X Presents...
Recently described as the ‘recession generation’, if you haven’t already, you will shortly do your time as a NEET (not in employment, education or training). The old joke – ‘What do you say to an arts graduate?’ – ‘Big Mac and fries please’ – reaches never experienced levels of amusement at this point in time.
X presents…is borne out of recession generation anger, but we like to think of ourselves as constructively angry. Having received numerous rejections and even greater numbers of non-replies from prospective employees, we decided enough was enough, and there you have it - X presents… arrived.
X presents… is a creative project led by Sarah Walters and Emily Whitebread. We want to empower emerging artists and writers from the bottom up. Exasperated at the lack of support for recent arts graduates, in fact we can probably extend that to all graduates, we decided to create our own support network. We were shocked to wake one morning to find our government had snatched our money with one hand and booted us out of the door with the other foot. Reality check: Now, unless you are extremely lucky or well connected no one is going to help you, no one will hand you an opportunity on a plate. With an ever-increasing educated population size (baby boom, immigration, later retirement, higher numbers into further education) the fight is well and truly on! But hang on, rather than scrap for a few unpaid internships why don’t we join together and help one another? Let's forget making coffee for the institution’s full time for free, lets stop the bitching and do something constructively angry…
Our first project ‘X presents…Heart of Dixie UK’ ran from the 24th September – 1st October 2009. Held in an empty commercial property in the London Borough of Havering, we provided a platform for 21 artists and writers to present their ideas, reflections and rebellions on today’s society. Providing a space in which to showcase new talent the building also became symbolic of the suffering capitalist society and a sign of both the struggles and possibilities that the new generation faces. As curators we felt it important to maintain the essence of the former shop, using the name and existing d?cor. Left with a strange purple, butterfly ridden space the exhibition functioned as more than just a high street gallery.
Practically, we managed to twist the councils arm and get the space for free. But seriously, what council wouldn’t want a group of people willing to work for free, scrubbing and painting every surface in the place? Yes, we scrubbed for free and yes we supported ourselves by flipping some burgers. In no shape or form do we agree with the slave labour policy adopted by all in the arts sector – it must change – but it will only change if we stop complaining and take action.
Scrubbing enabled us to provide the artists and writers with a forum to present their work, free of charge. Free of charge is key to our ethos – we can’t all afford to pay for the privilege of showing our work, and it doesn’t seem fair that only those of us with heavy wallets get to continue our practice. ‘X presents…Heart of Dixie UK’ became a really interesting space for people to discuss and work through their issues constructively. Works shown included Kate Blandford’s ‘Burberry Warfare’ and Sally Mumby – Croft and Natalie Dray’s text ‘We want to do something’. The topics raised ranged from unpaid internships to commercialism to socially decaying societies.
In one week we held four community workshops. Oh no…there it is… the community word. X presents… believes that it is mutually beneficial to work with the community. In this case artists were able to extend their practices through workshops as well as acquiring that all so important experience for the CV. ‘X presents…Heart of Dixie UK’ gave us a chance to throw ourselves into the local community rather than sit on the outskirts. We generated excitement in the area and in return that excitement spurred on our work. Community workshops can be more than hoops to jump through for funding – they can be creative, original and generous.
Our next project, ‘X presents…Exchange Studios’ extends all that we have learnt in ‘X presents…Heart of Dixie UK’. Having had an overwhelming interest since the closure of ‘X presents…Heart of Dixie UK’ we have decided to run a space that revolves around exchange. Again, aiming to empower emerging artists and writers, we will propose alternative economies in which to trade ideas, skills, space and time. X presents…aim to give artists and writers studio and exhibition space in return for their time and skills rather than money. ‘X presents…Exchange Studios’ will also provide the space for talks, courses and seminars to take place, always encouraging the dialogue of emerging artists and writers.
We are currently in the process of putting together a detailed proposal and chasing funding opportunities for the project to make X presents…Exchange Studios a reality.
We are extremely hopeful for the future of X presents… and feel that our work is not only important in raising relevant discussion among the young, to be heard by all; but also in providing upcoming artists with a stage on which to communicate. Rather than producing projects with aspirations of fame and fortune, X presents…demands that young creative’s should finally be listened to. Optimism and positivity are now the key mindsets that we must adopt.
If you would like to get involved with X presents… in anyway please email us at xpresents@hotmail.com or check out our website http://www.xpresents.co.uk for further exhibition opportunities. We welcome collaboration, ideas and support.
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