Arts & Foundations
by admin • November 17, 2009 • arts • 6 Comments
By Jim Ewen
Not too long ago a shudder of positive excitement ran through the cultural community of Aberdeen when the PVA proposed new arts centre was, remarkably, given approval by the local authority in a move that took many by surprise. Understandably this quickly led to a feeling of optimism across the sector and, with seemingly brighter days ahead, we all thought and acted accordingly; new art projects and businesses came to the fore, young artists decided to stay in Aberdeen, dance and theatre improved their visibility and music promoters, buoyed by the idea of a new venue for live music, became excited by the acts that could be brought to this part of the country.
As promptly as our optimism arrived it all but left. A disappointing reversion to type by the local authority led (again) to stalemate around a large and progressive capital project. Indeed, one could be forgiven for suggesting this condition is ingrained and historically ritualistic within the authority at this end of the country. The cultural sector’s hopes were stalled.
Moving forward a year or so and we view a cultural landscape that appears to be defying our justified concerns. A mass exodus, or hibernation, of disillusioned creative talent has not taken place (as one could rightfully have expected) but rather we find ourselves in a steady period of growth. A period that sees the arts sector build, albeit under a corporate shadow, momentum toward realising the vision of becoming a significant and worthy contributor to the national and international art world.
Like a music scene, an arts sector does not filter up and out through just one channel or venue, and nor should it. No one place, project or concept can lay claim to making things better, a collective sensibility that takes strength from within does that job, and that’s the juncture we’re at right now.
The proposal by Peacock Visual Arts to build an outstanding, and much desired, centre for contemporary arts and culture certainly played a vital and healthy role in galvanising the sector into believing itself worthy and we must do everything possible to ensure this building, or an appropriate equivalent, happens. Aberdeen needs a hub that will encourage a sense of infrastructure and ‘the new centre’ is the likely candidate for this role. The thought that we may be deprived of this idea/ideal through the whim of a businessman’s ill-placed concept has developed a fighting spirit in the arts resulting in what I see as a progressive, and somewhat ironic given the circumstances, growth of the sector. One could suggest that there is a large subconscious ‘f**k you’ being aimed up and out at the business world.
There is much work to be done but I can attest to the aforementioned progress, and take heart from my email activity that on a daily, often hourly, basis accepts invites to numerous art openings, notifications of networking events and workshops, marketing for dance, theatre events and gigs, numerous blogs that can be read and digested at leisure and e-promotion of a new arts-based business or space starting out on a new and precarious venture.
Historically art has spurts of growth and change, at a conceptual and physical level, when it circles the wagons and rallies toward or away from a specific purpose, thus we find ourselves in the midst of our own geographical cultural revolt.
Regardless of Union Terrace Gardens, and the broader outcome of the campaign, Aberdeen is absolutely more than capable of maintaining a momentum of growth across the arts and cultural sector in order to attain deserved recognition of its talent..
The questions to be asked are:
Will the desire and energy remain in place if the carpet is seen to be pulled from beneath by the hands of the self-titled ‘City Fathers’?
Can (with or without the proposed new art centre) the Aberdeen creative sector believe enough in itself to rise above this and become a recognised city of cultural vibrancy and excellence?
Or is this is one ask too far?
the brain drain to the central belt seems to have gradually slowed down. I think it is due to a perception of opportunities for the arts here. Changing the insular attitude that was once prevalent is helping a lot in this change, imho.
Creative Cultures Scotland are doing their part to make people think more positively about Aberdeen and its possibilities and opportunities. (it’s my job!)
I think the “reliance” on “existing paradigms” is always going to result in a stagnant and conservative landscape.
The people that moan about the council not doing this or doing that (which impacts on the Cultural Provision) should think about how NOT to involve the council in the creation of new work & opportunities.
Take Sally Moir, independent of the council and working with business to provide cultural provision – but clever enough to involve the council “when need be”.
We need more Entrepreneurs in Aberdeen – not necessarily in a business / money making context – but true innovators and people willing to take risks or find funding and support from OTHER outlets. (We are a funding cold spot – because not enough big ideas / projects initiated up here (outside of the council’s arts provisions). no one wants the responsibility – and rely on the council to provide “as always” – so we can’t complain.)
The Kisoque is a fine example of pushing a much needed idea “up here”. Making it “sustainable” is the key…
If this place is a void – it’s the perfect opportunity to shape and create the cultural landscape we all want “up here”. We’ve all got to know what we want from it (that’s the difficult bit!) – if it’s to “be like London” or to “become famous” – then perhaps we’ve got our priorities mixed up. I want to live here because I love the place – I also want interesting, stimulating and thoughtful work to keep my brain satisfied. Plenty to explore artistically “up here” – we just need to up our game so the SAC / funders give us money (so they can trust us with it).
For a start, we should all talk and reflect positively on Aberdeen – not a “head in the sand” mentality – but if we override the dirge with positive presentation – perhaps we can change the perception we’re all dour and miserable up here.
We need to “fight” and get passionate – but there are ways and means of expressing that disappointment and frustration. We don’t want to appear parochial and pathetic…do we?
Great article. It is easy to fixate on a grand plan like the arts centre but the show must go on in terms of artistic output. I always try and take that attitude in whatever project I am involved in, it’s easy to let a negative affect you’re product and ideas.
It is important to keep on fighting for the centre and remain passionate about it’s purpose and what it would provide future generations as well as the benefit to the current population of Aberdeen. I will still continue to play music in Aberdeen, bring exciting new and established bands here regardless.
