Brown Fields Blue Skies

The artists occupied a wasteland over a period of time, erecting temporary architectural structures on the spoiled remains of a once prosperous industrial past at the beginning of its transition into a period of renewal, its evolution into a new form. This was Widnes Waterfront in a liminal state, an uneasy limbo beginning a new phase of its existence.

This project directly engaged with the role of artist’s within the broader public sector regeneration agenda, addressing the artificial division between gallery art, public art and community art.

The research put practice at the centre, the process and development of the “art” was the methodology, performing for the camera in themed temporary fragile structures – “hides”. The erection of the hides were fleeting occupations of contested spaces; they were places to be still, to observe from, to invite people with specialist knowledge to and to undertake various activities: a means to be visible and encounter passers-by and invited specialists. They were constructed places to surface and document new knowledge about place.

The practice (methodology) is responsive to context, physical, social, historical and political etc. The form of the work is a product of these elements being made visible, through action/performance, image as documentation and image as output. The live performance, the disseminated video and print material operate as interventions within the existing orthodox narratives of regeneration in local government and national government policy. The work attempts to be influential, irritating and stimulating to this particular audience.

A leaflet “documenting” the residency (an artwork in its own right) was distributed with copies of Upfront, the Widnes Waterfront newsletter; the video of the performances was disseminated via the Widnes Waterfront website as an intervention in the established dialogue around place making.

Tea were invitated to re-present documentation of BFBS by Director and Head of Visual Arts ICIA, Dr Daniel Hinchcliffe as a contribution to the broader curation theme “Plotting……Arts and Place” ICIA (Institute of Contemporary Interdisciplinary Art) University of Bath 5 March – 12 June 09.