Independence in Nottingham
In 2009 Tether embarked on a tour around the British independent art scene, taking in 38 artist led galleries, arts initiatives and collectives. Beginning locally and working their way across the country from Dundee to Brighton they have built up an honest picture of artist led activity in the UK.
The interviews conducted at each site have been edited into individual short documentary programmes which discuss the activities of the groups, their development and their plans for the future. This document of selected independents forms a resource which can be used to examine trends and inform future artists by collecting together the experiences of a disparate network.
The desire to create an archive of the current national art community, which has seen a huge rise in artist led activity, was no doubt in part sparked by the much remarked upon trend in Nottingham of local graduates staying to pursue their ambitions within the city. Prior to the opening of the Nottingham Contemporary last November the art scene in Nottingham at times felt almost entirely dominated by the events and exhibitions put on by the independent groups originating from Nottingham Trent.
Upon graduating the individuals that make up Moot (which recently had its final series of events), Tether themselves, Backlit and Sixes and Sevens, made a decision to stay and make their own path in the local art scene. These organisations have established themselves within Nottingham, by maintaining spaces or an events based programme which exhibits/screens and promotes their own work and external artists. In addition to this there are groups which have taken different routes including Artnot, a publication which provides local listings, One Thoresby Street, an arts centre, and Reactor, an artists' collective.
In the catalogue of the 2010 Fine Art degree show for Nottingham Trent senior lecturer Joanne Lee listed the attributes of a Fine Art graduate which included being 'resourceful, able to spot potential..., not easily daunted, good at talking to people and... exploit[ing] imaginatively the world in which they find themselves'. She also proudly surveyed the successes of recent graduates in 'inventing their own scenes, fostering new communities and developing spaces'. As an undergraduate the evidence of the success of the 'independent self starters' ethos is all around me. I have seen for myself the results of their endeavours and have been inspired by the scope and ambition of what they have been able to achieve, often with limited budget.
I would add to Jo's list that graduates of Fine Art, in forming artists' cooperatives, will need to maintain an individual vision while committing to a collaboration. In the majority of cases there is strength in numbers; by pooling resources and skills the amount that can be achieved can surpass expectations.
Vikki Smith, a recent graduate of the Fine Art BA at Nottingham Trent, described to me her uncertain but optimistic attitude towards her future post-degree. Deciding to stay in Nottingham and securing studio space over the summer her main aims are to continue making work and investigating ideas still unresolved in her practice.Vikki's sculptures at once explores escapism and nihilism as her ambitious installations and fascination with astronomy are tempered by her inventive use of cheap materials and outdated technology. At present she is making applications for exhibitions and working in studios in which other NTU graduates have also taken up space. Having made the decision to not form a group or set up a new space, she also explained that there is always the possibility of curatorial collaborations, as organising exhibitions is 'sort of irresistible' and she sees so much potential in using existing spaces to make work and exhibit, as Sixes and Sevens have successfully done.
Setting up a collective can benefit the individual members by helping to establish a name for the group and requiring a hugely varied range of skills that can be cultivated and added to in the process of developing a professional practice. The downside to this is the necessity for a commitment of time, effort and finance to the collaborative project which can lead to the putting on hold of personal artistic ambition. Touring the country Tether found a common theme in their conversations with groups around a shift in their individual practices. Artistic ambitions can often be sidelined and sometimes supplanted by the taking on of roles as curators, events organisers, administration and further supportive activities. This seems at odds with one of the key reasons that many people decide to form groups and set up spaces, to continue their career as artists upon leaving educational institutions. However, within Nottingham the artist groups represent a largely successful form of post-graduate development, often with initial support from NTU, that lead to the forming of strong networks and continuing professional opportunities.
The upcoming Sideshow, a three month festival of independent art in Nottingham, will put a spotlight on artist led activity in the area, hopefully demonstrating the variety, quantity and quality of the output of the many individuals and groups. It feels timely that Tether would chose to investigate this phenomenon as the scene that they are involved in is given a national platform, and also as they transition from their current way of working into a new chapter as a collective. The creation of this archive of other's independent activity is part of a process of reflection of their achievements and its release marks the beginning of their final season of exhibitions and events in their Nottingham headquarters.
'Hither & Thither: A Road Trip around the British independent art scene' will be released through Tethervision (www.tether.org.uk/tv/) daily from the 14th September until October 21st in the lead up to the British Art Show Seven and Sideshow. The launch of the series will coincide with the opening of two exhibitions at Tether's base on Huntingdon Street: Stuart Croft- Drive In and recipient of a commission by Tethervision, recent Nottingham Trent graduate Alia Pathan- Empty Vessels.
