BIG CHALLENGE BLOGS
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Rich McEachran - Portsmouth
100 cameras, 100 people, 1 exhibition. So this is the strapline for the project. The funding has now gone through and I'm starting to hand out the cameras. The idea is that each young person must take photos of an element of their life that is individual/important to them.
02/06/2010 18:26:00
Project Meeting
I met up with Rich last week to see how the project is going and was very impressed with his progress so far. The cameras are beginning to come back and the photos are really interesting.
He told me about various opportunities for an exhibition venue and seems on top of the event planning. Its great to hear that he has now secured one of these venues and has set a date for the show! The task will now be to continue collecting in the cameras and designing the exhibition.
Another great opportunity that we discussed was the possibility of teaming up with a local are and culture magazine to create a bespoke issue led by the disposable perspective project. If this goes ahead I think it will be a great opportunity for the project and will help it reach a wider audience. It may also contribute to the sustainability for the project by providing extra revenue to carry it on.
Overall, rich and everyone involved are doing a great job and I'm looking forward to the final result at the end of June.
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22/04/2010 19:09:00
update!
ok so an update on how things are progressing!
the past few weeks have been sort of frantic hunting for a suitable exhibition space. whereby it would be great to have any, if you choose somewhere that is in an inconvenient place then it will limit the target audience. but today an interesting opportunity arose. you may have heard of the empty shops network?! you may not have done though. so quite simply, what they do, is take old shops that have been vacant for a certain period of time and regenerate them, turning them in to something more integrated within in the local community. so the interesting opportunity that has come to my attention is the setting up of one of these [pop-up] shops in Portsmouth's city centre (about a minute's walk from where I used to work). i've emailed across a proposal. i've asked for a 2 week slot sometime within the next 3-5 months. hopefully i'm successful, because these types of set-ups offer a break from the traditional exhibition. they are quirky and experimental. if i manage to secure it then i hope that it will be more of an interactive exhibition where those browsing can take away a camera and be part of the project itself!
finally due to the savings on cameras and the developments, then i have decided that it is only fair that the photos get a better home. so i set up a site (for less than £50 for the year). the platform i'm using is tailored towards those in the art & design industries, but it does give any visitors a nicer browsing experience!
the main site will continually be used, but mainly for informative and liaising purposes.
that's all for now!
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13/04/2010 15:55:00
excuse the lack of posts...!
ok so been a bit slack recently with the blogging!
so how are thing are going?!
the cameras are gradually coming back to me, with some really interesting shots and concepts!
hopefully we may soon be selling prints of some of the photos in a local art shop (http://www.wallspacearts.com/)
which would be awesome for the project! we may also be looking at other quirky ways to distribute the art, maybe through coasters, and even t-shirts, but of course this would be an experiment and would depend on the success of selling the prints!
i have also started designing the arty photobook which will supplement the project... this should be available in cafes and shops throughout southsea around mid-Summer... i am also considering making an e-book, a cheaper option which would fill the gap created by the ever growing digital media, but of course current e-readers on the mainstream market are only black & white. another way to use digital media is by possibly creating an itune application which would allow you to flick through the photograhy, randomly or in categories. i have a few contacts and old school friends who may be able to sort this out for me (for free hopefully!)
i am hoping to get involved in a mini-charity exhibition in may, with art to be exhibited for just one day, in portsmouth uni art building. however the guy who is organising it has sorta gone AWOL which is annoying, but chasing him up and trying to get a final confirmation.
as for a main exhibition. the two main galleries in portsmouth (aspex & art space) are way out of my league and financial zone, whilst the portsmouth uni space (funnily enough, called 'space') really enjoyed my proposal, but unfortunately they are due to close at the end of the academic year as they are relocating to another site sometime early next year. of course there still is the third floor arts centre at the city's main library but it's kinda in a place where people wouldn't go by choice as, despite being in the heart of the student/shopping area, it is out of the way. i've decided i need to make maximum impact. i am looking at the idea of having several one off exhibitions i propose to get involved in 'love albert road day' & even 'southsea fest' (local music festival raising money for charity). doing this is not just fulfilling the aim of exhibiting photography, but it also reflects the integration of the project within the community, and that it is for a good cause. anyway more updates on this next month!
finally, i forgot to mention, the website has been redesigned. the old look was colourful and snazzy, but as the project has developed i have realised that it has found a nice niche in which it fits nicely. the new look is very minimal and to the point, as i believe this is essential in catering for a wider audience!
i think that's about it.. check out the current developed photos at http://www.disposableperspectives.org/
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04/03/2010 16:35:00
Busy, busy, busy!
So what's been going on in the past month?!
1) I've started to hand out the cameras, and should start getting a few back too within in a couple of weeks!
2) After sending out a semi-press release to local art/culture ventures in and around Southsea, the project has gained some worthy recognition. One person who contacted me is a guy who is soon to take up a position at the council in the youth department and told me he would love to hear more about what my project, and myself in general, have to offer!
3) I decided to set up a photo blog using tumblr. as it was an easy and convenient (and free!) way to host all the photos from the 100 cameras. I have uploaded a few sample photos to give the blog a little sparkle, until I start getting cameras developed. The blog resides at: http://www.disposableperspectives.org!
