DISCLAIMER: Apologies if you have already read this in my blog. It was originally intended for the review section but I made a mistake

Fly Eric Symposia series - Changing perceptions of what artists can do

NO. 3: Expanding possibilities for artists’ professional practice
and opportunities for artists in industry

I have a small confession: I am completely and utterly out of the loop. A little bird informed me that in the professional art world that just will not do. In an effort to correct the damages of my hermit-like existence I decided to attend the last of the Fly Eric series which was held at Manchester’s Castlefield Gallery. The idea behind the Fly Eric symposium series is to encourage open and informed discussion into issues concerning contemporary artistic practise. The third of the series can be succinctly described by its own descriptive if not distinctly unwieldy title: ‘Expanding possibilities for artists’ professional practice and opportunities for artists in industry’. In other words: the perfect remedy to correct my bad habits and to gain some fresh insight and inspiration to kick-start my practise again.

The event began with the eloquent Mitra Memarzia. Mitra is an artist who aims to maintain a socially engaged practice which is expressed through a wide variety of media. Considering the scope of her practise she did make the perfect chairperson for this event. In her opening talk Mitra discussed the need to rethink the way we consider the word ‘industry’ in the artistic professional practise. The word ‘industry’ can be perceived negatively, conjuring up images of people working towards some common yet ultimately soulless goal of a mass commercial enterprise. However perhaps as artists engaged in professional practise we should remember that our enterprise should not be focused solely on the commercial but inspired by the social. This became a common theme and presented itself through the work of the three speakers, all practitioners whose focus is not on the sale of art objects, but on utilising their artistic skills to become essential components in communities, whether those communities are structured around the electronic, the environment or the modern career based family.

The first speaker was Hazel Grian. Grians career is pretty hard to categorise even in the capricious creative career market. Her diverse career has included theatre and writing but it was her experiences in the early nineties that set her on her current path. Looking to find a new creative outlet that would allow her writing to reach new audiences, a tip from a friend instigated her to look into the world of Alternative Reality Gaming. If, dear reader, you happen to be like me and are rather unfamiliar with the links between blogging and gaming, allow me a quick explanation. Alternative Reality Gaming is a form of story telling that utilises cutting edge digital and social networking technology. The story is often elusive and mysterious and if the reader wants to know more they must seek it out through the resources available on the internet. The Alternative Reality Blog Grian created soon lead to a huge and dedicated following. Grians success ultimately resulted in her working for big name companies, creating storylines and finding innovative ways in which to communicate with her audience. This communication was particularly inspiring. Hazel is hyper aware of her audience, she respects their needs, is constantly on the look out for new communication devices all while retaining her own originality.

After a brief break involving much over indulgence in free cakes the symposium continued with Richard Layzell. Layzell and Grians practise superficially seems entirely different. Layzells practise rarely concentrates on that of the digital world, his practise concentrates on human realities, relying on interventions and humour to create events that naturally seems to create a stir. However they do share common ground and the success of their work stems from these mutual concerns. Like Grian, Layzell creates modern myths with his work. He designs humorous situations that take the audience from the everyday and provide a talking point. He allows the viewer the opportunity to have a shared experience with a wider social group. For example Layzell has previously worked as an artist in residence for a well known I.T company. During his time there he got to know the individual members of staff.