Present: Ahmed, Esperanza, Graham
1. Hackney Wick: Esperanza cannot go but Graham can. Ahmed will "dress up" some of his sculptures in silly items of clothing by way of liberating them from their original serious intent. Esperanza has a sculpture that might be suitable which she will get to Ahmed next week. Graham will bring one of his fabulously detailed Georgian buildings with a couple of "dressed" heads inside. They will be presented as a single DoF exhibit under the title "Dressed". Ahmed & Graham to meet at swan Wharf on the 5th at 9.30. Ahmed distributed sample flyers that we can give people whose work we like asking them to get in touch with us about DoF15. He will also get a couple of A1 flyers printed for display at Hackney Wick. (ACTION for all)
2: The new DoF website: It was agreed that this needed jazzing up with images and info on HWV&ATB and the OPS. (ACTION for Ahmed)
3: the DoF Blog: We will continue to use this for internal communications and as a scrap book.
4: the DoF Facebook Page: Esperanza to set this up and manage it. (ACTION for Esperanza)
5: We will go ahead and book the Old Police Station(OPS) for a show at the end of June to coincide with South London Last Fridays. Esperanza to take charge of organising this. (ACTION for Esperanza)
5. Key Dates to put in our diaries:
Thursday 26 June: OPS exhibition set up
Friday 27 June: OPS exhibition Private View
Saturday 28 June: Open Evening for DOF15 at OPS
Sunday 29 June: OPS exhibition take down
September 2014: A DOF15 open evening, possibly at Espacio
Set up: 27Dec 2014- 2 Jan 2015
DoF 15: 3-31st January 2015
6. Budget: It was agreed that Ahmed would create a DoF Budget covering Hackney Wick, the old police station and DoF 15 and we would charge all agreed items of expenditure to it. (ACTION for Ahmed)
Notes of DOF meeting, 27th February 2014 at 5pm at the Motown Cafe
Present: Ahmed, Espernaza, Graham
DoF membership: Following Roan’s departure we discussed whether we should seek to recruit one or more new members to DoF. No obvious person or persons were identified who we could invite so the matter couldn’t be taken any further.
Gillett Square: At the time of the meeting we were still awaiting a response from Hackney.
Exhibiting at other venues: Ahmed proposed investigating two interesting venues for a DoF exhibition: St John’s in Bethnal Green (free, but need to work up a written proposal for 2015 programme) which has an interesting belfry and the Old Police Station in Brockley/Depford which has four police cells available for hire (£380 for a week, plus £100 returnable deposit). It was agreed that both venues should be investigated and we should meet again quite soon to cook up a proposal for St John’s. Meanwhile we should seek to visit both sites. Ahmed to contact the Old Police station to arrange a visit. Individuals to make their own visit to St John’s.
Recruiting artists for DoF 15: It was agreed that we should use the agreed “DoF proposition” to approach interesting artists and invite them to make a submission based on the DoF proposition. Ahmed suggested inviting 2 artists whose works he know: Jane Smith, a “bodger” who works with tree bark and is interested in working with a photographer to create works that are constructed on sight and then disappear in the course of the exhibition. Sally Buchanan is an artists who has done site specific installations using stitched “lines of power” that connect spaces. Ahmed will send out more information on timeline for application before the next meeting.
DoF 15: Graham’s proposal for DoF15 is to construct a sort of “Panopticon” consisting of a giant cylinder, 2 mts wide and almost up to the ceiling which has tiered shelves on the inside on which objects could be placed. In the centre would be a camera on a metal pole able to traverse the space in all 3 dimensions, controlled by an App which would be accessible via the internet. People would be able to take control of the App in the gallery or download it remotely and traverse the space inside the cylinder. The camera would be fitted with a light that would only illuminate a small section of the space. So each “viewer” would be able to develop their own narrative of what is in the room (like 5 blind persons describing an elephant by grasping just a single part). Screens inside the gallery and at the gallery window would show what the camera sees. The cylinder could be offered as a “platform” for other artists to create installations or show works. Ahmed & Esperanza were enthusiastic about the idea. Its very imaginative and ambitious and touches on many elements of what DoF is trying to do.
Next DoF meeting: 27th March at 5pm at Motown.
Notes of "Degrees of Freedom" Group, 23rd January 2014 @ the Motown Café, Present:Rebecca, Roan, Esperenza, Graham, Ahmed
1.Actions since previous meetings:Thanks to Graham for setting up the blog. Everyone should have had a go at putting something on it.
