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Tania Bruguera -  Part 1 Tatlin's Whisper #6 (Havana Version 2009) (needs more words)

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Tania Bruguera -  Part 1 Tatlin's Whisper #6 (Havana Version 2009) (needs more words)

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Tania Bruguera is one of the most prolific contemporary artists for creating politically charged artwork that often uses the audience within the artwork. Tatlin's Whisper #6 (Havana Version 2009) is an interactive piece where participants are able to speak for one minute on a podium before they are escorted away by actors dressed in military drab. Each participant had a white dove placed on their shoulder, referencing the speech Fidel Castro gave after the 1959 Revolution, where a dove landed on his shoulder. It brings to light the political climate of Cuba, specifically surrounding free speech and censorship. The audience were given disposable cameras to document the event, potentially for This technologies ability to document the event and avoid censorship and to distribute across the country. As a result of this performance, the Cuban government has condemned the artwork, as well as arresting Bruguera multiple times. some of the participants included were Guadalupe Álvarez, a Cuban critic and professor, who then had to resign his post following the event, and Yoanni Sánchez, a famous young Cuban blogger, marked by the Cuban government as political dissident, who advocated for free Internet access in the country. Under similar names 'Tatalin's Whisper #[]' she has created a series of similar events. This work comes under the category of Artivism, a term formed by Bruguera herself and many other artists, through the combination of art and social activism. The denunciation of the performance by the cuban government is proof of the power art can hold, showing that there is a misconception about the ineffectiveness of art in society. She was subsequently arrested three times following the event, an action she knew she was risking having created the event.

Bruguera's piece informs my practice for its ability to reveal authoritarianism and combat it through social engagement. Artwork that has the ability to have political and social change demonstrates the power art can have on peoples lives. This importance of art within society is what I strive to achieve

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Capitalist Realism is the title of the book written by Mark Fisher, and the term to describe the cultural and political phenomenon that makes any political alternative to capitalism unimaginable or unrealistic. It is a short book, with information containing media, culture, politics, psychoanalysis and philosophy, explaining particular contemporary trends and how they affect wider society. Despite the wide array of information, it is very coherent, explaining specialised concepts often with analogies to particular media references and cultural events.

The book begins explaining cultural fears through media. It begins explaining meanings depicted in various dystopian films such as V for Vendetta and Children of Men, presenting particular societal fears. He then Quotes both Slavoj Žižek and Fredric Jameson 'Its easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism', demonstrating the inability to see a coherent and realistic alternative to current problems, and so society is engrossed in nihilistic dystopian futures. It sets the tone for the book, linking society's cultural production as a representative of societal and political problems within contemporary society. The media within capitalism is able to create interpassivity from viewers, a phenomena which allows for the media to act on their behalf. Interpassivity in media such as Wall-E allows for Disney/Pixar, a large corporation, to criticize capitalism, yet remain a capitalist organisation. Here the audiences can feel in good conscious that they are good people, yet contribute to the same system they claim to criticise, as consumers. But there is limited ability to counteract this system, an example of an attempt is Nirvana, that would constantly antagonise MTV, yet this action would only grow viewership, and feed the system it aims to destroy. there has been attempts to separate the system in which media operates to the media content, such as Live Aid, where many Celebrities raise money for charity, yet attempt to separate themselves from the capitalist machine that brought them fame, and others oppression. This guilt tripping philanthropy aims to take away politics in order to solve the problem, attempting to be humble while standing on a podium which is built from exploitation.

Contemporary society for Fisher is in large part as a result of Neo-liberalism, as its oversimplified ideas of a self regulated market fixing societal problems resulted in the economic crash of 2008, and that within the developments of Neo-liberal politics, dropped off many political alternatives. The idea of business bailouts were unthinkable in a neoliberal society, yet despite this, government's bailed out the banks. What is possible politically, is often seen as unrealistic prior to events. Both the privatisation and the nationalisation of industry at points in time were unthinkable in Britain. The reality of contemporary politics is often short sighted, the government intervention in private businesses resulted in an economic depression, but is not compared against soviet Russia and their economics. Soviet economics were inefficient for its striving for symbolic successes such as rushed building of infrastructure for it then to be used as propaganda, equally capitalism has created bureaucracies in the aim to set and achieve the same inefficient targets. These bureaucracies are a mode of surveillance to a workforce, a way to control and have power over workforce. The inability for anyone to do anything without long time wading through the rules and regulation create an upholding of the status quo, a method of normalisation. Neo-liberalism has created a 'business ontology' for many sectors, resulting in changes to many industries. For Universities, neo-liberalisation has resulted in a lack of student discipline as the universities are reliant on them for income, and so bad attendance and unfinished projects will not have repercussions. As a result, a student populous has become more hedonistic, much like neoliberalism that favours short term profits to long term solutions. For workers, they are forced to become flexible and retrain in many departments as a gig economy is inexpensive to employers, and so individuals must adapt.

Realities in contemporary society has become extremely fluid. Managers are able to understand plainly the inefficiencies of their bureaucracy, yet maintain such orders for the sake of surveillance and image. Another form of reality management is responsibilitisation, a way in which determines who is responsible for particular actions. In terms of the climate, people are told to do their part, despite being a small part of pollution, the lower classes are told 'you are what you eat', despite economic necessity determining their diets, and banks single out a select few individuals responsible for the 2008 crash, yet it is the structure of the banking system that created the crash.

Fisher finishes the book with an alternative. He shows within the book the plastic nature of capitalism and its ability to reconstruct all that is anti-capitalist and absorb it, make it commodifiable, and also the hegemony which allows for capitalisms to restrict to think and manifest of political alternatives to emerge. Fisher shows that strikes within education have become a benefit for employers who don't have to pay wages, and that students are damaged the most, and so must seek alternative industrial action. Also that media must not pander to viewership, creating content that revitalises individuals rather than coddles them, feeding them uncontroversial content that does not offend. all in all there must be meaningful state or community based action, as the neoliberal hedonism creates ill equipped and weak individuals.

After reading this book I see many similarities in the mode of analysis to both Zizek and Foucault. For Zizek, the interjection of media references in relation to psychoanalytic theory, for Foucault, the alternative and cross disciplinary linking of information. No doubt they are influences to both his works and also his leftist political beliefs

This work informs my work for its understanding of the neoliberal mechanisms of universities. As my work is influenced by institutional critique, this helps explain some of the reactions to make work, and the possibilities it can take. My work 'Remanence' received bureaucratic backlash, and so does many other ambitious artworks, this is despite DMU advertising its ambitious attitude and and ability to accommodate and enable particular projects which are not possible outside of a university.

Fisher was a lecturer of visual cultures at Goldsmiths university. Given my interest in his book, as well as the theorists mentioned throughout such as Zizek and Foucault, it has given me an expanded understanding of the potential postgraduate courses.

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Slavoj Žižek in Žižek’s Jokes: "In an old joke from the defunct German Democratic Republic, a German worker gets a job in Siberia; aware of how all mail will be read by the censors, he tells his friends: ‘Let’s establish a code: if a letter you get from me is written in ordinary blue ink, it’s true; if it’s written in red ink, it’s false.’ After a month, his friends get the first letter, written in blue ink: ‘Everything is wonderful here: the shops are full, food is abundant, apartments are large and properly heated, cinemas show films from the West, there are many beautiful girls ready for an affair — the only thing you can’t get is red ink."

The ability to get past censorship means that the German worker's words may not be true, as he does not have the ability to use code to indicate that his words are false and still get past the censorship control.

This joke has the potential to be interpreted in many different ways. This is because as an anecdotal form of a joke, and the subject of free speech, it appears to be put into many situations internationally, and with both leftist and rightist viewpoints. In articles such as In Praise of Red Ink they have compared Islamic terrorists with western politics for the restriction put on free speech. The article talks to the high amount of rape cases in Sweden in relation to the open boarder and high Islamic immigrant population, and the critique of the religion being criminalised for hate speech. It is a particularly edgy article for its devils advocate approach, but fails to interrogate what 'free' speech is, as free may be false information, or more manipulatively, cherrypicked information that is simultaneously misleading yet true. an example is within the article itself as the ability to prosecute in Sweden is easier and what is counted as rape is expanded beyond coercion or threat to include without consent and various other immoral sexual behaviours, and so the figures look different to many other developed countries. The article fails to mention this, proving the limitation to, and inpropper use of free speech it advocates for

Taking a more in depth look at the themes communicated and Žižek's lacanian influence, you can see it goes beyond the oversimplified version of 'free speech', communicating the contradictions of language. Reducing it to merely a comment on free speech is a reductionist act, instead it must be expanded to a metaphysical, psychoanalytic and linguistic. Language is used to formulate understanding of 'the real', is is a mediator between the mind and the physical world, as it must be transferred in some form or another to be conceived by the mind. Light comes in the form of waves, goes through the eyes, sent as an electrical impulse, and then the image is reversed and interpreted phenominalogically through past experiences in order to ration with this data and understand what is seen. This transfer of medium from light, to electricity, to neurons, and many other overlooked instances distort phenomina, making the sensus, supersensus. Language is a barrier in and of itself, as the attempt to universalise individual experience into symbolic form has data package loss, as the individual experience is unique and not universal itself. And even with this package formed, comes with the other conscious beings interpretation of said language, interpreted against their own cultural capital. With language formed through necessity, used for utilitarian purpose, we find ourselves creating more words for things found in our daily lives, and less for those not, resulting in the British abundance of words associated with getting drunk, and less for ladders. A better example would be doctors with an extensive vocabulary of medical knowledge, demonstrating it's use within the field, and this ultimately builds their world view. In capitalism, it is the necessity to survive through profit and so the ways to understand the world must ultimately be contained within the internal logic of capitalism. The economy, profit, and mathematical language become central, and able to be rationed with, above abstract measurements such as happyness or fulfilment, and so become secondary importance under capitalist culture. A person with large profits may have an incoherent understanding of their own unhappiness, as emotional intelligence is a term foreign to language, and so also rationality. This hegemonic use of language have put importance to particular interests, and downtrodden others. As language is a learned behaviour, it can be adapted to communicate particular behaviours. The ability to articulate alternatively has been reduced, or even irradiated. An example of this is America, where Africans were banned from their native tongue, and native Americans culture was downtrodden. In culture and language hold history, and politics, and in English, their existence reduces their existence under the white man. It is a form of control, restricting the ability to think resistance.

In contemporary times there are book burnings, fake news, and yes, political correctness. The political correctness may stop offence and even harm in many cases, but equally it takes away the ability to understand a history that created a particular language. Less menicingly and obvious, in the UK there has been a gradual decrease in funding for what is seen as liberal subjects. The arts and humanities have faced large cuts, opting for the UK to have a larger mathemacal based education. In the liberal subjects in alot of cases is individual thought and critical thinking, and in maths and economics holds conformaty. This may be an oversimplification of this, but it holds true as much of the UK economy is feulled by banking, and this industry does not produce use product, instead choses where to invest in order to get profit return. The UK has a low productivity rate as compared to many other countries, and so the only way to stay afloat, is to handle finance. This has strong links to the model of the Empire, one that outsources labour from other countries, looks for ways to minimise production and labour costs, and maximise profit. Banking holds the potential to exploit, and so to reduce people into labour costs, is to distance oneself from the actual lives of the workers. A British population unable to properly comprehend and communicate the suffering of people, are a more obedient and ruthless workforce.

