Back in March and April of 2012, Vancouver collective Instant Coffee did a seven week marathon of events under the rubic of an anniversary show at The Western Front. I went to nearly everything and did a closing interview with them. The results of this research are currently in the Fall 2012 issue of C Magazine on “Participation.” You can get copies here.
Below are some transcribed notes and quotes that did not all make it into the final cut.
We give importance to hosting, there is a volatile risk in hosting, unpredictable, no accident to display we invited curators, it’s a concerted effort, a very rewarding experience, can’t deny our own pleasure in it, ambiance, those moments, we host for ourselves, fulfill the agenda, boils down to duration not super prescribed to social sculpture.
A power to do is to do over and over again, we use language of colour formally, aphorisms and marketing advertising, slogans, early on based on FILE/G.I., that vocabulary to carry these messages through, to mimic success is to use the slogans,
we are enticed, how they are sold, making it our own, making it better, have nothing to sell, signs that say nothing in bright colours, we are in love with the language of sales, the fluorescent orange sale sticker, it is fantastic, we are drawn to it and we can’t deny it.
Our name is a particular product, less contrived, feels a sustainable way to make work, not responds to a work, not responding to a trend, it’s a way of being in the world, we wanted to do all of the above
16 Beavers and IC more on the same bill
we have been having discussions like this from the beginning, though more interns in NY were interested in working with social artists, renewed interest or constant stream
there is more workshops and pedagogy from institutions, they don’t trust audiences, education to justify working models of pedagogy into art, says a lot about our time,
Free is personal, Paid is impersonal, though validates it (Ydessa charged $4 or was it free?)
Get a call from a friend complaining how it costs $55 to take her family to go see Paul Klee, (that’s outrageous) that’s NOT outrageous, you know how much it costs to bring that in?! And fuck you for even wanting to go see Paul Klee
