ALBERT DRIVE: Symposium
On Thursday 17th October 2014 an audience of approximately 80 arts professionals, community stakeholders and students attended a Symposium around the work produced as part of the ALBERT DRIVE Project. Held in Tramway and hosted by the core team of producers, artists, volunteers and neighbours behind the project; the day offered a unique perspective on the core aims, the social model of arts practice underpinning delivery, the creative process and the artwork created as result.
It also touched upon some of the many questions that came out of the experience; about high quality art in the context of community, the nature participation and collaboration and the attempt to understand what a socially engaged arts practice can and might look like.
On this page you can access footage of the day in individual sections documenting each part of the conversation.
Who is my Neighbour?
A place to begin
Co-Producers Glas(s) Performance and Tramway introduce the starting point for the ALBERT DRIVE project, the framing question, the initial idea and the central aims on beginning the journey.
This section also includes a moment of introduction from local resident Ria Din.
Links
A Social Model of Arts Practice:
As Lead Artists Glas(s) Performance outline their central idea for a Social Model of Arts Practice and their approach to the key question; How do we have the creative conversation?
The model included seven ‘Conversation Points’ and presented as a guide for navigating the rest of the Symposium.
Conversation Point 1: Researching the Context
Conversation Point 2: Meeting people where they are
Conversation Point 3: Making the Project Visual
Conversation Point 4: Action on the Drive
Conversation Point 5: Artist Residencies
Conversation Point 6: Event Weekend
Conversation Point 7: Documentation
This section also includes a series of questions around the nature of a socially engaged arts practice from neighbour and participant Laiqa Umar.
Links
Conversation Point 2: Meeting people where they are
Glas(s) Performance talk about the various groups they visited across Pollokshields in the beginning stages of the project in an attempt to ‘meet people where they are’.
Links
Conversation Point 3: Making the Project Visual
I’m on Albert Drive
Glas(s) Performance present their idea for embedding a central visual identity for the project and the ‘I’m on Albert Drive’ campaign.
Links
Conversation Point 4: Action on the Drive
Letters to Our Neighbours
The ALBERT DRIVE Neighbourhood Watch
Everybody’s House (A Collaboration with Edo Architecture)
Glas(s) Performance introduce the various creative interventions designed to engage with neighbours on the drive.
This section includes contributions from local resident Kevin Low, Tom Hobbins and Aby Watson as The ALBERT DRIVE Neighbourhood Watch and Andy McAvoy from Edo Architecture.
Links
Letters to Our Neighbours
The ALBERT DRIVE Neighbourhood Watch
Everybody’s House
About Glas(s) Performance
Conversation Point 5: Artist Residencies
Shauna McMullan: The Albert Drive Colour Chart
Glas(s) Performance and Tramway outline the aims for the Artist Residencies and the kind of artists they set out to engage framed by the question; How do we build a culture of collaboration?
Artist Shauna McMullan describes the creative process behind her artwork The Albert Drive Colour Chart. She goes on to raise some of the key questions that came up for along the way around ownership of art-work, working with objects and the role of a socially engaged arts practice.
Links
Conversation Point 5: Artist Residencies
Basharat Khan: ALBERT DRIVE TV
Artist Basharat Khan presents his starting point for creating ALBERT DRIVE TV and how his personal relationship with the street went on to inform his process and the final off-site installation in the local shops.
Links
Conversation Point 5: Artist Residencies
Arpita Shah: Purdah – The Sacred Cloth
Artist Arpita Shah discusses her practice and the aim to explore notions of displacement and stories of immigration and diaspora. She goes on to present Purdah – The Sacred Cloth; a series of portraits of women from the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities who practice the tradition of head covering or veiling.
Links
Conversation Point 5: Artist Residencies
Janice Parker: The Living Room Dances
Artist Janice Parker talks about the starting point of her residency being rooted in the belief that dancing in their living room is something that many people do and enjoy.
She discusses this idea as ‘a universal act that is able to unite people’ and about how for her documenting this act this had the potential to highlight the similarities between people in the context of Albert Drive.
Links
Conversation Point 5: Artist Residencies
Nic Green: Vivarium
Artist Nic Green talks about what has changed since undertaking her residency in the New Victoria Gardens; a hidden allotment site just off Albert Drive. She introduces her process of ‘listening’ and how this practice resulted in the creation of an audio piece for one audience member at a time taking place inside the walls of the Gardens.
Links
Volunteers:
Volunteer Co-ordinator Viviane Hullin and Creative Volunteer Michelle Montgomery- Masters share their experiences of the Volunteer Programme as part of the ALBERT DRIVE Project and it’s aim to offer creative opportunities for local people.
Links
About Viviane Hullin
About Volunteers
About Michelle Montgomery-Masters
Conversation Point 6: Event Weekend
Glas(s) Performance present the idea for ALBERT DRIVE Event Weekend and the aim to create a space in which to bring neighbours together to meet each other. They outline the elements of this event including:
ALBERT DRIVE: Performance
ALBERT DRIVE: Exhibition
ALBERT DRIVE: Shared Meal
The ALBERT DRIVE Neighbourhood Watch
This section also includes a live extract of the Performance and reflections from Shared Meal Producer Viviane Hullin with Lead Artist Rachel O’Neill.
Links
ALBERT DRIVE Event Weekend
ALBERT DRIVE Performance
ALBERT DRIVE Shared Meal
About Glas(s) Performance
Conversation Point 7: Documentation
Project Co-ordinator and Documentary Film-Maker Abigail Howkins discusses the overall approach to documentation of the ALBERT DRIVE Project through the question; How will the ALBERT DRIVE Project be remembered?
Links:
ALBERT DRIVE Documentary
About Glas(s) Performance
About Abigail Howkins
ALBERT DRIVE: Symposium
Big Questions: What can we take forward?
As Facilitator of the Symposium Roanne Dodds leads a discussion around the big ideas and questions that have come out of the project and the experience of the artists and producers involved.
What one thing have you learned from today?
The symposium audience respond to a reflective question at the end of the day
What one thing would you like to see taken forward from today?
The symposium audience respond to a reflective question at the end of the day