This may seem so far distanced from research for art, but in terms of institutional critique, this is key. Seeing Arts education and funding being thrown away in front of my eyes as a current student, while also having knowledge on the ideological and political impact of such actions, puts my views increasingly within the minority. The knowledge acquired are increasingly being seen as unimportant and counter intuitive because of the increasing financial based language and understanding being pushed by media and education. Art is seen through the lens of profit, and being a largely unprofitable career path, the philosophical, political and educational impact of the subject is overseen. The ability to articulate the unfreedoms within a society as shown by Žižek allows for a greater understanding of the political implications of the neoliberalisation of societies.

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Professional Future practice - Entrepreneurial Research

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Professional Future practice - Entrepreneurial Research

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selling canvases (£15)
Matt Macken £15

Selling artwork (£25)
Ollie CCTV £25

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Slavoj Žižek’s in 'Virtual Capitalism and the End of Nature.' -

'Since in our society, free choice is elevated into a supreme value, social control and dominance can no longer appear to infringe on the subject’s freedom — it has to appear (and be sustained by) the very experience of individuals as being free. There are a multitude of ways in which this unfreedom appears in the guise of its opposite: when we are deprived of universal healthcare, we are told that we are given a new freedom of choice (to choose our healthcare provider); when we can no longer rely on long-term employment and are compelled to search for a new, precarious position every couple of years, we are told that we are given the opporunity to reinvent ourselves and discover novel, unexpected creative potentials that lurk in our personality; when we have to become ‘entrepreneurs-of-the-self’, acting like a capitalist who chooses freely how he will invest the resources he possesses (or has borrowed) in education, health, travel…Constantly bombarded by so-called ‘free choices’, forced to make decisions for which we are mostly not even properly qualified (or about which we possess inadequate information), increasingly we experience our freedom as what it effectively is: a burden that deprives us of the true choice of change.'

Here Žižek talks directly to contemporary neoliberalism, explaining that the idea of 'choice' is not such a simplified matter which the 'free market' claims it to be. Like before, Zizek talking of unfreedom in the ways that we lack the language to express it, neoliberalism creates a language that presents the commoditisation of human rights as a positive. The freedom to choose in capitalism comes at a cost, and when in the system, your choices are within capitalism, and so it is which job to choose and which products to spend your labour on. The security of healthcare, regulated products and jobs can provide a security, of which frees the individual to spend time on things more meaningful to life, such as philosophy, religion, politics, or more things possible without the threat of unemployment, reduction of rights, healthcare emergencies and more. There is a clear comparison between these two factors, as a free market results in a focus on short term goals for the individual and short term profits for an economic. This is evident through a fluxuation of around 60/70% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, aswell economic crashes (of which are only prevented through state intervention such as cash influx or control of finances). Through capitalism this is seen as natural, as the Darwinist theory of 'survival of the fittest' is often used as anecdotal evidence through nature, providing the language to justify this form of economics, resulting in providers competing for consumers money. This is no longer the case as companies have concerntrated and become conglomorates, no longer competing against a market, but instead controlling the market.

Žižek's idea of unfreedom has connections to Michel Foucault's theories of power/knowledge, as the economic power of capitalism has a hold on the language, and therefore knowledge on presenting the present. Much of Economic theory dictates the language, economics and politics of neoliberal, as the free market is viewed as a political equilibrium through a democratised market. Another link to this is Noam Chomsky, a known rival of Žižek, yet his theories of how the interests of the ruling class are communicated through mainstream media, directing the narrative of events. Much of what Žižek has to say can be shown to be a lack of language to escape the capitalist mode of thought, only being able to rely upon the language given to us by the environment we live in. This is backed through structuralist theory, believing that we have to rely upon known experiences to build an understanding of reality, and so living in contemporary capitalism results in a lack of ability to comprehend new concepts outside of such an environment.

analysing and theorising the underlying structures of society greatly inform my work, that is pointed towards exposing the subtext and greater contexts of seemingly innocent signs and objects produced by institutions. The ontology of freedom in relation to capitalism is an interesting subject, and will inform how i make art in the future, as they can be made symbiotic with the themes of self discipline in 'CCTV! You're on Smile' for surveillance's intrusion into daily life, and 'No such thing as Apolitical' for its relation to the free market, and how separated it is from state, therefore being seen as not political.

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In the future, I would like to study under a postgraduate course. This course would have to be related to my course, and my grade, which I do not believe will be less than a 2:1 given my grades so far. My interests are shifting towards Philosophy, politics, psycho analysis, sociology, and general theory based subjects, and so a program which would allow me to explore that further would be beneficial for for me to have an expanded educational background in order to benefit me in the future, while also maintaining my engagement with study. I have removed Fine Art from consideration as I believe it could hold me back from the potential of alternate routes. Continuing a Fine art course takes away my expanded opportunity, given to me by self education and Modules such as Art History, Which I have studied under my current course. The skills I have gained should be nurtured, and my own art practice can continue outside of education.

Given the cost of living crisis, postgraduate personal accounts, and the ability to self educate, I believe that I need to around 5 years before I should study, as it will give me experience and breathing room to explore my options and expand my knowledge, improving the chance of successful applications. In that time I have the option to apply for Arts council funding, find a job, create a studio for artists, sell artwork, or many more options. I have collected a few courses that I believe I would be interested in studying.

My options for Postgraduate Studies are:

Master of arts (MA) degree program provides a broad focus on liberal arts and humanities careers. This range allows me to have some 'wiggle room', allowing more of the expanded study past Fine Art. Its a broad term, and the name does not mean I will be qualified to participate in all the degrees under it despite my Fine art BA Diploma.

Master of Fine Art (MFA) program is generally narrower in focus, providing more detailed instruction about a specific discipline. This degree, although different from an MA, has a broad amount of topics available, from acting, photography, communications and even teaching singing. It has more specific and niche studies, allowing for increased level of specialism. Personally I don't think I will apply to an MFA as I do not work or learn in a specialist way, I am more of a generalist, wanting to have a greater scope of multiple subjects.

master of Research degree (MRes). This masters offers research training. It is more independent and has less structure. Requires a dissertation or research project of approximately 15,000–18,000 words. Usually 12 months. The research base better prepares for a PhD. This may be appropriate as it gives me the challenge to improve my writing and research skills, and prepares for a PhD which I can use if I want to be a Lecturer, or seek other employment.

Magister Litterarum (MLitt) is a degree that normally specialises in Theology, Literature, Law, History or other similar topics. It is normally given by institutions known as ‘ancient universities’, or to certain Scottish universities. It is normally 1 year in Scotland and 2 in England, and is similar to an MPhil or MRes as they are often research based. The differences between these degrees and MLitt varies case to case, but revolve more around arts and Humanities. alternatively those studying a PhD, but fall short of the standards needed to achieve it can instead receive an MLitt.

PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate of Education). Needed for primary or secondary school teaching. I don't think I would like to Teach any lower than A-Level grade, as I am more passionate about teaching subjects, over controlling human behaviour, which would be involved with younger students.

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In Artificial Hells, Claire Bishop aims to analyse and advance discourse surrounding Participatory art, its history, and its existence within a political context. It focuses on how The use of participants and their social relations has been used as an artistic medium within 20th century art. It is largely very critical of it as an art form, and skeptical of its affect on the audience.

The impact of this book on my practice has incorporated a new perspective of how art is used and interacted with in contemporary Britain, while also informing my practice on how they relate to other works. It has introduced me to Tania Bruguera's work, which relates as a political and authoritarian themed series of works. As well as my artistic practice, it has informed my Essay writing as a critical reading of Jeremy Deller's Battle of Orgreave (2001) and the wavering ethics of representation within a performance piece, and the potential exploitation of participation. This form of art has risen from the changing shapes of the political left, and its constant and necessary need to evolve in order to counteract the strong and static stance of right wing politics. Art has been used by New Labour as a ploy to fix structural problems in British society, but these fixes are merely Aesthetic and weak, as many creative solutions to problems such as health and education are nothing compared to giving proper funding to these public services.

This Book is a useful read for the future, as it creates a picture of how politics and art intersect with contemporary art, and how my practice and professional career will be impacted. Despite the highly criticality towards how the arts are funded in Britain, It gives a useful insight into which type of practice gets funding. Funded artworks are used as an alternative cheap political tool that will address problems within society, more so than the creativity of individuals.

This book is held in high account given its astuteness to properly explain and critically analyse artworks that have not been given in depth criticisms. it acts as an informing work, but also as a means to properly articulate the discontents that were not currently in discourse. The terms mentioned in the book help solidify new art movements taking shape, drawing a line in a certain way to the similarities and differences participatory art has to other art movements and various eras.

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Noam Chomsky and  Edward S Herman - Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media

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Noam Chomsky and  Edward S Herman - Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media

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Noam Chomsky and Edward S Herman's 'Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media' is one of the most influential texts of contemporary society, as it explains how the ruling class and media operate in order to maintain their power monopoly. This is achieved through various ways the media frames events in order for media consumers to formulate viewpoints that are in line with the private interests. It was published in 1988, but is still relevant, if not more so because of increased concentration of wealth and power of the ruling class, and the polarisation of civil society.

The mainstream media never undermine the interests of their owners and sponsors. This is because the media is funded/owned by the ruling class, and the media is used to legitimise the actions and interests of private enterprise. The title 'Manufacturing consent' is for the medias ability to formulate social norms by coercion and manipulation of a publics understanding of events, in order for them to legitimise and so allow actions that are not in the public's interest to go ahead.

Mainstream media should never undermine advertisers. As the media is largely free, they must rely on advertisements in order to fund their operations, and so cannot accurately and objectively report news or properly represent reality, as their financial interests are interwoven with its ability to create content for viewers. Subscription models can operate with more malice as the mainstream media require a large audience, and subscriber based models require a constant readership, and so will not represent viewpoints away from their current readerships viewpoint. This entrenches and polarises a society that do not have access to a balance of sources. It validates the viewpoints of its readership while also creating a group that are further and further distant from alternate viewpoints, creating an inability for understanding and compromise between groups of people.

The sources the mainstream media uses must be cast favourably, or else lose the sources access. The media relies fast up-to-date access to real time events, and so when a source reports events, it must be shown in a good light for a continuing stream of information, as the information from the source is shown for their own interests, and will cut ties if its not seen that way. The mainstream media cannot create any flack, which is  any opinions that create a public outcry or backlash, as it damages their image as an organisation, creating a loss of revenue. This is a continuation of feeding back the public's ideologies back to them in order to maintain their viewership. This means oppositional and often important information is not publicised.

The media's 'Anti-communism' is a way in which particular viewpoints are shut down abruptly and not properly discussed by calling them "communist" . The media can discredit anyone oppositional to them by calling them a “communist”. This is because communism is misunderstood and overly simplified, and this blanket statement allows for an easy opt out of proper debate. This constant negative connotation incentivizes all public figures to denounce communism, because otherwise they may risk being turned into an 'unperson', someone who's existence is immediately denounced or not recognised entirely. From the 2000's this replaced by “terrorist”, but many other terms exist.

This is important for my work as this demonstrates clearly the incentives and methods of institutions. Why and how particular messages are articulated through 'manufacturing consent', and can reveal particular incentives and functions of the creation of content. I want to demonstrate the ways in which society functions beyond its initially perceived ideas, such as the ways the media frames itself as clear and objective, yet are constantly pulling at strings for the sake of private interests and political control. This text has inspired the work 'I only get my news from the BBC' for its standardised and universal ideas of objective reporting of necessary news, and the British publics idea of what the news is, is heavily conflated with the BBC itself. its has also influenced 'No such thing as Apolitical', for its ideas of objective and neutral reporting through concepts surrounding flack and public outcry, how the media navigates public ideas around politics in order to hide their incentives.

