Interview: Generate Leeds
Generate is a Leeds-based collaborative project between artists Alice Chandler, Ellie MacGarry and Nick Kidd. They have spent the last three months delivering family-orientated workshops at arts venues around Leeds, culminating in an exhibition at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery. Prod + Push is on until 28th August
Image: workshop in progress. Photo: Nick Kidd
BnB: How did you guys meet?
NK: Ellie and I were in a show together at Assembly House last August, and Alice met Ellie whilst doing a residency there. Alice began working at Sunny Bank Mills, and in January the three of us had a meeting about doing an exhibition and getting some ideas together about how we wanted to approach it.
EM: Nick and I had met a few times before I asked him to do the show at Assembly House - and I had seen his degree show work so knew I wanted to exhibit or collaborate with him at some point
BnB: What’s been the purpose of your project?
EM: it was initiated by Alice, and Jane (who is the manager of the gallery at Sunny Bank), as a way of setting up collaborative activity with other artists who share some common interests and approaches. It started out being quite focused on what kind of skill sets we could all gain from it, and how these could possibly translate into paid work which could supplement our art practices or benefit others in some way. This is where the educational side of it came in, as Nick and I had both done Springboard at The Tetley so had a bit of experience with family workshops, and Alice and I had done a bit of FE/HE tutoring and it was something we wanted to do more of. We all put an emphasis on playfulness in our work so we used that as a starting point… We knew we wanted to find a different way of making for our exhibition- something collaborative and something that would engage with the community.
Image: workshop in progress. Photo: Nick Kidd
BnB: How has the experience of actually carrying out the workshops been?
NK: It's been really fun, and it's great to see people responding well to our ideas. I find every time when working with kids, something unexpected happens - they think in such a unique way and the outcomes are great. It's interesting to see how family dynamics affect the outcomes too - the more engaged the parents are, the more exciting work is produced from their children.
BnB: Do you think that contemporary art is generally inclusive to children and families?
NK: Some galleries are more so than others. I think some galleries steer well clear from it, which is a shame. I do think it's becoming more of a thing.
BnB: So how important do you think inclusivity is?
NK: Massively so. I think it's so important to keep art accessible, and have it there for everyone to enjoy. It keeps it from being this elitist thing that some people see it as, which is something I really disagree with.
BnB: Tell us about the arts landscape in Leeds. How do you fit in or fill a gap within that?
NK: I think we're kind of a middle ground, between the contemporary art scene and the communities across Leeds. I'd like to think we're introducing children to new ways of making/doing that reflects the approach to making art in Leeds. It seems that it's mainly the well known institutions such as Leeds Art Gallery, the Hepworth and the Tetley, that are running engagement/participatory programmes. I think it's important for people to be involved with emerging artists and lesser known projects/establishments.
Image: workshop in progress. Photo: Nick Kidd
BnB: Do you think the art world needs more play?
EM: I think there's something to be said for art work or related activities being playful - providing comfort or humour or some sense of relief perhaps. I have always liked works which straddle the serious or absorbing and a sense of play; like Mary Heilmann's chairs on castors to scoot around on (encouraging you to sit down in order to spend proper time looking at her paintings), or Claire Ashley's live/performative paintings. Gladly I think there are a lot of works and workshops which encourage that sort of activity or thinking now...but everyone has a slightly different approach. And to go back to a recurring issue..those playful qualities help to make art more accessible I think - it is often work which doesn't require or rely on previous knowledge or reading the blurb etc. it can be enjoyed on a sensual level.
AC: I definitely always engage more with artwork that maybe doesn't take itself so seriously - even if the humour is on the darker side, I'm interested in work that feels playful - poking a lighter response from the viewer, and that can be just through a playful use of materials which I think is something we've been especially interested in in our workshops. A good example might actually be the work from [Lydia, BnB mod]’s exhibition at Lady Beck- using soap on towels to make a hard form or object - to me that's a really fun playful way of using contrasting materials and that's something I especially like to see - it's engaging and accessible. Like Ugo Rondinone’s massive stacked coloured boulders- so playful but also monumental. Also Jim Lambie’s work, and Martin Creed’s stacked things.
BnB: Can you tell us a bit about the exhibition?
NK: It's a fun show I think. The work we've been making is responding to what happened in the workshops. We've each responded individually, but we have worked collaboratively too, there are some really playful moments. It's been an interesting approach to making work.
Image: Prod + Push installation view. Photo: Nick Kidd
BnB: If I can ask a personal question… are you getting paid for this?
EM: No generally we haven't been paid for the project. We applied for arts council funding and a couple of smaller local pots but didn't get any of them. We had already made plans for workshops and the exhibition when we found out we didn't get the funding so we went ahead with almost everything we had planned but with no fees for ourselves. We were paid by Sunny Bank Mills for one workshop and there are a couple of workshops coming up which should be paid too. So it may be that in time it begins to become a source of income but so far it hasn't been.
BnB: Now we’re on the topic, which I feel is an important one, how do you feel about completing these projects on a voluntary basis- how do each of you make your living if it’s not from this?
AC: I work in the gallery at Sunny Bank 3 days a week and get random bits of income from exhibitions and selling things in the gallery shop! I think it would have been great to be paid or get funding but we also thought it was quite important to just do it and get the experience - hopefully giving us more of a chance of getting funding/paid for things in the future. And although it has been hard work it’s been really fun working together.
Image: work by Alice Chandler at Prod + Push. Photo: Nick Kidd
EM: I work in a vintage shop and occasionally at the Henry Moore Institute and also make the odd bit of money from my practice and work voluntarily as the exhibitions coordinator at Assembly House. Yeah I suppose we are sort of used to doing quite a lot of stuff for 'free'..and the satisfaction and experience of it is really beneficial but that won't work forever.
Image: work by Ellie MacGarry at Prod + Push. Photo: Nick Kidd
NK: I work in a school as an art technician, and work at YSP as a gallery assistant/artist educator, and at the Hepworth as a learning facilitator. So I feel like I get enough paid work doing what I want to do I guess, so it's quite nice to have our own self directed project - the only downside is it's not paying us a great deal.
Image: work by Nick Kidd at Prod + Push. Photo: Nick Kidd
BnB: Do you find it’s easy to balance the two?
NK: I wouldn't say it’s easy as such. I think if you want to do something, you'll make it work and you find the time for it.
AC: Yeah we definitely found time for it. It was so fun
BnB: Do you think location is a big factor when it comes to artists being able to sustain their practice?
NK: I think so. Leeds isn't so big, and everything is quite close together. Generally Leeds is quite a cheap place to live, so you can kind of get away with working less to spend more time on art related projects. As well with everything being close together, it's easier to do stuff after work and what not. Whereas if you were in London, you would have to get the tube from one side of London to the other, giving you less time to focus on stuff.
Image: workshop in progress. Photo: Nick Kidd
Interview conducted by Lydia Brockless via Facebook messenger between May and August 2016