There are exiting plans in development which would have been nice to run through a central hub of activity but the same people are still here to help out and get involved so what I have planned will still got ahead.
The Kiosque is awesome.
I firmly believe the future of a creative sector within Aberdeen does share it’s fate with the future of the Contemporary Arts Centre, whether we like it or not. There has been a swell in activity up here of recent years, which comes from a growing breed of folks who BELIEVE in the sheer untapped potential of this Granite City, which in large part has been galvanized with the progress on the Art Centre Development. Last October we were closer than we ever had been to having a development to be proud of, to reach out and join the other great Cities of the world.
Yes it was never supposed to be the be-all-and-end-all for the city but it would be an important milestone, a massive step in the right direction. It would be a point of no return, not only would it retain and build on our existing talent, it would attract more people to come to the city, encourage the establishment of more entrepreneurship, the establishment of more things. For once Peacock emerges from it’s chrysalis transformed into this new venture, something is going to have to step up and take the place it left.
But this vision of the future, much like Coleridge’s dream of Kubla Khan’s pleasure dome, has been interrupted, obscured, possibly lost due to interference from the shadows of the past. A past which has seen Aberdeen sold, its reputation tarnished and £60 million of it’s citizen’s hard earned-taxes flushed straight out to sea. Aberdeen has not retained any Oil Wealth, unlike it’s prosperous neighbours, Shetland and Stavanger, it has fed the few and established itself as Scotland’s great Oligarchy. The short sighted exploitation is almost over, a new future beckons but this would mean a step away, a change, a new regime, a new industry.
You can advocate ignoring the “City Fathers” as much as you like but not all Artists want to become Entrepreneurs, not all Practitioners want to become Facilitators, and why should they? Most artists I know in other cities who readily and happily get on in non-arts related jobs to pay the rent but still make, still do. They do not complain as the sacrifice they are making is to do the nine-to-five, or work in the off license for the freedom and liberties which they take with their work outwith these times. But many of them do it because they live in a healthy, vibrant city, with good quality of life, and diversity and, quite frankly, CHOICE.
In Aberdeen, Homogeneity is the new Gray. And this stems from the way things are run, who exactly is seen as priority for the City, and more and more evidently: This is not the people who live here. Wider culture is neglected, the thing that makes cities work, the difining characters of why people want to live in certain cities is missing in Aberdeen.
One hand closes a 120 year old Independent Factory employing a number of disabled employees, and the other hand gives you the second largest Shopping Centre in Scotland, a mammoth exorcise which caters for the apparent need for commerce by filling 48% of the units with retailers already having at least one Store in the City.
The greatest strengths of a city are it’s individual characteristics, defined by the history, loves and lives of the people who live there. This is not Yo Sushi, or Pizza Hut, or Starbucks, or even New Look, TopShop or Next. It is that restaurant run by the woman your mum meets in the supermarket, it is Britain’s greatest Sushi chef working near the back door of the dilapidated market, it’s the record shop run by the guy who used to be in the band who got played on the radio years ago. There’s a topshop in every town.
How much support do we see for these endeavours? They don’t reduce the rates for local shops in the city centre, they discourage bars for applying for licenses for tables in the street yet preach about cafe-culture, they complain about binge drinking yet open some bars. They say they are for the many yet pander to the few.
Reflecting on the positives in Aberdeen is a good option, but what effect does this have on the negatives? Do they simply go away? Or do they still happen, only unseen, unnoticed. We could concentrate on the positives, like a £50million gift, a lovely new square, better car parking.
The “City Fathers” are surrogate Fathers, chosen by us, answerable to us yet it would not appear this way. Look to the leaders for answers to why Aberdeen is being failed, why our council have overspent by £50 million, why charities and amenities are being closed, why the streets aren’t being cleaned, why they can veto a plan they’ve invested in and consider tearing up City-Centre garden. They’re in charge.
A lot of progress has been made, lets make sure it is not in vain by ignoring the big issues of the day.
“but not all Artists want to become Entrepreneurs, not all Practitioners want to become Facilitators, and why should they?”
good point! As is the rest of your post. By acting, doing and making are we not not ignoring? I’d rather scream and shout via making and doing but that dits alongside your sentence. Not all artist need to be politicol activists.
That was more of a general call for all people, not just artists. I was more suggesting that the council are important partners in any development towards a creative community as they run the City, and there is more needed to provide the infrastructure and culture which supports such a community in this City.
We have to make our own opportunities up here. We have to facilitate our own events and happenings and shows, which most of us already do. Foundations are being laid for an extremely promising future, however without the support of the City, in making sure there is a quality of life in the city to attract and retain those we are seeking to facilitate, then we run the risk of being a small group of activists which only do things that benefit ourselves. In effect we would become Facilitators whose audience is made up mostly of other facilitators.
But Jim, you’re article is great, it sums up the enthusiam and work going on, which is great. Aberdeen’s cultural landscape hasn’t been as alive in the last five years as it is now. We’ve got so many great things happening, which could become stuff of Legend. But we need to be providing something for those who simply want to experience these things, those artists who don’t want to become Entrapreneurs, Facilitators, Promoters or Activists can feel like they want to come here, live here.
And in recent months this campaign has brought a lot of people together, and like you clearly state, it has cemented an otherwise dispirate community towards a common goal. I just worry that this might be the final test of faith for many in a city which promises so much, yet is being denied the ability to prove itself.