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Tania Bruguera -  Part 2 Tatlin's Whisper #5 (2008)

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Tania Bruguera -  Part 2 Tatlin's Whisper #5 (2008)

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Tatalin's Whisper #5 by Tania Bruguera is a interactive performance piece of police officers riding around on horses, giving visitors instructions and navigating the space of the Tate Modern. The work is a demonstration of a police presence in a society, and was originally shown in Cuba, which has stricter policies on policing, censorship, and authoritarianism. Bruguera brings the subtle ideas of Authoritarianism inside the gallery space, revealing teh true natures of society by taking away the individual element of police patrols and showing it to engaged and innocent spectators. The meaninglessness of the instructions showed the often ineffective and uselessness of policing, and societies comfortability with its presence.

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In art school we are told to challenge norms. This only goes insofar as outside of this school, and not within the school of thought it provides. What art school seems as new, radical, and edgy, will always fit within its box.
For Inclusivity, it is taught outside of normal teaching, it is dressed up as postcolonial studies, queer theory, or more, giving the illusion they are doing the right thing. This is all dressed up, and placed surrounding the great mass that is western art, as if that is entirely what art is. Western art may cover Europe and northern America, but it cannot hold as much space as we give it credit, and other forms of art must be integrated, not in addition to western art. Inclusivity is a cosmetic fix to a structural problem, and people who are 'included' are seeing it more and more clearly as they still face the ignorance and discrimination within the institution. To address this problem is to reveal it's underbelly, that which allows the name of an anti-Semite and slave trader Simon De Montfort to go on. Let it not be misunderstood, this name is merely a symptom to a larger problem of including various kinds of people, but maintaining an arm's distance.
Within the institution holds people with very different views, lecturers and students. Arts radicality is seen as it's leading factors for its importants, to change norms. Yet when that transgression turns towards the institution, it resists, and undermines it's own teachings of criticality and substantial change. It reveals its capitalist corporate interest, seeing education only for its financial capabilities.
Lecturers are striking, and being fired, students are paying for 3 years despite spending the first year is a 8 x 3 meter perimeter. Any problem that occurs is blamed on former staff members, said to have been addressed, or told to be an individuals responsibility despite their promises, directing problems away from itself. It is as clear as day, and to recognise it's motivation of pure profit of student intake is our strength. We have had wins because of this, demonstrating the power we were told we do not have. Institutional resistance to myself and others in this current situation has been merely passive aggression. Everytime I experience that, I feel a win that the institutions aggression is reduced to childish strops.

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Over time the influence of nature has been overcome with modernity. The acceleration of technological development has rendered the individual ever more susceptible to coercion and manipulation, developed by powers ever more centralised through time. This conglomeration of companies, government's, institutions and all major influences other than that of nature, have perfected cultural machinery, legitimising and executing the exploitation of: the mind, what one thinks; the body, what one physically does; and soul, what one feels. This weapon has been sharpened and perfected and enacted, these technologies include the media, the sciences, the religions, to the mind; the law, the infrastructure, the biological necessities, to the body; and the social, the moral, and the (don't know yet), to the soul. All mastered, renders the people at will to modern power. The being made conscious, that being the immaterial existence within material bodies, has been castrated, for its inevitable resistance to the modern system. The system's cogs must be identified, before we may act to destroy it.

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Art to me in it's purest form, is useless. It has no use within a utilitarian sense of the capitalist transactional society we live in. It also escapes the dialectic for its chaotic subjective state, in that it can exist contradictory to the world and in and of itself. This is why it is useless, it serves no purpose within the current mode of thinking, one that destroys all philosophy, and only retains that which works within a system, mainly to maintain its structure and increase productivity. Jordan Peterson and selected quotes from Marcus Aurelius meditations are exactly this, a philosophy put on a podium only for its function of individuality to distract from the unjust inequalities and prejudices of the current world. It is essentially some form of Rocky 1 playing through the head of workers as they are exploited at a Burger King, working harder to a fictional happy ever after. This has been created from the world's history of monopoly, as power works to maintain and grow itself above all others, and that is economical Darwinism. This groundwork is important to understand how useless art, is a sign of a utopia, away from trivial pleasures of designer clothes, bought from menial work under a boot. It is often the most original yet stupid artworks that are the most important, in that they have absolutely no use within a society, that they are so amazing. To create something so idiotic, is to escape the capitalist gaze which emphasises productivity. It is a freedoms from a potential judgement, an internalised need to fulfil a role in society. A society that fulfils all necessities, reveals what is the actualisation of the consciousness, above animalistic survival. To merely exist without expectation, is more contradictory than Marxism to capitalism, as it requires expectations and roles within a society. It is above left and right, and holds a purpose unrealised, a place unexplored, seemingly transcendental for its existence against all modern societal ideology and discourse.

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This sign was originally inspired by the book 'Discipline and Punish' by Michel Foucault, a text that analysis the history of punitive action throughout history. It is an post-modern historical alternative form of analysis, in that it aims to avoid presupposed assumptions of normal historical analysis, coming to possible conclusions that normal analysis may miss. The book outlines the way in which western punitive action has developed from work on the body to the mind. One way this happened was the development of the Panopticon by Jeremy Bentham. Foucault developed the term Panopticism, the way in which surveillance architecture and culture has been implemented into modern society. (... More about what panop is)

The signs have been made in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, then were printed. After experimentation with forms of digital printing, screenprinting, vinyl, I have decided the final form will be a sublimation metal sign. The process is of printing the sign onto sublimation paper, align metal with heat resistant tape, and put on the heat press for 1 minute. The difficulty is with

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(writing after reading Tanoa Sasraku artist statement)

Through a collection of site specific signs, and the dispersion of paintings and sculptures, Nathan Davies' 2023 exhibition 'Political Subconscious' investigates the relationship between human behaviour and the modern society's environment, inspired by Michel Foucault's concept of Panopticism, the ways in which prison surveillance is used in modern society as a political tool for the subordination of a populus.

In the space holds a collection of objects that are used in order to alter behaviour, recognisable yet subverted, iliciting familiarity yet uncertainty, reminding viewers of the daily shifts of behaviour caused by powers greater than themseves.

The objects are subversive through colour, symbols, or language, displaying an alternative reality where the cultural codes are different, but their effects on subjects remain in tact, giving a refreshed perspective on modern realitys.

Just as individuals have their own subconscious, there is a communal subconscious, one that subtly alters behaviour and perspective on reality for a large group of people. This spans from simple mannerisms, to the understanding of morality and violence, creating a consensus of appropriate behaviour brought about by undisclosed motivations, disguised as common sense, or rationality.

Nathan Davies' practice revolves around postmodernist philosophy, a skepticism towards modernity, bringing to light the problems the surge of change brought about in the late 19th and 20th century. He questions and critics the mechanics of the modern world, displaying the contradictions and logical fallacies by recontextualising existing aparatus' of a society. The work displayed is created from the objects and concepts unique to the current time period, revealing the side effects of seemingly advanced systems, such as CCTV and the dynamics of the seen and unseen, the safety and privacy of one party prioritised over the other.

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The exhibition is constructed through recognisable modern codes, subverted in order to illicit an unneasyness towards the space they are enclosed in.

The space is curated in order to illicit unneasyness from subverting common cultural codes, navigating viewers through a sp

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A 'Zine' made with members of the Bourbon Project

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The Bourbon Project - Facing some realities (name changed from Alottment

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The Bourbon Project - Facing some realities (name changed from Alottment

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The Bourbon Project is a group of four (me included) that aims to create a creative space for learning, creativity, and collaborations. Included are Me, Isabelle Crisp, Ollie Nancarrow and Shannon Butler. Our long term goal is to create a physical space, with studios and a gallery space, while also providing opportunities for workshops, artist talks, and various educational events. Before then, we have short term goals such as 'Zines' (as shown above) which encourages collaboration and creative thinking, artist talks which are educational and informative, society nights which offer a fun space for open dialogue with opportunity for networking, skill sharing, and many other outcomes.

This group was formed out of a want for continuing a studio practice after university, amongst passionate students. There was some clarity issues on how we formed and also the goals of the group as a whole. This is because a studio practice similar to one at university is not easily achieved outside of university, and so we must adapt to become artists after graduation, as without the resources and shelters of mainstream education, we must adapt and establish ourselves in very different circumstances. No longer will be have a space with such freedom without a financial cost, with all the resources*, both with physical material and learning access with lecturers, libraries and online resources. All of this being centralised within a university is very convenient, and this convenience will all come to an end.

How will we keep alive our practice after university as it has allowed us to come this far? That was the main concern, as coming closer to the end we all were coming to terms with the realities of being an artist. We can't just carry on, we have to pay for a space and resources. My personal need for this to be a success was from the disillusionment of regular employment. The idea of a standard employment was stability and reliability, yet I was often underpaid, overworked, and received my check late with various errors only to be rectified months later. The standard was a mirage for a happy life, and now experiencing it, I know I have nothing to risk trying whatever it a continuing practice could offer. The question still stands is how. How will you do it? My answer is half belief, and half an understanding of how to achieve funding within a creative field.

Funding is a tricky thing. It is contingent on what you can provide, and certain themes do better for different funding schemes. The UK Arts Council are the main focus for getting funding as they are the most well known creative and cultural bodies in the UK and are government funded. As a government funded body, they are particularly focused on projects that can provide community and educational based events, as arts and culture must have a political function in order to be seen as a legitimate expenditure within western society. This is a valid reasoning especially since the the many problems that UK citizens are facing, and so the arts must act as a solution to those problems. Arts and culture are seen as a cheap solution to structural problems, which is problematic as it is a concealment for political inadequacy. As problematic as it is, this is they information needed in order for finding ways to get arts funding.

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Me, Ollie Nancarrow, Isabelle Crisp and Shannon Butler are in the early stages of developing an idea for a Leicester based project space called 'Allotment'. Together we have a mutual aim to create a new arts community and space. The space will be  include a gallery and studios, and aim to create new accessible contemporary art while also providing education and community space for the surrounding area. Our Aims are as follows:

1. To create a space for Art and Artists
2. Community, Gallery, Studios
3. Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability

Allotment is in its early stages of development, and through conversations between members, and those within the arts we may be able to develop further.

The Studio space is seen to be the main objective, as all members would like to have a space available to continue with their practice. A studio space allows for space to work, and a space created by us allows for collaboration, and cheaper rent as well as bills. this will hopefully continue as early as possible after graduation to maintain momentum of studies.

The gallery space is also one big priority of the group, as providing opportunity to publicise a practice is a fulfilling act, and may prove useful in applications for funding from various state run schemes, as well as some commercial funding too.

Workshops allow for educational opportunities for us and the wider community. Having workshops allow for us and others to educate, benefiting peoples lives through various teachable skills. These have the opportunity to monetize the skills we have acquired within university, and through our practice. To charge for workshops, teaching particular specialist skills with create income. Providing free workshops allows for Government funding also, as they are a public benefit for its ability to create a happy, educated and skilled workforce.

