I really don’t think there’s a future in the current state-funded arts model. It’s a closed-shop of leftist beliefs and cosy sinecures. That’s not to say some good art doesn’t get produced, but rather the good art is politically curated and culturally limited in scope, and massively outnumbered by the culture-by-numbers dross that earns a tiny group of people a safe living.
We need to bypass this extremely limited model and strike out towards new, often strange, shores. This is already being done to a degree, via platforms such as substack, the rise of podcasting, and the withering of the established media and its established worldview.
I’m not sure what this will involve in totality, but I’m sure it will happen quicker when we completely abandon our the old model.
When I arrived here in 1999 lots of grassroots stuff was happening- I think partly aided by the fact that life itself was cheaper. Like you point out space itself is prohibitive due to control of formal spaces- and with a wet cold damp dark climate outdoor stuff less tenable. Even with that access to public space is becoming more restrictive with many cities (including Glasgow) having 'busking code of conduct' which could be interpreted in any number of ways. Access to resources will always be the bugbear. When I was in Buenos Aires I went to some plays in people's homes turned into theatres. Not big money makers but interesting and good theatre. We probably need to see more of this sensibility to reclaim culture in my opinion. Back to genuine small scale grassroots.
It does. We need to set up an entirely new ecology.
One of my favourite musical stories concerns CBGBs, the birthplace of punk rock. The proto-punk band Television couldn’t get a gig, so they went there and offered to play on their quietest night. CBGBs was a country & western venue - the venue initials stood for Country, Blues and Blue Grass - but they reluctantly agreed.
And so a revolution was born.
Not every new venue or press or medium will birth a punk revolution, but a few together most definitely will provide an alternative to the current “academy”.
buymeacoffee.com/kateedeeming2 done. Best wishes.
Thank again really appreciate it ☺️
I really don’t think there’s a future in the current state-funded arts model. It’s a closed-shop of leftist beliefs and cosy sinecures. That’s not to say some good art doesn’t get produced, but rather the good art is politically curated and culturally limited in scope, and massively outnumbered by the culture-by-numbers dross that earns a tiny group of people a safe living.
We need to bypass this extremely limited model and strike out towards new, often strange, shores. This is already being done to a degree, via platforms such as substack, the rise of podcasting, and the withering of the established media and its established worldview.
I’m not sure what this will involve in totality, but I’m sure it will happen quicker when we completely abandon our the old model.
Good look in the New World, btw 🇺🇸
Agreed, the problem is that the subsidised arts sector controls most of the venues, and will attempt to cancel any upstart competitors.
When I arrived here in 1999 lots of grassroots stuff was happening- I think partly aided by the fact that life itself was cheaper. Like you point out space itself is prohibitive due to control of formal spaces- and with a wet cold damp dark climate outdoor stuff less tenable. Even with that access to public space is becoming more restrictive with many cities (including Glasgow) having 'busking code of conduct' which could be interpreted in any number of ways. Access to resources will always be the bugbear. When I was in Buenos Aires I went to some plays in people's homes turned into theatres. Not big money makers but interesting and good theatre. We probably need to see more of this sensibility to reclaim culture in my opinion. Back to genuine small scale grassroots.
It does. We need to set up an entirely new ecology.
One of my favourite musical stories concerns CBGBs, the birthplace of punk rock. The proto-punk band Television couldn’t get a gig, so they went there and offered to play on their quietest night. CBGBs was a country & western venue - the venue initials stood for Country, Blues and Blue Grass - but they reluctantly agreed.
And so a revolution was born.
Not every new venue or press or medium will birth a punk revolution, but a few together most definitely will provide an alternative to the current “academy”.