Spencer has agreed to come and talk to us about setting up his artists group. Action: Graham to sort out timing.
“Image of DoF”: It was agreed that we should give all our documentation a retro feel- brown/crumpled/stained paper, courier typeface, things pasted on scrapbook ...etc
2. DoF proposition: Ahmed’s draft was discussed and agreed subject to minor amendments. Agreed proposition to be posted on the blog. This should be used as the basis for inviting artists to participate in DoF-2015.
3. Strategies for recruiting artists: After discussion it was agreed that the best strategy would be for DoF members to research and identify artists who they think should be invited to participate in DoF-2015. They would then present these artists work to the rest of DoF members and argue for their inclusion. Agreement should generally be on the basis of concensus taking into account any strong negative or positive feelings. Action: Everyone to research potential artists to bring discuss at next meeting.
Ideas for promoting DoF: this was not discussed
Gillett Square proposal: It was decided in principle to put in a bid for this. First step would be to visit the square, take photos, come up with ideas which could be turned into a written proposal. (this was done and we are waiting to hear from Hackney)
Next meeting: Thursday 27th February at 5pm. Possible guest speaker Spencer + what we want as artists from DoF + candidate artists for DoF-2015 + promoting DoF-2015 + Gillette Proposal (if we succeed in the bid). Ahmed Farooqui, 21st Febraury 2013
Notes of "Degrees of Freedom" Group, 4th December 2013 @ the Motown Cafe
Present:Rebecca, Roan, Esperanza, Graham, Ahmed
Ahmed went through the background and the curatorial proposition for the show. This was followed by a discussion to clarify and add to the proposition. The first two collaborative pieces were created and entrusted to Graham for documentation on the blog.
DECISIONS
1. The proposition was generally and enthusiastically accepted and agreed subject to further clarifications and development
2. A Group identity will be created under the title "degrees of freedom"
3. The January 2015 show will be provisionally entitled " degrees of freedom 2015" but this could be revisited as our ideas develop further.
4. Initially the group will be limited to the five artists attending but this may change as our ideas develop
5. The group should give some thought to developing a fictitious identity for each of its members for promotional purposes.
6. The project will have a distinct development phase and time will be given to enable the group to work up its core ideas and approaches to the exhibition.
7. Although the question of finance will need to be tackled, the initial development phase should focus on generating ideas, enthusiasm, energy and commitment.
8. Documentation of the the whole of the project will be undertaken as best as we can throughout the life cycle of the project. This could be in the form of a scrapbook, video collage, photo album. Digital documents will be put on the blog. It would be great if we could get an artist to document "degrees of freedom" as their project.
9. The project should aim for: humour; documenting mistakes; promoting the work of others; inventing a back story; involving audience - interaction
10. A blog will be created to help with documentation of the project. A group photo was taken which will be put on the blog.
11. At least initially all communication will be through email or text. Alternative methods will be explored as and when.
12. The group will try and meet at least once a month: initially on the 4th Thursday of every month. Thurs: 23 January, 27 February, 27 March, 24 April, 22 May, 26 June, 24 July, 21 August,25 September, 23 October, 29 November, 18 December. It's recognised that not all will be able to make every meeting.
13. Group members will keep each other updated on exhibitions, courses, workshops, groups, artist opportunities etc that they come across which would be useful to the development of the group.
14. Core dates for the exhibition will be Thursday 2nd January 2015 to Wednesday 29th January 2015. On top of this we should be able to negotiate access to the gallery over the Christmas and New Year 2014 period to prepare the gallery if this is required. Similarly we need to build in time after the show (30th January - 3rd February, 5 days available to do this) to take down and make good any decorative damage to the gallery.
ACTION
1. Ahmed to write up the first draft of the curatorial proposition for the next meeting.
2. Graham to set up blog and put the group photo on it.
3. Ahmed to send group photo to Graham for the blog.
4. Rebecca to email everyone about the shuffle festival.
5. Graham to see if he could get Spencer Rowell to talk to the group about 'Uncertain States'.
6. All should think about the idea of fictitious individual identities for the next meeting and what their own fictitious identity might be.
7. All should put the dates of the exhibition, including set up and takedowns, into their diary now.
8. All should put dates of future meetings into their diary now.
Taken by Ahmed Farooqui, 6th December 2013