The space is the most difficult factor, given that property in the UK is widely unavailable and expensive. Another factor is the arts spaces already available in Leicester, such as Two Queens, Print Workshop, LCB Depot, Attenborough arts Center, Leicester Gallery, New Walk Gallery and Museum, StudioName Studios and Churchgate studios. This is a lot of arts spaces for one city compared to other cities such as Lincoln, of which the arts funding has gone to music spaces. Although, Leicester does have advantages. The spaces are bad but they are much better than others which are more expensive, and arts funding is more successful than more southern cities.

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Throughout my time at [redacted] institution, I became increasingly interested in the studies of power. This lead me to thinkers such as Michael Foucault, Karl Marx, and Slavoj Zizek. It began with what was seen as an innocent interest and legitimate mode of study for the Institution. Playing with the ideas of these thinkers was not radical and did not challenge anything, until a series of events happened. Having been told to think outside the box I quickly realised that I was an accessory, and genuine interest in my studies was only valuable to [redacted] in so far as I was part of its propaganda model. When [redacted] was unfairly [redacted], the studies that were used as aesthetic concealment to the structural realities of the institution, were aimed at rectifying this wrong. The morality which the institution prides itself turned on its head for protection, it's code of ethics was broken several times, lying while also revealing private information. The illusion of a strong institution was broken, as to break it's own rules while accusing it's members of such matters was hypocrisy. It only cared about one thing, and that is maintaining the status quo while also  The understanding power and politics lead me to a messy understanding of surveillance, censorship. This is not the only occasion [redacted] did this, they censored [redacted] for the sake of [redacted], and also stole [redacted] intellectual property, and [redacted] it as [redacted]. Much of my work has been banned because of [redacted]. This just shows how institutions will pretend to inspire new revolutionary thought, but will only do so if it maintains the status quo.

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1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian fiction book written in 1949 that follows Winston Smith that lives on the country Airstrip One, formally known at Great Britain. Airstrip one is apart of the superstate named Oceania, a force which is in constant war with either Eurasia or Eastasia, a war that is constantly changing enemies. The major theme of this alternative universe is repressive totalitarianism, suppression of free speech, and surveillance. Winston joins The Brotherhood, a secret underground organisation lead by Emmanuel Goldstein that aims to disrupt INSOC, the current political party of Oceania.

The ideas of surveillance, free will/thought, propaganda and totalitarianism relate to my practice. As a fiction, it has various objects that are made up, yet still relate to real world themes. This world creating as a creative expression of real world themes manifests interesting objects. As a written novel, each descriptor points towards both the imagery of the object, and how it relates to themes and plots, and results in new imaginative objects. The literary idea of 'show not tell' demonstrates the ability to formulate ideas and infer themes through object descriptions. This novel has many great technological objects that create a world, such as the Tele-screens, that both display and survey the citizens under INSOC. Alongside this is various media, all of which is state run. Winston himself works in the records department, a place where they alter documents in order to fit the states narrative of history in order to justify their actions.

1984 is an overly referenced and often misrepresented book. Despite the author George Orwell being a self proclaimed democratic socialist himself, the book is referred to as an anti-communist/anti-socialist text, for its reference to 'INSOC' which in the book is shorthand or 'Newspeak' English Socialism. This may be the reference to the adoption of language and name in the National Socialist Germans Workers Party, a former name of the Nazi political party; a purposely misleading understanding of leftist politics language appropriated by far right fascists. it is also inspired by Stalinism, a brutal and heavily censored period of Russian politics. Nowadays Orwell is part of many British literary syllabuses, and is a household name. His ideas are a great inspiration for even contemporary politics, and are especially relevant since London is one of the most survived cities in the world.

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Having being curious about what Hugo's role at The Leicester Gallery, I decided to ask him to do a talk. He obliged enthusiastically and we arranged a time shortly after via email. He is normally the one organising the artist talks held by Leicester Gallery, and curates the shows in the gallery too. There aren't many jobs within the arts, and art tends to be funded by individuals for their own practice. To talk to someone that has successfully been able to secure a role in the arts is wonderful. Alongside this, organising an artist talk will help me understand the position he is in. Luckily Hugo is a very understanding and agreeable person, and so he was very accommodating. The difficulty in organisation was finding a time  between both of our schedules. Ultimately we found a date and we were able to provide his artist talk. I was surprised at the turn out, clearly my interest on the role that Hugo has within the University was intriguing to more people than myself. Hugo was very chatty, which meant he filled up more than the allotted hour for his insights. Because of the amount of knowledge he wanted to share. We organised 2 subsequent talks on Curation as a profession and Arts funding, which proved popular amongst students. Much of what I had to do for the event was advertise it, and to do so I used Vista Create to make posters, and then dotted them across the University. The program was simple, as all I did was provide the information, as well as make the poster brightly coloured. I also told people from various courses such as Architecture and Photography, as well as lecturers that shared it with their students. This word of mouth model helped expand the potential audience beyond my own small circle.

In the future I hope to continue this process, as maybe one day i can be in similar shoes to Hugo, by with I have ways to bring various creative professionals to a learning environment, and enrich curious minds into possibilities of creating practice. This is also a route that may lead to a job, as this educational route allows for career opportunities. Going forward I will continue with my projects to educate, as well as continue with education myself.

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Babel is a structure created from radios, all tuned into a different frequency. it is inspired by the tower of Babel mentioned in the bible, a megalithic structure created by humans in order to reach the heavenes, but were unable to once god had changed their ability to understand each other by changing the languages they speak. This language difference is represented by the different frequencies each radio is tuned into. The wide open space is filled with gentle and rustic yellow dots of vintage radios, alongside the muffled indistinguishable hums of various radio stations, all beaming from a structure that leans over you like a building. In this large space it nearly touches the ceiling, possibly representing the progress which was made by the Babylonians which was circumstantially incomplete. This piece is relevent in a contemporary and historical context, as the meanings derived from christianity speak to our ability to communicate and the real world implications of such a phenomena, that being various conflicts and inefficiencies from language that is deficient in coherently providing insight into peoples thoughts. Its fictional value adds to the aesthetics, as its story combined with the unusual nature of its strange structure inspires thought for the various meanings of its creation.

This piece is similar to many other works by Cildo Meirelles because of his installation and conceptual practice.

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Cildo Meireles - Part 2, Inserts into Ideological Circuits 1970

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Cildo Meireles - Part 2, Inserts into Ideological Circuits 1970

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Cildo Meirelles Like Tania Bruguera is an Artivist, combining Art and activism. This piece 'Inserts into Ideological Circuits' is a series of coke bottles bought by Meirelles, which were then printed onto with instructions of how to create a Molotov cocktail, and redistributed nationally across the country of Brazil. This piece was made in light of the political upheaval in South America, and United states Imperialism. The coke bottles were used as it was able to be distributed across a population like mass media, although unlike the media, it was not heavily censored and propogandised.

The piece was subsequently shown in various galleries, alongside his other 'Inserts into Ideological Circuits' which included banknotes.

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Ai Wei Wei is an internationally renowned artist, specifically for his ability to antagonise large institutions and has been an active figure in the country‘s struggle for freedom of speech and personal rights, In this case for 'Taxi Window Crank', He created this work in response to the removal of taxi window cranks in Beijing taxis in 2012 to prevent people from throwing political messages onto the streets. The piece shows the ability to show through aesthetics the politics, particularly to an audience outside of a heavily censored nation like China. Ai Wei Wei is continually under backlash from the Chinese Government following various incidents that antagonise the huge ideological model. He has been arrested on multiple occasions by the government for his acts of defiance. His other works include 'Sunflower seeds' a huge amount of artificial sunflower seeds shown in the Tate Turbine Hall, 'Study of Perspective' the series of photographs taken of himself giving the middle finger to various institutions that represent some form of imperialism or oppression, and 'Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn' the destruction of an ancient Chinese object showing that objects only hold value when under threat of it being destroyed.  Wei Wei is able to produce objects to a high quality, and this comes from his understanding of Chinese history, as well as its disregarded position that it was put under by the Chinese communist party. By Reproducing altered objects to a high quality, he is remembering the many great things of Chinese skills developed through history that has been lost under modern developments.

Wei Wei Continually produces new and original piece of works consistently, and he has become a living legend that will be remembered in history. The ability to play with avrious mediums to a high quality is inspiring, and has allowed me to think outside of the limited medium of paint. Communicating meaning through medium is a challenge Wei Wei often Undertakes, and my need to advance my messages communicated were informed by the various forms Wei Wei is able to produce.

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Michel Foucault is a French Philosopher, commonly associated with the Group of post-modernists and post-structuralists for his alternative historical perspectives and analysis of power. Foucault's running theme throughout his work is that of Power/Knowledge, a concept that power and knowledge are intertwined. This can be expressed in many different ways, such as a monarchs power determined by its citizens belief in their divinity, and equally to science, the ideas of its objectivity. Michel Foucault was most notably skeptical of science, as he believed that it was a form of knowledge taken as pure and true, rather than that of historical necessity. By this, Foucault is explaining that knowledge is encapsulated by its discourse, the discussions and beliefs surrounding a particular subject, and a discourse is based not on objective reality, but on language.

The book 'Archaeology of knowledge' (1969) was one of the texts I used in my essay, used to analyse 'The Battle of Orgreave' (2001). In the book, Foucault outlines a rough sketch on his analysis of history, this being an alternative form different from the standard structuralist history. It is explained by Foucault that it is not a substitute form of analysis, but one that coexists with it. A standard history would explain particular events with a specific time and place, disseminating particular periods in time impassively, yet are contained within a teleological and totalised narrative of history. This teleology is the idea of a continuously progressive chronology of events within history, creating a 'better' future, and the historical totality is the encapsulation of events creating the idea of a near complete and objective understanding of past events. Foucault's criticism of this is that is is assumptive and misleading, and does not leave room for alternative understanding of history. This ties in with Foucault's ideas of what he would later define as 'power/knowledge', as historical knowledge has the power to delimit potential understandings of history, as any new evidence that may contradict the totalised narrative is subsumed into it, unwilling to change and offer potential alternatives.

'Discipline and Punish' (1975) is my main inspiration for my work for the ideas surrounding the panopticon and panopticism. In this book, Foucault outlines the history of punishment from before the 18th century to the 20th century, explaining the development of justice systems, and also how and why they developed the ways they did. It developed from physical public brutality, to disciplinary action in secrecy. One big development was of Jeremy Bentham's panopticon, a building of a central tower in the middle, able to see each room built surrounding the tower. This Panopticon was not designed specific to the prison, but was an architectural design for any building needing to observe individuals, possibly being used in schools and workplaces. Foucault developed the idea of 'panopticism' from the panopticon, that being an internalisation of surveillance. This internalisation of observation produces behavior more in accordance to an institutions idea of ideal conduct. That conduct is most commonly obedience. Obedient subjects are  able to be controlled in many different ways; in the prison system it is used to create non-violence, but also in the case for american prisons, a cheap efficient labour workforce, for schools children are made to learn information, but also to pose as model students for photos to entice more participating individuals.

Foucault's work has been a great inspiration for my practice for its intense critique of modern society, exposing particular epistemological boundaries within our society, and the teleological beliefs that instill the idea of the superiority of modernity over other historical periods. The alternative understanding of power from the top down structure to the node based configuration gives a fresh new perspective on how power and knowledge formulate, and gives me as an artist a greater arsenal of knowledge to engage with topics with greater criticality. The Panopticon has inspired my work of 'CCTV! You're on Smile', a metal surveillance sign, with the text at the bottom written as such. Because of the ideas of panopticism being a normalised part of society, the sign is often unnoticed, and this is apart of thew work as participants that are observant will notice this mental block in recognising any difference between this and any other surveillance sign.

