Capital ideas

Paul Stone

‘Capital’ is both an exhibition and a response to the current cultural climate in Newcastle. In case you missed it, have been away or are not from around these parts, changes are afoot. Newcastle and Gateshead are bidding to be European Capital of Culture in 2008 and summer 2002 sees the long-awaited opening of BALTIC, The Centre for Contemporary Art at the centre of the show-piece regeneration of Gateshead Quays linked across the Tyne to Newcastle by the architecturally acclaimed Gateshead Millennium Bridge. To work as an artist in Newcastle upon Tyne at this particular moment is a challenging proposition.

We have been here before – sort of – with Visual Arts UK (VAUK) in 1996. Funding-led, it was a year-long ‘celebration of the visual arts’ across the five northern English counties of Cumbria, County Durham, Northumberland, Teesside and Tyne and Wear. VAUK’s legacy persists today in many ways. If you have faith in statistics, evaluation of VAUK revealed a hitherto untapped audience hungry for the visual arts in the region. A pragmatic view of VAUK is that it can be seen as a Good Thing in that there was some interesting art. What it failed to deliver was quite the amount or quality of opportunities for artists who actually lived and worked in region with a number of ‘high-profile’ artists parachuted in for the proceedings. It was clear that if they were to be seen and heard at all then more than a little ingenuity and self-determination were to be employed.

Reactions to the events of 1996 provided an impetus for those artists who felt excluded to create their own opportunities. There were a variety of events during the year initiated by artists and a tangible increase in artists simply just talking to each other. It is from such simple communication that more concrete action results – and into just such a climate that Vane was born. From the impetus of a few individuals, a larger group of almost fifty artists was corralled into action. To say this grouping was informal is to put it mildly. Having heard of Vane through word-of-mouth, I remember attending those very first meetings – held in a room above a pub – at the start of 1997. It wasn’t always clear who was in charge and many of us – including myself – just fell into adopting particular roles or responsibilities. The results though were manifold, and five years down the line ‘Capital’ is but the latest outcome.

Five years can seem like a long time in the history of a city and its artists – but this could be seen as an indicator of how much has happened in such a relatively short time. A decision was made to hold four annual events between 1997 and 2000, open to all artists that wanted to take part. ‘Vane97’ took place in the summer of that year. A grouping of thirteen small exhibitions, open studios and other events, it was very much a shoestring affair. It was easy to have missed it altogether. As David Butler wrote in his essay in the Vane2000 catalogue, ‘‘‘Vane97’ looks small and lost within the city of Newcastle... But it provided a map for the future – though not an easy one to navigate.’’ This is not to downgrade its achievements. Promoted solely by a rudimentary map of projects and a lot of word-of-mouth, the event attracted audiences of several thousands. Without donning rose-coloured spectacles, most of us who were there fondly remember the feeling of everyone pulling together to make something happen. In retrospect it is unrealistic to expect – or, indeed, desire – to repeat or sustain such an experience. Moving to October the following year, ‘Vane98’ attracted more funding, more artists and higher expectations. By the time of ‘Vane2000’, many of those involved – artists and organisers – were in agreement that, having fulfilled its original commitment, if Vane should continue at all then something had to change. The cracks were beginning to show and the pressure to be all things to all people or a representative of all north east artists, was something that had been neither encouraged nor desired.

The notion that such a thing as a definable regional art exists is problematic, though this expectation is one that has been projected upon Vane – rather than invited – many times in the past by both artists and audiences. Skipping over whether such a thing is indeed even possible to achieve, I certainly don’t think it is a duty that should be willingly embraced. Insularity is not a strength in any field of endeavour, rather, it tends to restrict and stifle creativity. Culturally, too much of Newcastle’s near-recent history has been dogged by being satisfied with its lot. By adopting a sticking-plaster approach to cover the cracks, sadly, much creative wealth has been allowed to be extracted and exported, with the chances of achieving any kind of recognition on home ground being slight to non-existent. Perhaps the patient had to be in a near-terminal decline before this state of affairs was addressed with any real sense of meaning business. The undeniably bold developments – cultural and otherwise – on the banks of the Tyne and elsewhere in the city are only the most visible and publicity-friendly manifestations of an area that has everything to gain. No doubt many of the aspirations that such initiatives represent can be achieved and there would appear to be a genuine public hunger for, and anticipation of, what might be about to happen.

