LongAndShort

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CAST Office for Contradictory Requirements

Conceptual - Exhibition Curatorial Premise

Nature of the Work

The work creates a staff position for the artist within Contemporary Arts Services Tasmania (CAST) and the 'job description' becomes the conceptual machine for generating the work.

The work aims to have the following functions (in no particular order):

  • Set up a provocative, ridiculous but plausible scenario from which an art work can be made from.
  • Make a contribution to the host organisation (CAST).

Job Description

The CAST Officer for Contradictory Requirements is appointed to rebalance the activities of the organisation such that contradictory requirements are always met. For example, CAST is required to simultaneously present work that is challenging and accessible; the officer may be charged with producing material that will 'translate' challenging works for the general public.

Definition

Contradictory requirements are pairs of requirements that are diametrically opposed i.e. logically, they can't be satisfied simultaneously.

Contradictory Requirements within CAST

Challenge audiences Be accessible to non-art audiences
Supports experimental practices Meet expectations of existing audiences
Create new audiences Keep existing audience
Be professional, pragmatic and highly-organised Be sensitive to artistry, poetry and beauty
Be directed and focused (as an organisation) Provide broad support for the artistic community
Provide artists with supporting structures Be flexible to the requirements of artists’ practices
Be discerning in the selection of artists and exhibitions Be impartial in the support of the artistic community
Represent local/Tasmanian artists Be informed by current national/international developments
Seek and receive support from government bodies (CAST is an institution)* Support independent practices that may criticise supporting structures i.e. may be anti-institutional
Representation the art community politically* Be independent of institutional political agenda
Take advantage of the efficiencies and adaptability of a small, lean organisation Engage with heavyweight, bureaucratic processes

*Are these the same?

Work

Notes

To Do

  • Get CAST charter - is this all covered in the "What We Do" section of their web site?
  • Get list of CAST publications
  • Get list of CAST activities
  • Collect list of competing requirements

Artefacts / Events

  • Library and research materials
  • Posters and publicity
    • CAST: All things, for all people, all the time
    • "Everything," "To Everyone," "All the Time" (Lock, stock and barrel)
    • Puzzled people poster
    • "It may change your life - but then again, it may not..." poster.
  • Translations of literature and other public materials
  • Office space
  • Seminars and workshops
  • Compliance matrix - CAST product vs. criterion coverage. All output available to public must be compliant?
  • Web site content
  • Reminder/information signs about competing values cf. OH&S
  • Competing Requirement task checklist
  • Daydreaming as a standard workplace activity
  • A dreaming room - "Staff Only"
  • Double-sided counter sign - "Would you like to know something about contemporary art?" / "Is this person a new audience member?"
  • Introductory brochure (with contributions from CAST, artists):
    • "Ten things to know about contemporary art"
    • "Ten starting points for contemporary art"
    • "Ten myths about contemporary art"
  • Internal posters:
    • "Your new audience does not look like this" ('Arty types' Photos)
  • Floor talk from non-art audience member - Chris Coopers? A 10x10 speaker?
  • Speed art - way to view art as immediate, without weight of pretense, erudition, etc.
  • Work in exhibition made to address competing requirements. The work isn't necessarily made by me or for this exhibition - in fact, it would be more effective if it was from a third-party and for another show.
  • Service to give new audience members an introduction to contemporary art.
    • Appointed person to introduce people to contemporary art or to talk through exhibition content for a non-art audience.
  • Political posters: "Tasmania has the lowest per-capita funding for the arts in Australia. What are you doing about it?"
  • Invite politicians to present at CAST, especially about cultural policy, in the prelude to the state election:
    • Labor party representative:
    • Liberal Party representative:
      • Shadow Minister for Environment, Parks, Heritage & the Arts - Sue Napier
    • Greens party representative
  • Avago @ Conceptual

Twitches

  • To fulfil competing demands implies that everything in-between also needs to be addressed - or does it?
    • The corollary: CAST needs to be everything to everyone. Is this possible? Is is desirable?
    • Perhaps: if the extremes are addressed, the middle will be covered.
    • Perhaps: this is the ridiculous aspect, there is the expectation that CAST will be everything, to everyone, all the time.
  • The Competing Values Framework - a business management approach which promotes the development of competing values to bring balance and address weaknesses in an organisation. Note that this is the opposite of this project: the CVF initiates engagement with competing values whilst CAST is obliged to address such values.
  • Declaration of competing interest: it is common to declare such interests in publications e.g. J. Blundell is an advisor/consultant to industrial companies in the food and pharmaceutical sectors (Consultant: Merck, Amylin, Covance, Barilla, Danone; Speakers bureau: Kellogg's, Fonterra; Grant/research support: National Starch, Coca-Cola, Sanofi-aventis, Unilever). In most other fields, competing interests are seen as problems - why is this not the case with CAST?
  • OH&S Sign - "Entering office zone - protect your artistic sensibilities"
  • OH&S Chart - "Exercises for keeping artistic vision." - "1. Remind yourself of one poetic thing every hour," etc.
  • Whiteboard: "Today's Beautiful Thought" - filled on a roster system.

Resources

Questions

  • From the web site: "CAST also hosts public dialogue initiatives designed to foster and educate audiences to engage with new and experimental visual culture both as participants and collectors." Collectors? Public or private? Does CAST keep the interests of private collectors i.e. commercial art?
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