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'No such thing as Apolitical' is a cleaning sign that will have the text 'No such thing as Apolitical' on one side, and on the other 'occupied space' with a symbol accompanying it.

The idea came to me as I was thinking about everyday signs, and how they direct our realities, and so also our lives. The cleaning sign is used to direct the public away from something being cleaned. From my studies of signs, they have multiple meanings beyond the apparent visible one, and this has many intentional and unintentional connotations. It is a warning of danger for the public, but also has themes of class as cleaners are often underpaid and mistreated. They are also slightly invisible, as they are often quiet, and so their views and opinions are unheard and underrepresented. Despite this they have greater access than most, being able to move between spaces and see how institutions operate, all the cogs at work to build a greater networkk that has greater functions within a society.

The space surrounding the cleaning sign is sectored off for the public. It is a dictated space. It is seen as a neutral space as it is not accessible to most. In this sense it is apolitical as it is a bypartisan agreement that it is reasonable to take away a space from access, and also that a problem should be fixed.

can be used as censorship

'don't bring politics/race/gender into this'

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'I only get my news from the BBC' is a TV screen with the text "I only get my news from the BBC", written across it. Ideas of the british public's relation to the news is undeniably linked with the BBC. The idea came about when i heard that someone only gets their news from TikTok a video based social media platform, and as I recommended multiple news sources, the ideas of a work inspired my the news and media reporting began. My understanding of the Mainstream media and how they operate in 'Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media' by Noam Chomsky and  Edward S Herman influenced the creation of this piece, as it gave me a greater grasp of how the media functions. But 'Manufacturing Consent' talks mainly to America, and although Britain shares values such as western capitalism, there are differences. The nuances of British media and its public do not rely on such polarising content, nor does it rely solely on subscriptions and advertisements, as the BBC, the largest and most recognised news platform, is funded by the state. This does not negate the ideas explained in 'manufacturing consent' as other news require revenue from consumers and subscriptions, but instead adds a new dynamic. Ideas of Objective reporting are

for its standardised and universal ideas of objective reporting of necessary news, and the British publics idea of what the news is, is heavily conflated with the BBC itself.

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Slavoj Žižek - Implicit and Explicit rules

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Slavoj Žižek - Implicit and Explicit rules

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Slavoj Žižek, Facebook post:

In our permissive times, a new form of the unsayable is more and more acquiring a central role: it is not only that certain things are prohibited to say – the prohibition itself is prohibited: we are not allowed to say openly what is prohibited. Already in Stalinism, it was not only prohibited to criticise Stalin and the party publicly, it was even more prohibited to announce this prohibition publicly. If someone were to shout back at a critic of Stalin, “Are you crazy? Don’t you know that we are not allowed to do this?” he would have disappeared into the Gulag even faster than the open critic of Stalin. Unexpectedly, the same holds for the relations of domination in our permissive post-patriarchal societies: a modern boss is tolerant, he behaves like a colleague of ours, sharing dirty jokes, inviting us for a drink, openly displaying his weaknesses, admitting that he is “merely human like us”. He is deeply offended if we remind him that he is our boss – however, it is this very rejection of explicit authority that guarantees his de facto power.'

Here is an introductory anecdote into the implicit and explicit rules of a society. Žižek here tells a fictional anecdote of Stalinism, while also explains how it relates to the rules of Stalinist Russia, in that above explicit rules there are implicit ones too, as well as a hierarchy of authority and punishment that comes with them. Slavoj Žižek, in Violence explains further the implications of such rules within a society:

'Every legal order or every order of explicit normativeness has to rely on a complex network of informal rules which tells us how we are to relate to explicit norms: how we are to apply them; to what extent we are to take them literally; and how and when we are allowed, even solicited, to disregard them. These informal rules make up the domain of habit. To know the habits of a society is to know the meta-rules of how to apply its explicit norms: when to use them or not use them; when to violate them; when not to use a choice which is offered; when we are effectively obliged to do something, but have to pretend that we are doing it as a free choice.'

One example is Christianity. The bible clearly says things about food, slavery, masturbation, and much more, yet they are disobeyed by its followers in secret, yet things like abortion and homosexuality are followed in some cases. Here we see what can be seen as cherry picking information, or misinterpretation, but because of the contradictory nature of language, it is not possible to follow the bible in its completeness. 'Thou shalt not kill' may be obvious, but self defense, defense of others, and as an all knowing all controlling god, He has sinned from the creation of death, and the ethics is as complicated as 'the trolley problem'. Language is complicated and contradictory, and so interpretation is necessary, and requires a certain level of disobedience to sustain itself.

Drug use and politics represents a far greater disparity between explicit and implicit rules, and show a clear racist and classist collective subconscious of western societies.  In 1980's America, Crack cocaine was heavily policed and resulted in long prison times, as compared to power cocaine which resulted in less arrests and prison time. Crack is a cheaper substance than crack, and was circulated in predominantly African American communities, and Powder cocaine was circulated amongst high paid white communities. There was barely any difference between the drugs, yet the association between the race and class of the drug users and the drug itself show a clear disparity and structurally racist and classist American Law. In the UK, Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson can openly admit he has taken cocaine, yet stands as an authority figure to uphold the UK Laws. Weed, a relatively harmless drug, is illegal, and is classified as a Class B drug, while Alcohol is harmful to both the body, and to others around as it results in often violent behavior, yet is legal. This Explicit law perpetrates particular classes and racists in society, and although laws can prosecute white collar drug users , there are implicit rules which allow them to do as other members of society cannot.

These implicit, explicit rules extend through society. Tax avoidance, sexual assault, corruption, destruction, theft, and other crimes are treated differently depending on particular social classes, genders, races and more. This intersectionality as it relates to rules relates to Michel Foucault's Ideas of Ascending/Descending individuality, which proclaim that pre-modern societies held those with higher social status to a higher decree such as a king or pope to abide by the rules more strictly(ascending individualism), than to those of a peasant, and in modern times it has reversed, and that those in lower social orders have to abide more strictly to such rules (descending individualism). With tax, the rich are able to find legal loopholes and create a series of processes that bypass the law, as well as negotiate tax rates with governments, while those more in need of tax breaks, such as independent businesses, do not have that privilege.

The ideas of Implicit and explicit rules have influenced the work 'Stop', a stop sign created from frosted acrylic, cut and engraved in the shape of a stop sign. This lack of visibility implies invitation to act contradictory to the explicit language of the sign. It demonstrates the greater implications for rules within a particular space/society, and how they demonstrate subtexts for the ways they operate. The design of the sign demonstrates through the semiotics beyond written language, and how they communicate particular meanings.

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Wider research into a career avenue: this must include both primary and secondary research 

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Wider research into a career avenue: this must include both primary and secondary research 

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Matt Macken?

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The Royal Academy of Arts is an arts school and gallery showing the leading artworks from across the globe, created by artists in 1768. It is a privately Funded institution that offers free exhibitions and lectures to the public. The Royal Academy Members are practicing artists are called Academicians, and the Institution is lead democratically, electing an Academician as President. The Academy provides an internationally renowned free educational course for artists, and provides a bursary for their artistic practice.

The RA schools accept 17 students each year and is a 3 year course. Each student is provided with some financial support, and receives free materials for their practice. They are fully equipped for a variety of artistic practices, including casting, ceramics, woodwork, printmaking, photography and more. Each student gets their own studio space, weekly lectures, opportunity for exhibitions, many lecturers and specialist workshops. Some of the graduates of this school include William Blake, JMW Turner, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Michael Armitage, Eddie Peake, Prem Sahib, Rebecca Ackroyd and Ayo Akingbade

On Wednesday the 2nd of November 2022 I attended the Royal Academy virtual open day, hoping to get a greater understanding of how the Academy operates currently, and if it were useful to my artistic practice. Given the history of the institution, and that two of my lecturers attended the RA, it is clear that the school can provide a great educational opportunity, and is recognised as a world class education. The open day was held over zoom, and we were able to hear from the lecturers, each themselves are practicing artists, and one student attending the RA. It was clear that the RA provided in depth knowledge to art, given the history and the esteemed members. Sadly I did not get this impression from the open day, as it was a scattered and unprepared zoom meeting. The meeting started off with technical difficulties and was largely unorganised. It failed to give a good overview on what the school can provide to students, and relied heavily on its history to prove itself. Given the lecturers included, it seems to be a great place to study, and some of the aspects of the open day must be overlooked in order to see the greater picture, that being a top notch education that is regarded as one of the most prestigious art schools.

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'Who's afraid of Conceptual art?' is a brilliant video introduction into conceptual art theory and history. It begins with Marcel Duchamp and his introduction of inanimate objects as art, and stretches through major Figures such as, Piero Manzoni, Sol LeWitt, Mary Kelly. The programme categorises conceptual art very generally, as 1, its about the idea, and 2, what art is, is a tricky question, and that idea has become a very vital element within the discipline.  I personally used it as a jumping off point at the start of the year, and that allowed me to delve into the subject more, allowing me to learn of artists such as Tania Bruguera, Cildo Meirelles, Joseph Kosuth, and Ai Wei Wei.

Despite Duchamp consistently being named as a sort of originator of Conceptual art, in 'Conceptual Art 1962-1969: From the Aesthetic of Administration to the Critique of Institutions', its era was from 1965 to 1975, as this was the time it had sufficient amount of that form of art being produced. The Journal's definition of Conceptual art is of rigorous elimination of visuality an traditional definitions of representation within art. 'Who's afraid of Conceptual art?' has a sufficient definition of conceptual art, as its understanding that what art is, is subjective, and, this in turn would allow for this text to be read. The Journals definition is sufficient because of the lack of concreteness and leaves room for subjectivity. This definition is an proper way of describing a historical era as it does not presume a definitive order of events, as historical events are naturally have less source material to conclude the exactness of what happened. The Journal also goes onto say that it is important for this discipline not to contain Conceptual art into convention, as it is so widely defined, and those working in the field have varying definitions of it. Conceptual art as a term was coined by Henry Flynt in 1961, this would make Duchamp and many other artists at the time without proper marcation. With this shakiness to what these artists were doing, it may explain the large gap from the believed start of conceptual art, and its era. It's new abnormal nature started by Duchamp needed to be understood in order for others to be able to properly contribute to the discipline. Much mention is Given to Artists such as Ad Reinhardt, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Joseph Kosuth, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg. Ideas of Conceptual art spill into many other Modernist/Post-modernist disciplines, such as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism.  Theory and language is a large part of conceptual work, and so the great contributors were not only artists, but those of other disciplines such as Roland Barthes the theorist and Stéphane Mallarmé the Poet. Clashes between various fields were expressed by Ad Reinhart, expressing his positivist ideas that things are simply physically are. This is inline with the Greenbergian approach which favours art with no referent, leaving art to be reduced to the physical properties of an object. This opinion seems contradictory, as the subversive nature of conceptual art pertains to idealism for its questioning of the significance of objects in relation to the human subject. Ad Reinhardt's seemingly conservative ideas are contrasted by the works of Sol LeWitt, with 'Red Square, White Letters', an artwork that itself had a series of squares (red and white), some with text (red and white) which pointed towards the non-material linguistics within art. Linguistics was given primacy over the material here, showing the primary elements of the formation of concept into conceptual art.