But things could go either way. Whatever happens, a great many artists will still remain committed to living and working in the area. One big art gallery is a (very welcome) bonus but it is misguided to base one’s hopes purely on bricks and mortar and one year (of anything) is a short interval in any history or lifetime. Though less tangible or quantifiable – sometimes even to those who are publicly entrusted to be concerned with such matters – there has been a demonstrable shift in attitudes of artists based in the region. Whether originally from here or having moved from elsewhere, an increasing number are establishing reputations for themselves beyond the confines of the ‘local’. Interestingly, several of the artists exhibiting in ‘Capital’ have used the fact that they are not ‘native’ to the area as a starting point for their work. Without being so arrogant as to claim that such activity never happened five years ago – or hasn’t always done so – I do feel Vane has played a significant role in this along with a handful of other groupings of artists in the area.

‘Capital’ is the first project from Vane as a re-focused organisation. Vane the event, festival – it was never quite clear what to call it – is in the past. Superficially, ‘Capital’ may initially appear as being ‘New Vane’, but the intention is to present a variety of projects throughout the year. The weight of different people’s expectations is heavy. That is a troublesome path for any one organisation to take. Vane was not born in opposition to anything, although it might be seen as being reactive to circumstances at the time of its formation. The challenge now is to build on what it has achieved and to be more proactive. On a straightforward level it means Vane must negotiate its survival with a variety of public and private funders, all of whom have their own, sometimes conflicting, agendas. A significant proportion of the funding for ‘Capital’ comes from the National Lottery – in that sense Vane is no different to projects such as the BALTIC. Likewise, Vane works with urban regeneration bodies to realise different projects. Such bodies tend to have a limited lifespan with fixed objectives. Hopefully, Vane will continue, though its aims will change and its activities adapt according to circumstances.

As is the case with Newcastle, if Vane wants to be seen as a worthy cultural player, it also has to fight to establish its relevance and position within a wider arena – be that regionally, nationally or internationally – and that is a never-ending task. To this end, Vane has plans to work with artists from a variety of places. Indeed, the twenty-seven artists showing their work in ‘Capital’ may be ‘Newcastle artists’, but this is ultimately inadequate as a definition. No such thing really exists. This is not purely due to literal geographical definitions of where they live or were born or because some of the artists involved may spend more of their time working away from the city. What all have in common is their connection and commitment to the area and I believe ‘Capital’ and the Newcastle art scene is all the richer for that.

I started by saying that to work as an artist in Newcastle upon Tyne at this particular moment is a challenging proposition. The challenge is that, whatever else happens, if one way ‘capital’ can be defined is as ‘the centre’, then Newcastle is currently the centre of these artists’ working practices. It’s all about creating a context within which to operate. The centre is also a place from which to work outwards from. The actuality of this situation exists regardless of – though not unaffected by – whatever else is happening elsewhere in the city. When deciding – where else, but during a conversation in a pub – to call this project ‘Capital’, it was not without the realisation that the whole exercise could be seen as somewhat quixotic. But why should artists – or anyone else for that matter – have to wait for official sanctioning to celebrate their culture when they’ve already been doing it for years?

Flying in the face of the perceived reality of practising as an artist in Newcastle, ‘Capital’ also functions on one level as an assertion of what is possible when where you operate is not regarded as the centre, but as somewhere marginal or peripheral. This is not just a perception held by ‘outsiders’ but, sadly, also by some closer to home. A challenge to this, ‘Capital’ is also a declaration of intent; a declaration containing differing viewpoints perhaps, but nevertheless one that still contains an affirmation of a common objective. If I had to pick one characteristic that distinguishes (rather than defines) Newcastle I would say it is the prioritising of passion over romanticism. This manifests itself not only in the most obvious ways – be that a love of football, partying or an ability to wear the minimum of clothes in sub-zero temperatures – but also in a desire to move forwards without undue sentimentality for the past. Any previous weaknesses in artistic vision and direction paradoxically allow for the opportunity to start from scratch and set a new agenda.

Paul Stone is a co-director of Vane