In what has been termed the ‘share economy’, the ideal of ‘common ownership’ has been perverted by capital to create value through the self-exploitation of the readily sharing prosumer. In this context audiences are always a ‘steward’ of asset value. This R&D project considers how an art institution and collection can be held as a shared asset.
Independent curator Helen Kaplinsky and artist and director of Islington Mill Maurice Carlin will share their research so far into models for ownership and funding from various industries. Key questions will be thrown out for discussion including:
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The collection is an asset that has been standardised and is longer reflective of our current economy. What are the new models out there?
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How might the term #temporarycustodianship be interpreted through institutions and collections?
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In light of the apparent revolution towards a ‘collaborative commons’ economy in which we are each a cottage industry, owning a share in our energy consumption and production, how do we share whilst avoiding self-exploitation?
Independent curator Helen Kaplinsky and artist and director of Islington Mill Maurice Carlin invite a discussion concerning buildings and community assets arising from their experience working with arts organisation Islington Mill (North-west England). The project has been defined by an approach of “open space architecture” in which the community defines activity within the building. In parallel with the #temporarycustodianship, the Islington Mill community are already shared custodians (or stewards) of the building. However, it is currently owned out-right by one individual and they are seeking to transfer the asset of the building over to a shared ownership model which is as yet undefined. As part of this they are researching models that will enable power to be spread across institutions, one example being liquid democracy (utilised by the Pirate Party who run their UK HQ from Islington Mill).
The following questions will be addressed:
1)What does a steward/ custodian look like?
2)What are the organisational blue prints for retaining a power share across a community of custodians/ stewards?
3)How might the question of the building as an asset be considered within the wider ecology of sharing of assets?
Date: 2014-10-24 14:30:00 - 2014-10-24 14:30:00, Europe/London Time.