Unlike many other art movements, this one is messy due to its fragmented formation. Unlike expressionism or cubism, it was not formed through a connection of geographically close and like minded artists, instead it was a rare intellectual feat that dotted itself sporadically through histories and geographies. As it is still in its early stages, and its continually developing in the contemporary age, so its format hasn't the benefit of a clear retrospective. It is still on the move, so to tell what it is would be a subjective opinion

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Goldsmiths  (https://www.gold.ac.uk/) -

padlet is a piece of shit and keeps deleting my work.

MA Art and Politics (£10490) (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-art-politics/) - With my growing interest and research into politics, I believe that this course could be well suited. The course topics spans from public space, democracy, equality, participation, states of exception, collectivity, performance and justice. It is a course based in both theory and practice, something that i am happy with currently on my course and would be happy to carry on. Included is a dissertation, and a foundation in theory and practice, alongside lots of optional modules.

MA History of art ( £9250) (https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/ba-fine-art-history-of-art/)

A high ranking course, with both history, theory and practice. It includes a studio space and taught lessons. This may be the intermediary between the mainly practice based course I'm currently on, and the writing/theory I'm trying to improve upon. It also includes a placement.

MA Contemporary art Theory (£9720) (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-contemporary-art-theory/)

MRes Visual Cultures (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mres-visual-cultures/)

This was the course which was taught by Mark Fischer, the author of Capitalist Realism. Sadly he passed away in 2017.  This course seems to be very independent given the little information on teaching practices, and that it is a MRes.

MFA Curating (£9720) (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mfa-curating/)

The course teaches 'aesthetic, social, political and philosophical enquiries, practices and discourses relevant to present-day culture'. The program is split into critical sessions, and a physical practice.

MRes Advanced Practices (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mres-advanced-practices/)

MA Applied Anthropology & Community Arts (£9720) (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-applied-anthropology-community-arts/)

This course may be a course more suited to practical applications, as it has relevance to nurturing a greater culture, rather than the specifics of fine art. It also has placements, which allow for a greater amount of experience and practical application. Anthropology may be a stretch to apply to, since there is little intersection of studies between this and Fine Art, yet this may be the challenge i am looking for, and a chance for new learning and expertise.

MA Art Psychotherapy (£9720)(https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-art-psychotherapy/)

This course also allows for expanded learning, allowing for an intersection of science into my studies. Its connection to helping people suffering from mental health is appealing, as I feel as if its a fulfilling and meaningful role within society.it requires  one year's full-time, or the equivalent in part-time hours, 1,500 hours relevant work experience, as well as a DBS check.

Corinne Burton Art Therapy Student Scholarship helps with the cost of this course, giving up to 4.5 grand towards the course each year. It is needed to attend therapy while on the course, which may be progressive, but also may be indicative of the stressful situation of the course, possibly the placements. There is also a foundation course on Art Psychotherapy, a 28 week short course on  practical and theoretical practices and how it works as a tool for self-reflection.

MSc Psychology of the Arts, Neuroaesthetics and Creativity (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/msc-psychology-arts-neuroaesthetics-creativity/)

This course allows for those in a creative based course to attend, on the condition they have relevant knowledge on psychology and neurology.. As it is an MSc, it will have a large science base, and does not include a physical practice. This will be probably the most challenging course included in this list, but that may make it the best. Unlike MA Art Psychotherapy, it has applications outside of medicine, such as to Marketing. This may mean it will be less fulfilling, as it could stray into commercial applications of knowledge, rather than public good.

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Working from a materially diverse basis, this programme engages with a range of empirical, aesthetic, conceptual and material issues that traverse and exceed both 'art' and 'politics' to speak with our current contemporaneity.

Why study MA Art & Politics at Goldsmiths

Explore practices and issues related to our current contemporaneity in terms of public space, democracy, equality, participation, states of exception, collectivity, performance and justice.

Examine a range of material practices and strategies which, in the encounter between art and politics, play out in numerous forms and very different kinds of social spaces.

Develop frameworks and spaces that are mixed and mobile, and which can operate in trans-disciplinary settings. You'll join students from a range of backgrounds and disciplines, meaning that the political character of both theory and material practice take on renewed vigour and urgency.

Investigate the potential of art, material practice and trans-disciplinarity in times of political and cultural crisis. You will have the opportunity to interrogate the relationship between material practices and theoretical work, to work within constraints but also within the interstices of artistic, cultural, social and political practices.

Choose from a range of option modules that encourage you to work across areas of particular interest to you including practice-based Individual and Group project work, the politics of space, gender politics and human rights.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Bernadette Buckley (Programme Convenor) or for information on practice-based optional modules please contact Dr David Martin (Counter-Mapping) or John Reardon (Designing Politics, Material Encounters).

Victoria Burgher

"It provided valuable skills in critical thinking, self-reflection and coping with creative and mental challenges."

"The best things about my time studying at Goldsmiths were the intellectual stimulation of the MA Art & Politics course and the inspiring and interesting people I learnt from and studied with. It provided valuable skills in critical thinking, self-reflection and coping with creative and mental challenges. It gave me the confidence and support to continue my academic career and develop a more critical approach to my art practice.

Since graduating from Goldsmiths I have won awards, fellowships and funding from the British Council, Arts Council and Open Society Foundations. I have presented my work at the Black Europe Summer School in Amsterdam and at Birkbeck, University of London, as well in numerous exhibitions in the UK and Europe. As an artist and educator I have worked in school and community settings, focusing on workshops for young people with special educational needs."

Tausif Noor

"I loved the academic freedom that Goldsmiths offers, and the chance to explore topics that are related to my interests, and even topics that aren't."

"I found out about Goldsmiths while I was researching MA degrees in London after I had finished my undergraduate degree. Before I came to Goldsmiths, I worked in various organisations in India as a Fulbright Scholar from 2014 to 2015, and then lived in Washington DC and worked in consulting.

I loved the academic freedom that Goldsmiths offers, and the chance to explore topics that are related to my interests, and even topics that aren't. I absolutely loved London - it has an incredible energy and a DIY spirit, and living in London was incredibly inspirational for my writing and personal development.

While at Goldsmiths, I worked at the Imperial War Museum and at the cultural agency Culture+Conflict, both of which were incredibly formative experiences. I have also been writing freelance criticism for Artforum, ArtAsiaPacific, frieze, and other publications.

After completing my coursework, I moved back to New York to intern at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and I am currently the Spiegel-Wilks Curatorial Fellow at the ICA Philadelphia."

Student Davide Monteleone was recently commissioned by Time to create a series of powerful black and white portraits of migrants trying to cross the Mexico-US border; two of which ended up on the magazine's cover.

You can see more of David's work on the Time magazine website.

Take Refuge is a meditative sound experience influenced by the language and design of self-care initiatives.

Read more

We Hybrids consists of collaborative workshops which, through direct participation, explore how our collective perception is formed and how it takes control of social memory and communication.

Read more

A guided tour of Cheltenham showing the historical buildings as theatre props, around which various new developments have been built.

Read more

International

Further information

Accommodation

Everything you need to know about student housing, private accommodation, how to apply and more

Halls of residence

Open days, tours and country visits

Open Days and visits

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Working from a materially diverse basis, this programme engages with a range of empirical, aesthetic, conceptual and material issues that traverse and exceed both 'art' and 'politics' to speak with our current contemporaneity. Explore practices and issues related to our current contemporaneity in terms of public space, democracy, equality, participation, states of exception, collectivity, performance and justice.

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Glasgow School of Art (https://www.gsa.ac.uk/) -

MLitt Art Writing (https://www.gsa.ac.uk/study/graduate-degrees/art-writing/)

Does what it says on the tin. Includes art writing about, art, art literature, theory and history. Surprisingly this course does not seem to be accessible from a Fine art degree, and requires a degree from a theory/Writing background. Because of my current courses I have a small introduction to these, but i may need to do more research before i can possibly apply. Its applications seem to adhere to a jobs market more than other courses for the practical applications of writing, suvh as curator producer, arts management; journalism, outreach and marketing. In all institutions requires a writing element, and so that is what makes this course valuable

MLitt Curatorial Practice (https://www.gsa.ac.uk/study/graduate-degrees/curatorial-practice-(contemporary-art)/)
This course allows for a collaboration between artists and institutions, in relation to theory and practice on an international context. it teaches you how to build and maintain a curatorial practice. Curatorial practice requires knowledge on many forms of art, as well as theory, writting, digital platforms, publications and more. It has a strong connection to the fine art department, and students have studio access.

PG CERT HE Learning & Teaching in the Creative Disciplines (https://www.gsa.ac.uk/study/graduate-degrees/pg-cert-he-learning-teaching-in-the-creative-disciplines/)
only accessible to staff. Both the study of learning and theory

PGCERT Supervisory Practices in the Creative Disciplines (https://www.gsa.ac.uk/study/graduate-degrees/pgcert-supervisory-practices-in-the-creative-disciplines/) An underprovided service in creative disciplines is supervisory roles. This makes this course seemingly important within a higher education setting, such as lecturing or technician work. it includes theory and history on an international basis, and involves the study of culture and the development of creative practices. It is a short course only available to professionals.

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This programme, established in 2014 and jointly run by The Glasgow School of Art and the University of Glasgow, offers students the opportunity to study curatorial practice in Glasgow, a city with a vibrant and distinctive international art scene. Throughout the year students are supported to identify and undertake individually motivated curatorial projects and research as the basis for the development of a self-sustaining practice, making this programme distinctive in its delivery.

During this intensive one-year programme, students work closely with artists and a range of organisations, as they consolidate and articulate their practice within an international context of theory and practice. There is a balance between theoretical exploration and critique, where writing and concept-formation are challenged and developed by practical application and experimentation.

There is the opportunity to work both individually and collaboratively at different stages in the year on projects that extend beyond exhibition-as-form, to include performance-based work, publications, digital platforms and other discursive modes of curation.

The curriculum is designed to support the development of students' curatorial practice throughout the year:

Stage 1 focuses on situating practice and theory, guiding students to ground their research collaboratively through connecting with peers, curators, artists and publics in the city.

Stage 2 encourages the development of local-international conversations and a deepening of students' own curatorial positions, with teaching that responds to the specific research interests brought in every year by each cohort.

Stage 3 shifts focus towards independent practice, as students undertake a substantial curatorial project, research piece, or a combination of both.

The programme proposes an exchange between curating as a process, connected to visual arts theory and practice, and its inter-disciplinary expansion through curatorial discourse. Teaching is a constellation of lectures, tutorials, practical workshops, and focused study days. There is an emphasis on independent work and peer-critique, where the discussion of projects allows students to find their curatorial voice and have the opportunity to develop a methodology of working that they can take forward post-Masters.

It is appreciated that there will be multiple interests in the programme, and as such the programme fosters diverse ways of working curatorially and responds to the interests emerging from the cohort. In previous years this has included residencies and support structures, writing-as-practice, feminist and queer projects, self-organised and collaborative work, and events operating. outwith the conventional area of presentation. Equally, the programme offers students the chance to extend their practical and academic skills, with support to refine work for PhD pathways - including practice-based.

It is expected that applicants have a strong understanding of contemporary art, art history and theory gained through study and/or professional experience, upon which to build their curatorial projects and writing during the programme. During the year, students can expect visiting tutors/ lecturers who will lend an international and insightful understanding of the curatorial field and their practice, as well as on-going opportunities to participate in local networks.