4) Two old school mates have now been assigned the task of doing some promotional material for me, so they being the fancy art students they are, are going to cook up some wacky yet serious posters/flyers! As a venue has not been confirmed yet the posters are merely trying to draw attention to the project as a whole, and spark some more intrigue and interest in it.
5) The exhibition is going to take place in September/October. The likely choice is the arts centre above the city library. It's free and hassle free too, as the library/council installs the exhibition themselves, which means I won't incur any further costs!
6) I have been considering the possibility of setting this project up as a sustainable one. The model I've drawn up is that I will sell prints at a 40% markup; 75% of any income will go back in to the project and the other 25% will go towards a community cause. This gives the project a 5% profit to make it sustainable. From what people have said to me, they would buy in to a project/concept if they knew that a good slice of the money was going to a worthwhile cause. The community cause in question would be shortlisted nearer the time and even put to a public vote. This is something I aim to discuss with the council in the near future!
I had also considered the possibility of giving each of the young persons involved a 5% profit of any sale of one of their photos, and 20% to the community. But instead I aim to keep the money circling in the project, and give those who contributed an incentive, such as a free print.
...of course to ensure that this would be a success I aim to do a dummy run of selling prints during the summer.
7) If this proposed model of sustainability was to happen I hope to have an evening of 'browse and buy' in one of the local pubs and cafes. This could be a handy stepping stone leading up to a main exhibition, and could help draw more people towards the project than previously imagined.
Finally... I have just been accepted on to a new initiative run by Enterprise UK and Virgin Media (http://www.virginmediapioneers.com/) as one of 100 beta testers. One of the perks is a free video camera, and whilst it might not be a flashy one, it will definitely come in handy and allow me to document the progress of the project in a more meaningful way. Also got some ideas for some quirky viral videos exploring art and culture in the city. Watch this space!
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29/01/2010 21:54:00
100 cameras, 100 people, 1 exhibition
So this is the strapline for the project. The funding has now gone through and I'm starting to hand out the cameras. The idea is that each young person must take photos of an element of their life that is individual/important to them. The list is growing and growing, and so far got themes ranging from living in the LGBT community to creating art projects through the use of empty spaces. A comprehensive list will be posted later.
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29/01/2010 21:48:00
website up and running
Apologies for the lack of blogging recently... anyway the website is up and running (www.thecultureflashgallery.com). This site will act as a creative portal/showcase for the project. 've taken hours designing it, but finally after much deliberation I've gone for a quirky yet urban design. Here's a screenshot of the main page:
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15/12/2009 18:32:00
POSSIBLE VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION?!
Ok, so this morning I had a meeting with a guy called Mark Lewis, who runs the Art Lodge in Southsea, and is also responsible for most of the murals you see in and around Portsmouth.Firstly, the Art Lodge is small and quirky, and is a cafe morphed with an exhibition. Mark said that it was the only official social enterprise in Portsmouth that addresses the creative needs of local youths. With that in mind it seemed a fitting venue to put on an exhibition.The meeting itself went well. I was expecting a free booking there and then, however it will involve some (but minimal costs). To find this out put me on the back burner for a few seconds but at about £15 a week it should not be sniffed at. Mark mentioned other opportunities he could help me with such as PA, contacting local press, getting cheaper flyers and posters printed too. So for now it's not a definite no. I shall keep looking around for other possible venues, but after the new year if I have few options, then baring in mind the project's time frame, then I may have to go with it. More to follow though...!As for the art space itself, it is smallish, and even though the installation of the photos could be affected I still think it is a suitable option. Mainly because the venue lies in the city centre and at the heart of the community. It would also benefit more from a project like mine, and would also bring more people to the Lodge that previously might have not even known it was there. In the past 8 years the Lodge has only received £1500, whilst the two major galleries, funded by Arts Council England, have received millions. It is the smaller venues that need local support, and that is why I am partially attracted to it.
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15/12/2009 17:23:00
£3000 FUNDING & BIG CHALLENGE RESIDENTIAL
Culture Flash started off as a small idea that was entered into a competition (Big Challenge) to win funding, just because my internship was boring me and I needed something else to fill my time. Now it has turned into something bigger. When I entered I never really considered the possibility of winning and what I would do with the money if I did; I was grateful to even be shortlisted as one of 31 entries from an initial 150.
However having won the money (£3000) it has really encouraged me to develop my idea in to more than just a one-off exhibition. The creative juices were flowing even more after a weekend away in Chester (4-6th December) where I met the other 14 winners. It was a great to share our experiences and ideas with each other. The weekend was also a chance to meet our "YLT buddy". The YLT [Youth Leadership Team] are a group of 16-25 year olds who are volunteering for the Big Challenge and part of their role is to assist the prize winners during their journey of making their projects reality. I have been paired up with Elly. Over the coming months she will be helping me by designing the project logo and the website, helping me plan the exhibition logistically and artistically and general support. She will also be contributing to this blog, so you get an idea of how the project is progressing for both of us.
That's all for now folks.
Rich
THE PRIZE WINNERS & YLT AT THE BIG CHALLENGE RESIDENTIAL
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