The Art of Regeneration: the Establishment and Development of the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, 1985–2010
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The Art of Regeneration: the establishment and development of the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, 1985–2010 Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Jane Clayton School of Architecture, University of Liverpool August 2012 iii Abstract The Art of Regeneration: the establishment and development of the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, 1985-2010 Jane Clayton This thesis is about change. It is about the way that art organisations have increasingly been used in the regeneration of the physical environment and the rejuvenation of local communities, and the impact that this has had on contemporary society. This historical analysis of the development of a young art organisation, the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), which has previously not been studied in depth, provides an original contribution to knowledge with regard to art and culture, and more specifically the development of media and community art practices, in Britain. The nature of FACT’s development is assessed in the context of the political, socio- economic and cultural environment of its host city, Liverpool, and the organisation is placed within broader discourses on art practice, cultural policy, and regeneration. The questions that are addressed – of local responsibility, government funding and institutionalisation – are essential to an understanding of the role that publicly funded organisations play within the institutional framework of society, without which the analysis of the influence of the state on our cultural identity cannot be achieved. The research was conducted through the triangulation of qualitative research methods including participant observation, in-depth interviews and original archival research, and the findings have been used to build upon the foundations of the historical analysis and critical examination of existing literature in the fields of regeneration and culture, art and media, and museum theory and practice. This research concludes that FACT, in its establishment and development, has been heavily influenced by the unique local conditions of Liverpool, and by wider national policy, and it asserts that the organisation’s growth was aided by its location in a city that was in receipt of increasing levels of financial support after the social unrest of the early-1980s, throughout New Labour’s policies of ‘social inclusion,’ and following the award of European Capital of Culture status in 2003. Intrinsically linked to these funding opportunities was the process of institutionalisation that FACT has undergone, and the rebranding of the organisation in 1997 and opening of the FACT Centre in 2003 are cited as the main reasons for the redefinition of the organisation’s aims and objectives. These claims are supported by the interrogation of the Video Positive festivals, the Collaboration Programme and the Moving Image Touring and Exhibitions Service, sub- brands which comprised FACT’s core offer prior to the opening of the FACT Centre. The changes that have taken place within each of these projects is identified as symptomatic of the power of national funding and government policy, the changing technological environment and the production and consumption of art. v Acknowledgements This thesis is the result of three years hard work, and without the following people, it would not have been possible. To Prof. Mark Swenarton, my most sincere thanks for picking up a project that was already well underway, and for helping get it to completion. Your support and kindness, and critical eye, has been of immeasurable value, and I am extremely grateful. To Prof. Jonathan Harris, my thanks for providing this wonderful opportunity, giving invaluable guidance and advice, and doing the hard work of securing funding from the AHRC. At the University of Liverpool, my thanks to Prof. Andre Brown, Prof. Barry Gibbs and Dr. Richard Koeck for their support, to Marion Winsor for always knowing the answer, and to Craig Staples, Dr. Alexandrina Buchanan and Linda Crane for their help and expertise. My thanks to all at FACT, and especially to Mike Stubbs for the opportunity, to Karen Newman for essential early guidance and to Liz, Omar, Jen and Julia for help with Rewire. I have never known a group of people work so hard, and with such dedication. To all those who so generously gave their time and memories during interviews, my most sincere thanks: Josie Barnard, Eddie Berg, Bryan Biggs, Lewis Biggs, David Curtis, Alan Dunn, Sarah Fisher, Patrick Fox, Clive Gillman, Ceri Hand, Lisa Haskel, Gillian Henderson, Jackie Morrissey, Alexis Redmond, Simon Robertshaw and Mike Stubbs. My particular gratitude to Clive and Josie for sharing their personal archives, and to Lisa for a very enjoyable lunch. To my friends and family who have been so supportive over the last three years, and provided both advice and much needed distractions in equal measure. My particular love and thanks to Helen, Isabel, Lynda and Kevin, and to my friends at the University of Liverpool – especially Antoinette and Judith for their guidance and kindness, and to Nick, Junjie, Mike and Ataa, who made this experience so enjoyable. Going to work will never be so much fun. Thank you. To Matthew, who has been there throughout the last three years, and has had to put up with a great deal. Fortunately, his patience far surpasses my own. For everything, far beyond last minute editing, thank you. And finally, to my Dad, who introduced me to the wonderful city of Liverpool, taught me to love the blue half, and has always given so generously and without condition. You continue to be my best friend and inspiration and, as usual, none of this would have been possible without you. My Master’s thesis was for Mum, this one is definitely for you. vii Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgements v Contents vii List of Acronyms xi List of Figures xiii Introduction Situating the Research 3 Research Questions 4 Methodology 5 Participant Observation 8 Interviews 10 Historical Archival Research 12 A Brief History of FACT 15 Thesis Structure 18 1. Context 1.1 Literature Review 27 1.1.1 Introduction 27 1.1.2 The City 29 The Changing City 29 Culture and Regeneration 31 1.1.3 The Art 33 Art and Art History 33 Media and Media Art 36 1.1.4 The Institution 40 Museums and Galleries 40 Museums and Society 42 Institutions and Institutionalisation 46 1.1.5 Conclusion 48 viii 1.2 Historical and Cultural Context 51 1.2.1 Introduction 51 1.2.2 Context: Liverpool 52 An Economic History 52 Economic Difficulties and Decline 54 Associated Social Problems 57 British Politics in the 1980s 60 Michael Heseltine and the MDC 63 1.2.3 Context: Art 68 Fluxus and the Birth of Media Art 68 Media Art in Britain 72 Funding Media Art 76 1.2.4 Context: Institutions 78 The Role of Museums 78 The Growing Importance of Media 81 1.2.5 Context: Liverpool’s Art Institutions 82 2. FACT’s Sub-Brands 2.1 Art: Video Positive 89 2.1.1 Art Festivals 89 2.1.2 A History of Video Positive 93 2.1.3 Funding Video Positive 97 2.1.4 Video Positive or Negative? 100 2.1.5 Setting a Precedent 105 2.2 Community: Collaboration Programme 111 2.2.1 Community Arts in Liverpool 111 2.2.2 A History of the Collaboration Programme 116 2.2.3 The tenantspin Project 119 2.2.4 tenantspin Aims and Achievements 124 2.2.5 Lessons from the Collaboration Programme 129 ix 2.3 Media: Moving Image Touring and Exhibition Service 135 2.3.1 Presenting Media Art 135 2.3.2 Funding and Policy 139 2.3.3 A History of MITES 141 2.3.4 Impact and Future Prospects 144 3. FACT’s Identity and Impact 3.1 Institution: Building the FACT Brand 149 3.1.1 Rebranding Moviola 149 3.1.2 New Labour, New Aims 153 3.1.3 From Agency to Institution 158 3.2 Regeneration: The FACT Centre 161 3.2.1 Cultural Quarters and Museums 161 3.2.2 The MICE Project and Its Precedents 167 3.2.3 The FACT Centre 174 3.2.4 Building or Artwork? 178 3.2.5 Evaluation: Successes and Failures 182 3.3 City: FACT and the Regeneration of Liverpool 187 3.3.1 Introduction 187 3.3.2 Liverpool Before European Capital of Culture 187 3.3.3 European Capital of Culture and Glasgow 1990 192 3.3.4 Bidding for European Capital of Culture 194 3.3.5 FACT’s Role in Liverpool 2008 201 3.3.6 Understanding Cultural Legacy 205 x Conclusion Revisiting the Research Aims 213 Answers to the Research Questions 214 Research Question 1 214 Research Question 2 217 Research Question 3 220 Research Question 4 222 Research Question 5 224 Reasons for the Rise of FACT 227 Concluding Reflections 229 Bibliography References 237 Web References 257 Image References 264 Archival Material and Interviews 270 xi List of Acronyms ACE Arts Council (of) England ACGB Arts Council of Great Britain AFVC Artists’ Film and Video Committee AHRC Arts and Humanities Research Council AND Abandon Normal Devices Ars Ars Electronica ASL Austin-Smith:Lord BFI British Film Institute CDA Collaborative Doctoral Award DCA Dundee Contemporary Arts DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport ECoC European Capital of Culture ERDF European Regional Development Fund EU European Union FACT Foundation for Art and Creative Technology FVB Film, Video and Broadcasting department FVU Film and Video Umbrella HAT Housing Action Trust HEI Higher Education Institution HRTG High-Rise Tenants Group ICA Institute of Contemporary Arts ICOM International Council of Museums ISEA International Symposium for the Electronic Arts ITEM Institute for Technical Exhibition Management LARC Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium xii LFMC London Filmmakers Co-operative LHAT Liverpool Housing Action Trust LVA London Video Arts MDC Merseyside Development Corporation MICE Moving Image Centre for Exhibition MIDA Moving Image Development Agency MITES Moving Image Touring and Exhibition Service Nesta National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts NIVF National Independent Video Festival NMGM National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside NML National Museums Liverpool RAB Regional Arts Board RFO Regularly Funded Organisation SMAC Small and Medium Arts Collective UDC Urban Development Corporation yBa young British artists ZKM Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie xiii List of Figures Fig.