The programme is offered jointly between The Glasgow School of Art and the University of Glasgow, and offers links with external institutions in Glasgow and Scotland, including ARIKA, ATLAS Arts, the Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow International, Glasgow Women's Library, GoMA, Hospitalfield, Rumpus Room, Tramway, The Common Guild, LUX Scotland, The Alasdair Gray Archive, WAVEparticle, Counterflows Festival, Queens Park Railway Club, Glasgow Sculpture Studios and The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery.
Quick facts
Students on this programme have the opportunity to:

Produce a minimum of one public-facing curatorial project per year, which may include an additional presentation as part of their Degree Show in venues across Glasgow every September.

Access an extensive professional network. Throughout the course students have the chance to meet numerous curators, who are invited to teach on the programme, and are encouraged to conduct studio visits with a range of artists. In addition to this, ten students every year have the possibility of undertaking a placement tailored to their interests either within the city or further afield.

Benefit from a diverse taught provision, balancing lectures and seminar-based sessions with close peer-to-peer critique, practical workshops and tutorials. In addition to this, students attend a study day every term on a topic of contemporary relevance.

Be part of two postgraduate student communities, as teaching takes place across the School of Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art and the School of Culture and Creative Arts at the University of Glasgow. This opens up the possibility of interdisciplinary collaboration and learning.

Core to the programme is the accommodation of the students alongside the Fine Art Practice students at The Glasgow School of Art. Students have access to a studio/project space and are encouraged to test and develop projects alongside practicing Fine Art students.

The programme attracts students from all over the world and fosters collaboration with a growing network of international partners, all contributing to a rich learning environment.

Entry requirements
A good Undergraduate Degree in a relevant subject (normally 2:1 or higher - although a lower classification may be considered where other areas of the application are strong) or equivalent professional or life experience. A good level of understanding of contemporary art, relevant to the applicant's own cultural context. Candidates will undertake an interview before selection.

International students
International students will need to have an IELTS 6.5 (min 5.5) or equivalent qualification in English language in addition to the other entry requirements listed above.

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This programme, established in 2014 and jointly run by The Glasgow School of Art and the University of Glasgow, offers students the opportunity to study curatorial practice in Glasgow, a city with a vibrant and distinctive international art scene.

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The postgraduate Loan is available by the government. What is available is £12,167, and is only available on the First Masters course, and only if the course is 180 or more credits, and you are under 60.

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Future Education/Future Professional Practice - Free Courses

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Future Education/Future Professional Practice - Free Courses

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The practicality of being an artist requires more than likely a commercial element. Free courses are cost effective way to maintain a practice. The precarity of self employment is an issue, but the jobs market is just full of consultancy and social work jobs, neither of which I am qualified or wanting to do. Arts funding is going downhill, and so getting a job from an institution in this economic climate is not realistic. Maybe a few decades ago this was realistic, but now due to education inflation (the recognition and reputation of educational accolades depleting over time), Jobs in the creative sector require a masters, or more likely a PhD. Self employment is also a way to continually grow profit annually, and also gain valuable experience to be recognised by employers. Self employment may be the most sustainable practice given the jobs market, and so I am most likely going to work on it after graduation.

Free Courses England (https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/free-online-business-courses/)
This is the website for fully funded courses, allowing for me to take them and improve upon myself. These are the courses that seem relevant to a practicing artist.

Level 2 Business Administration (https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/principles-of-business-administration/)
Centred around customer relationships, this course builds on the essential aspects relating to customer wants and needs, and how to achieve them.  It includes studying of business documents, and how to identify the management of information in business organisations. It is also a study of the various structures organisations come in. It is essentially a study of communication within organisations. it has an optional social media section, which may be useful for an independent artist.

Level 2 Business Improvement Techniques (https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/business-improvement-techniques/)
this course allows for a greater understanding of working safely and effectively in a team. It will introduce various regulations, safe working practices and procedures and the ability to identify hazards and risks and how to reduce them. It also includes workplace organisation, continuous improvement, visual management, problem solving, and flow process analysis (understanding processes, and identifying its valuable/non-valuable aspects).

Level 2  Creating a Business Start Up (https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/creating-a-business-start-up/)
This is the basis of start up businesses. it includes legalities, ownership, marketing, and developing a business plan.

Understand environmental sustainability (https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/environmental-sustainability-course/)

Level 2 Team Leading Course (https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/principles-of-team-leading/)

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The retail industry is subject to a number of pressures.
These include changes in shopping habits and the recent economic downturn which reduced consumer spending.

However, as consumer confidence begins to grow, it is important that retail support staff are fully trained and equipped to represent your business and to meet the needs of your customers. As removing staff from the 'shop floor' applies pressure to rotas, this training can be carried out in the learner's own time via our tried and tested flexible learning approach.

Our free courses, Retail Operations will help you to develop an understanding of a wide range of retail subjects, such as dealing with customers in various contexts, handling cash, stock management and retail law.

The optional units give learners the opportunity to undertake learning programmes specific to their interests or aspirations within the retail sector, and allow progression onto higher level qualifications within both generic and specialist areas.

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Free Online Business Courses - Free Courses in England

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The retail industry is subject to a number of pressures. These include changes in shopping habits and the recent economic downturn which reduced consumer spending. However, as consumer confidence begins to grow, it is important that retail support staff are fully trained and equipped to represent your business and to meet the needs of your customers.

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Future Professional Practice - Part 1 Funding (Arts Council England)

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Future Professional Practice - Part 1 Funding (Arts Council England)

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The ACE (Arts Council England) is a large funding body created by the government that financially supports culture production within the UK and to its residents. This includes artists, practitioners, musicians, Museums, galleries, libraries and more. It operates on a achieving a strategy, which is essentially a remit which outlines its role. The strategy is to nurture creativity in individuals, communities and spaces, ranging from different ages, races and genders to appeal to a wide audience. Its strategy extends past the UK boarders, aiming to produce internationally renowned and inclusive content. The strategic outcomes aim to deploy amateur, voluntary an professional individuals into activity. This activity is included in the participation and production of culture. This Decades strategy plan aims to represent particular disadvantaged communities, being inclusive to those of a lower socio-economic standing, as well as the disabled and racial minorities. The outcomes of UKAC are creative people, cultural communities and a creative and cultural country. The investment principles are ambition and quality, inclusivity and relevance, environmental responsibility, and dynamism.

For any application, I would be base it on visual arts as it is my background, and one of the supported disciplines. Developing your Creative Practice is a grant worth £2000-£12,000, available to practitioners. The grant allows for research, networking, or time to create new work. It has to have practical applications, such as employability or future profitability of a practice. This application for creating self-sustaining creative practitioners

As an individual, I can also apply to the National Lottery Grant. It is also available to cultural organisations. The funds it gives out ranges from £1,000 to £100,000, and the application is split between under and over £30,000. What can be produced for this wage is a series of activities or a piece of work. The work must be of a cultural and community based benefit. It is not clearly outlined on the website, but match funding

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Future Collective Practice/Future Professional Practice - Part 2 Other Funding Opportunities

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Future Collective Practice/Future Professional Practice - Part 2 Other Funding Opportunities

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These are the funds and grants available to support creative individuals/groups create work. This will be one of thenon-commercial revenue streams which allow me and a group to financially continue our creative practice. This is some of the funds and grants other than Arts Council England.

Ward Community Funding -
Each Area of the UK has ward funding, which funds projects that benefit the community. They have meetings every quarter in order to identify areas that would benefit from this funding. Agencies such as the police and NHS can attend the meeting in order to identify areas for improvement. Each year, wards in Leicester are given £18,000, and the money is normally distributed in small amounts as the council want to fund a wide range of different projects.

Enhancing Leicester (https://www.leicestermuseums.org/arts/public-art/) (https://www.leicestermuseums.org/media/cwbai0zs/guiding-principles-for-public-art.pdf) -
Leicester Museum and Gallery has set up a guide to funding public art. The guide includes Leicester's guiding principles for public art, and also its guidelines, strategic context (commissioning, maintenance, decommissioning, and negotiating with other governing bodies), Funding, inventory and more.

Cultural Ambition Fund (https://www.leicestermuseums.org/arts/funding-grants/cultural-ambition-fund/) -
Leicester Museum and Gallery also have an arts development scheme of their own called Cultural Ambition Fund (CAF). CAF funds arts and heritage projects in Leicester. Its aims are:

Our communities connect through a sense of pride, place and identity

New work is created, new talent is nurtured and new ways are found for self-expression

Every child and young person will thrive through a rich and adventurous cultural education

Economic growth will flourish through investment, enterprise and business development.

It includes theatre, visual arts, spoken work, live music production, cultural dance, and international film. There is a focus on younger children and senior citizens to be involved. The ways for a recent Fine Art graduate or group to get funding is from artist studio education programmes or arts classes, which this program funds. it funds up to £3,000, but this would be Up to 50% of the project costs (more usually up to 20%), so this acts more as a subsidy than a grant. It is allocated for ‘not-for-profit’ organisations, which means it is more of a group activity, and would require some bureaucracy to be applied to. In all honesty, this seems like an awful grant, as its only available for organisations, has strict rules, cannot fund anymore than 50% of a project, and has very little money. I don't see why an organisation would want to apply for this grant due to the labour and resource cost in the entire process.

Nesta (https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/arts-and-culture-finance/) - Nesta Provides Funds, many of which need to be repaid back to the organisation eventually. It is actually a loan service, I don't know why they call it a fund. This is made for large scale arts and cultural organisations in order to invest in its growth. This may be an option only for commercial ventures, as they require a fiscal analysis on how to repay it. New equipment or employees may be a reason for an organisation to use this fund, as this would allow for the growth of an organisation in order to generate revenue to then pay back the loan. In the Future, it may be necessary to buy specialist equipment with this loan, as normal Funds don't allow for the funding of assets. This is specifically for large organisations aiming for growth.

Space Hive (https://www.spacehive.com/movement/crowdfundleicester) -
Through Crowdfunding and the match funding of Funding partners, Space hive allows for projects that improve the local area. Funds are accumulated through the public, funding partner support. This fund has an 85% success rate, which is a lot higher than other funding bodies, and normally achieves that within 60 - 90 days. its invested in things like playgrounds, street markets, city farms and learning hubs. there is a 5% fee of the total fund accumulated, but it is calculated within the budget in order for the money to not be too short for the project. The fund includes anything £100 upwards.

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Our aim is to enhance the city landscape through promoting relevant, vibrant, and interesting art in the public realm. Our management of public art will often involve a collaborative and strategic approach and we promote consultation with communities to create a sense of place for both local people and visitors.

To contact the Arts Team please complete an enquiry form.

When approached with a new commission we encourage and support artists and designers to work together with planning and structural professionals at an early stage in the development process.

Take a look at Leicester's Guiding Principles for Public Art document for more information on the city's approach to public art. Download and print at home.

Through establishing a collective vision for new work, with a shared understanding of the public space and specific characteristics of Leicester's urban landscape, we endeavour to feature public artworks that are interesting, stimulating, and that resonate with residents and visitors.

The public art of Leicester features statues, sculptures, street art, street furniture, text, and light installations, whilst our pavements and public spaces host exciting and vibrant cultural celebrations, projections, and street performances. If you have a proposal for a public art project in the city, please get in touch by email to discuss your ideas with the arts team.

