival style. As well as the final performances, the project will include a wide range of workshops focussing on costume and scenery-making as well as performance, and will act as a focal point and 'shop-window' for the project as a whole. The performance will also resonate metaphorically with the aims of the project, which aims to act as an 'ark' for cultural excellence in Leeds.

This paper presented The Roundview which emerged from Dr. Joanne Tippett’s research at The University of Manchester (funded by the ESRC and Sustainable Consumption Institute). The RoundView is aimed at helping us answer the question, “How do we know if our actions, decisions and strategies will actually take us towards a more sustainable future or not?” It tackles this difficult question by defining guidelines to inform individual and organisational decision-making.  Based on sound scientific principles underlying the causes of an unsustainable society, the RoundView emphasises systems and our place within them.

An introduction to the Roundview

This reflective talk discussed the authors practice based PhD concerning issues and interrelated problems concerning socially engaged art practice and social media with regards to self-organisation, community activism and creativity. The research investigates the possible interim uses of derelict and underused land in the researchers own community, to propose creative uses and temporary community solutions. Positioning myself as an artist, curator and researcher, as well as a resident and community member, it investigates the responsibilities this places on me as an individual, volunteer and a community activist, and how this may change or rethink my role as a researcher, ethically and well as practically.

Ben Jones' presentation

The “We need Creative...Er... Things!”... phenomena is alive and kicking in seats of power across the world...but do they really know what they are asking for? The next stage in human evolution (if there is to be one) is, I believe, not about finding creative ways to maintain the status quo. It is about making creativity ubiquitous, powerful, purposeful and ultimately influential in that it should change the why and way we live.How tough has it got to be out there in the seats of power for ‘them’ to be asking ‘artists’ to help them out?

Re-visioning Utopia II: From Yokohama with Love... ‌