The Sound We Make Together

As published in Broadsheet, September 2010.

Pictured: Harrell Fletcher, Alex Baker (NGV Contemporary Curator) and Herb Patten – Courtesy of NGV Photo Services.

The name Harrell Fletcher may not be instantly recognisable, if at all. But this is not surprising considering the artist’s aversion to the fame and infamy of the art world. Eschewing stardom and everything that comes with it, the American contemporary artist prefers to let his subjects take centre stage, with the artwork based on the aspirations and talents of others. He also enjoys working with people who may not have any background in art whatsoever. Indeed, Fletcher is internationally renowned for facilitating exhibitions and events based on participation and collaborations with people who often have very little to do with the art world.

With a background in photographic studies from the California College of the Arts, Fletcher has worked on dozens of engaging projects, among them a temporary museum based on local lives in a shopping mall, the hugely popular web-based project with Miranda July titled Learning to Love You More, and working with an eight-year-old boy as the principal decision-maker for a public work of art in France. Alex Baker senior curator of the NGV, sums up Fletcher’s appeal well: “He is intriguing because what he calls ‘his art’ is about the relationship he forges with others. Fletcher occupies a particular niche in contemporary art and that’s why he is so successful.”

Baker, who has been following the artist closely for a number of years, comments that Harrell Fletcher’s practice, predicated as it is on generosity and collaboration, can be situated within contemporary and feminist art practices of the 1960s and 1970s. These art practices “appropriated a diversity of social forms of engagement in an attempt to bring art closer to everyday life,” says Baker. He further asserts that Fletcher’s work shares many similarities to 1960s situationist artist Guy Debord in terms of “the critique of passivity, the belief in the importance of the active subject, the critique of the artist as singular author, and the formation of participatory communities”.

September will see Fletcher taking residency in Melbourne for a special project titled The Sound We Make Together (Melbourne). This first-time Australian project will include collaborations with seven Melbourne-based community groups: Arts Project Australia, CERES, Crooked Rib Art, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Grainger Museum, Hell Gallery and RISE, as well as two individual artists, Herb Patten and Jeff Sparrow.

The project is made up of three elements: an installation of NGV Collection works selected by the participants, which will be displayed alongside photographs of those involved taken by Fletcher during his August residency; presentations and performances featuring the participants; and a representation of each participant through reading materials and printed newsletters and books. A selection of posters, zines and videos created by Fletcher over the past decade will also be on display.

In line with Fletcher’s participatory style, The Sound We Make Together (Melbourne) also allows for amateur participation within the professionalised world of curating. “One of the central parameters of the project was to ask the nine participants to select one NGV art work of their choice for inclusion in the exhibition,” explains Baker. “Working with me, each participant was lead through the daunting, but enriching, task of visiting NGV’s vast off-site storage facility and choosing a selection of art works, one which would be placed on view.” Fletcher suggested this integral aspect of the exhibition and the notion that this would be a participatory exercise is firmly situated within what the artist calls “participatory research”.

Frances Lindsay, Deputy Director NGV said, “This project is about access, involving participants of various ages as well as different cultural and professional backgrounds.” The Sound We Make Together (Melbourne) will aim to reveal an aspect of contemporary and historic Melbourne: immigration, art and community, identity, urban agriculture and sustainability, urban history and politics and even music.

Baker does explain that “despite Fletcher’s collaborative generosity, he admits that there is a self-interested aspect to what he does as well: to learn more about a particular place where he will be working – in this instance, Melbourne and the National Gallery of Victoria.” But there is no denying Fletcher’s sincerity in providing people with an opportunity to present something about themselves. “In the end, it is his focus on the lives of average people accessed through an unusual degree of sincerity and generosity that defines his artist mode,” says Baker. “Fletcher’s art is really all about you, rather than all about him.”

The Sounds We Make Together (Melbourne) runs from 11 September 2010 to 30 January 2011 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square.

Semi-Permanent 2010

As published in Broadsheet.

Image: Claire Martin

Now in its eighth year, Semi-Permanent has become an international podium for the sharing of innovative visual ideas in art and design.

By Lieu Thi Pham

Held over a long weekend and part of a global series, the art and design event Semi-Permanent is a bit of a big deal to Melbourne’s design community, or to anyone who has an interest in graphic design, film, art, illustration, web design, stop motion, animation, photography and visual effects.

Reaching a diverse range of industry professionals both here and further afield, Semi-Permanent sits comfortably between the often disparate worlds of diverse and niche interests. The event is diverse because it covers such a variety of creative mediums, and niche because it only showcases exceptional talent. As the event organiser, Design is Kinky’s Murray Bell, contends, “Semi-Permanent is a live experience to start with, but something that will stay with you for years. It’s an experience that you will draw on for inspiration and direction.”

Across four countries and seven cities, Semi-Permanent has become a leading international event of its type – a creative confluence that provides a platform for talented speakers to share their ideas. This is a vast contrast to the event’s first two years, when Bell and co-organiser Andrew Johnstone ran Semi-Permanent out of Johnstone’s bedroom. “My desk was my knees on the floor,” says Bell. “We’re in a great office now, but for the most part it’s still just the two of us.”

The 2010 Semi-Permanent exhibition will again focus on inspiring and educating its audience while featuring top-shelf artists. Bell is looking forward to seeing Melbourne visual artist Leif Podhajsky, who designed artwork for psychedelic rockers Tame Impala. Leif’s “style of design is being referenced on blogs all around the world,” he notes.

Image: Tame Impala by Leif Podhajsky

Locally, there’s also Claire Martin, a social photographer who uses her photos to make insightful commentary of people and communities. Retail architect Kelvin Ho, who has designed over 50 boutique stores around Australia (including Incu, Willow and Sass & Bide), will also feature in the Australian pack. And internationally, the big drawcard is Pixar. “Regardless of whether you want to grow up to be a special effects freak, this will be amazing no doubt,” says Bell.

And yes, this design event is a conference. However, to discount it as just a design conference would be doing it no justice. There’s myriad side events that stem from the Semi-Permanent umbrella, including exhibitions, competitions, workshops and parties. These side event programs will also include fashion workshops, live art jams, events and an exhibition space designed by installation gurus Moth Design, with a pop-up gallery housing the works of 15 leading international artists including Stanley Donwood, Banksy and Shepard Fairey.

“Our side events give Semi-Permanent a festival-like atmosphere with a number of different events running throughout the week,” says Johnstone. “These exhibitions, along with opening and after parties, add extra depth to the overall event, giving attendees a variety of activities to choose from.”

Past speakers over the years have included the Art Director at George Lucas’s world-renowned visual effects agency, American photographer Charlie White and Weta Digitals’ Christian Rivers.

Semi-Permanent is on at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday September 17 and Saturday September 18.

www.semipermanent.com