Public Art support:
Public Art Online The Public Statues and Sculpture Association

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Our aim is to enhance the city landscape through promoting relevant, vibrant, and interesting art in the public realm. Our management of public art will often involve a collaborative and strategic approach and we promote consultation with communities to create a sense of place for both local people and visitors.

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Future Professional Practice - Creative Guides

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Future Professional Practice - Creative Guides

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East Midlands Guide (https://www.oneeastmidlands.org.uk/sites/default/files/library/EMFF%20Funding%20the%20East%20Midlands%20-%20November%202013_0.pdf) -

Creative Leicestershire (https://www.creativeleics.co.uk/) -

Leicester Funding Tool Kit (https://www.idoxopen4community.co.uk/leicestershire/) -

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Creative Leicestershire | Creative Business Support | Arts Leicester

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Advice, support + growth for creative enterprises across Leicester, Leicestershire + Rutland.

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Barbara Kruger is an internationally renowned artist, creating graphic, text, image and collage based conceptual art. Her work collages images and texts of appropriated material, in order to twist particular linguistic meanings; In this regard she is a post-structuralist for her understanding fluidity of linguistic formation and meaning. Kruger understands the power of messages and photos, and so deploys artworks that works that can act as counter-propaganda or counter-production. Her themes span from gender, politics, capitalism, to identity, and more related to contemporary societal issues.

Eyes are an image often used within her her, as they operate as strong symbolic symbols to our current society. How the world is seen and how it is, is a particularly scary issue appearing more through time. This Idea is presented often in post-Modern thought, the critique of modernity and how it functions.

Barbara Kruger's artistic work is heavily informed by her Graphic design job as a picture editor for Mademoiselle. It allowed her the ability and knowledge to produce eerie replicas of advertisements, twisting the encoded meanings of print and photo media through collage. The techniques used seem to be inspired by the surrealist movement, combining distant objects such as image and text, in order to create free associations, of which will be decoded and a subjective meaning will be created. Throughout her work she uses direct address in order to engage the viewer. This directness is particularly apt given how most viewers is impacted by the themes presented in her work as its about current society. The image can be a reflection, or an address to the viewer.

The brand Supreme have co-opted her signature style, ironically enhancing the ideas presented in her work. The criticisms of capitalism in Kruger's work being implemented within capitalist brands and organisation reflects the points made in Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher, by which the rebellion against the market, is then repackaged within the market. The ideas of counter culture has been embedded within Supreme, despite it being a largely popular and profitable brand. Supreme has been able to twist the perception of its brand to present a particular rebellious and unique lifestyle choice, completely against its hugely mainstream and standardised capitalist model.

in Postmodernism, The Key Figures book, edited by Hans Bertens and Joseph Natoli, is a section on Barbara Kruger. The aspects of Barbara Kruger's work which implore a postmodernist perspective involve the ironies of her work and the context it exists within. The juxtaposition of Image and text, often conforming and subverting standard formats of modern and contemporary media, presents a criticality towards it while also remaining within its boarders. Like Postmodernism, Kruger questions the superiority of modern society, revealing its many symptoms through its own tools, the media. The eye catching colours, quick read fonts, and catchy clichés are turned in on themselves revealing its underlying problems. The problems are often presented through representation of the subject, often depicting malevolent men, obedient women, pervasive surveillance, mass media, or more subjects framed to magnify its problems.

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'The media is the Message' Marshall McLuhan. This was an essential aspect of my work that i was missing last year. The limitation of how to properly communicate meaning through painting can also be shown by the frequently of which the idea that 'Painting is Dead' is referenced in the arts community. Although as problematic and inaccurate the statement is, it shows a truth, that staying confined to one medium can prove limiting to the ability to convey meaning and be original.

Learning an online programs proved to be an essential skill needed to develop my artistic and practical knowledge. Expanding past the comfortability of painting last year required the need to re-skill, and based on my graphic implementations of text onto objects, I used Adobe Programs in order to execute my ideas. Adobe is an expansive industry standard program, meaning that it can be used in many different ways, and is able to be used in conjunction with other software and hardware. The software and Hardware included Various equipment and processes, such as its use in order to program the Vinyl cutter to then print the Vinyl, Water Jet to create a large scale design from acrylic, and print out a sign onto metal using a sublimation printer, then a heat press, and all the programs needing an input to process the jobs. All these processes needed Adobe in order to start the design process, but this program proved difficult to operate given its complexity. Because of its functionality, learning the program seemed to be a fruitful investment, and so through the experimentation, research from websites and YouTube videos, and an InDesign lesson taught the DMU Library, I was able to use the programs.

The specificities that I needed to learn were the ability to edit and refine images. Image trace was the main tool I used, as it was able to transform an image into a vector format meaning that i could have a clear cut outline of particular shapes. Vectors proved helpful in the creation of Vinyl Cut outs, fist applied to the creation of 'CCTV! You're on Smile', but were unsuccessful given the ineffectiveness of the base material which it was printed onto, but found useful in the production of 'No such thing as Apolitical'.  The process of Image trace was achieved through Illustrator, and the ability to effectively implement the tool needed work, as i had to adjust the various fidelity rates, colours, corners, layering, anchors and curves, but through practice it became easier. I was even able to redesign the cleaning sign logo through the adaptation of the shapes in order to be cohesive the the concept and font it is paired with.

The colour of the program proved to be difficult and expensive, as it changed depending on the material it is printed on, as well as it being 32 or 64 Bit. Sublimation printing had changed the appearance of the colour on the metal, and this problem was only solved through colour tests. because of the Expensive material of Sublimation metal, it took a hit into my bursary, but eventually I was able to dial the colours in the program to create the correct colour.

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the Rage Needed Now, Jeremy Weller - Artist talk

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the Rage Needed Now, Jeremy Weller - Artist talk

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Jeremy Weller is a documentary Film maker that created a documentary depicting the underrepresented side of Leicester citizens named 'LEICESTER – a drama in the making'. It was set up and presented by Professors Justin Smith and Lala Meredith-Vula. The talk began with a short introduction to the film and how it represents the local lives of Leicester residence, and the various socioeconomic shortcomings and various communities contained within the area. The film featured many young people from ethnic minorities sharing their experience and thoughts of the city of Leicester. the film was strongly left wing inspired, and was produced in the aim of social change, and reminded me of a combination of the British drama tragedy work of Ken Loach, and the engaged interviewer/interviewee relationship similar to Louis Theroux. One person featured in the film also came to the event to share his own story since the release of the film and talked about how his mindset around Leicester has changed since the films making, but the strongest opinion was that of Weller himself, as a strong social advocate worried about the lives of young people all across Britain. The event held was tense, as some of the audience members believed it showed Leicester in a bad Light, but I felt this was unjustified as it was able to give a voice to those disenfranchised by local and national politics. That negative opinion seemed to come from a passive acceptance of the status quo, and the information that shakes the once stable mindset of their own home city reflects why social change doesn't happen, because people don't want to keep an open mind about reality.

Also featured was one of his other projects in which people suffering from mental health conditions were able to engage in creative expression through theatre, this was titled 'MAD'. with the support of the General Manager of the Mental Health Service and a psychologist. 'Madness' was a theme explored by the participants, enabling for each individual to share their stories, demonstrating the uniqueness of perspectives, while also enabling empathy between individuals. Each person plays themselves in the play, allowing for them to portray themselves as protagonists, which in turn builds self esteem. This work properly shows the breadth of Wellers ability, engaging real people in meaning  change through film and the stage as a creative outlet. This performance re-invigorated my ideas of how creativity can create meaningful change within a community.

This piece of work helped to make me think more about the socioeconomic repercussions of politics, which informed my ideas of No such thing as Apolitical, as the disregard for government is rife with those economically burdened by it.

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My phone broke and i do not have a photo of my work up in the exhibition.

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Love Art Exhibition - The Love Art Exhibition is an annual event that takes part in Leicester to showcase art. It was produced by Phil Hacket, and is co-ordinated by a group of volunteer curators and judges. It is based primarily in the LCB and has other select venues such as The Manhattan and Beta X. My piece 'Hyperreality' was accepted to be exhibited, and was featured at the LCB Gallery. The exhibition was busy, and my work was situated in a good spot surrounded by great art. I was also given free access to the 'Last Friday' event, a social gathering involving food and drink, and also entertainment such as comedy and pyro art. At the end of the exhibition period there was an awards ceremony which I sadly could not attend. I was awarded a £100 gift card, sponsored by De Montfort University. Overall the event was profitable, especially for a broke student. On the Website featured my work and a short description created by Phil Hacket:
'Such wonderful textures and a colour palette that seems to capture the full array of colours found in human skin from the sun-kissed to the brutally bruised, the paleness of a nocturnal vampire to the darkest equatorial tones, ghostly yet vibrant with life.'
The event overall gave me confidence in my work given all the support, and having it in a gallery setting allowed me to gain a new perspective on how it is received as I could listen to visitors, and read the curators description. Although grateful to the opportunity, I would like to see myself in a more contemporary and cohesive setting rather than a commercial Mish Mash. LOVE Art was dotted with various artworks varying from abstract, to realism, and as a community event, it included artworks not to a high standard. Because of this great inclusion of a community and was commercial, it was lacking in coherence, and looked jumbled, and the price tags devalued the experience. In future exhibitions I'd like to see myself in better contemporary exhibitions in spaces such as Two Queens, or Eastside Projects. After Graduation I'll have more freedom in terms of funding and applications, expanding my exhibition opportunities. UK arts council will only give funding to applicants outside of education, meaning that I will have to wait.

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Bourbon Project Selling at Two Queens Studio

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Bourbon Project Selling at Two Queens Studio

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We were luckily able to participate in the two queens open studio, an event that allowed us to sell our wares in the gallery space at no cost of our own. After hearing about the opportunity we accepted, and began creating commercially viable objects. We created a range of works, some bourbon related, and some random. The pieces we created were comical as we thought the fun nature of the subject matter would help develop our brand, and sell work. I personally made lino cuts of bourbons which i then printed on paper and sketchbooks, as I thought from the logo style design I could develop it into something on theme and mass producible. Whimsically, the event was Breakfast themed, as we thought it was fun, and would match the energy we were trying to portray. Another Item that was on sale were the singular Bourbons for £1, a novelty purchase that acted as a donations pot, as the contribution of money to it seemed quite charitable above genuine marketability. Also there were various prints, zines and earrings, and out of the three the earrings didn't sell which is surprising given the cheap cost and its aesthetic desirability. The earrings may have been in the wrong commercial setting, but the zines were definitely in the right setting as our stall was opposite the 'Leicester Zine Library', and they purchased two copies themselves. We decided on the price of each item on the day, and it appeared to be pretty transparent on its value given the production costs, and its marketability, and so the Sketchbooks were £2 upwards, the prints varied from £1-£10, the earrings were £3, and the zines were a £1 each. the most Important thing about being at the event was publicising 'Bourbon Project', as this publicity would make us noticeable, and therefore building up a name that can operate on a local level in areas such as community grants and commercial ventures.

Next to the Two Queens venue was the Leicester print Workshop, and they were also having a similar commercial venture as they were selling books and prints. I was able to purchase a Fine art book myself. My own purchase proves that these events have the opportunity to be commercially viable, given that i am stingy with my money, and even I made a purchase that day. In addition i was able to visit the Two Queens studio members, meeting Artists such as Miriam Bean, Jack Halford, and also Kerry Jackson a co-founder of Two Queens. Knowing important artists in the area is important, as this network will allow for the creations of opportunity, such as collaboration on a project.