In Leeds: Pictures From an Exhibition

Pictures from an evening and a day in Leeds Art Gallery, surrounded by the British Art Show, talking about art, participation and much else besides. I arrive from our weekly site meeting in Granby. Delighted to be invited here to add my own experiences of what can make life work better to everyone else’s.

As you’d probably expect.

Relieved to have so many people come to have a conversation with me. You never know do you?

I’ve been invited to talk about my experiences as ‘a sense of place’ these last 20 years.

After my presentation my friend Emma Bearman from ‘Playful Leeds’ runs a conversation with me and everyone else there, exploring how things I’m learning about community led change might be applied to life in Leeds and even in the art world. I’m never less than aware how surreal it now is to be asked for my opinions on the art world since being involved in winning the Turner Prize.

Sitting in the galleries surrounded by the exhibits in the British Art Show we continue to talk participation and the necessity of institutions like this being social places as well as places for work to be seen, together with being the storehouses and engines of our imaginations.

And in the course of the afternoon and using many a creative technique we all write a letter to the people of Edinburgh.

Then be packed off to Edinburgh, next Norwich and finally Southampton. This is how it works. Every four years an exhibition of the best of British contemporary art travels round four British cities. Each city learning lessons from the last one.

Here is the letter the group I’m in writes to the people of Edinburgh:“We would love you to have our thoughts from a whole day about participation.

So we say to you – get your participation started early. Make it as meaningful and joyous as possible, and from then on use it to create a whole sequence of social events while the exhibition is with you (and beyond).

Create opportunities to enable dialogue, space to voice and value different opinions, allow room for disagreement, and let us know how you get on!”

The British Art Show closes in Leeds this Sunday, 10th January 2016 and will open in Edinburgh on 13th February. More information and films about the show are on its blog here. A film about this participation event will also be added soon.

Big thanks to Natalie Walton, Emma Bearman, Jon Beech, Marie Millward, Kenn Taylor and everyone else in Leeds for your hospitality and friendship.