Nicolas Bourriaud, 3rd Feb 2009.

2. Nicolas Bourriaud, 3rd Feb 2009. “A new modernity is emerging, reconfigured to an age of globalisation – understood in its economic, political and cultural aspects: an altermodern culture. Increased communication, travel and migration are affecting the way we live. Our daily lives consist of journeys in a chaotic and teeming universe. Multiculturalism and identity is being overtaken by creolisation: artists are now starting from a globalised state of culture. This new universalism is based on translations, subtitling and generalised dubbing. Today’s art explores the bonds that text and image, time and space, weave between themselves. Artists are responding to a new globalised perception. They traverse a cultural landscape saturated with signs and create new pathways between multiple formats of expression and communication. The Tate Triennial 2009 at Tate Britain presents a collective discussion around this premise that postmodernism is coming to an end, and we are experiencing the emergence of a global altermodernity.”

3. Boxspace • Boxspace embraces true Altermodernist sentiments: • collaboration without controls; • with no impositions or directions; • everyone who participates does so on their own terms; • control is supplanted with trust. • The intention is to communicate on equal terms across cultures. • Groups of artists’ works collected and packaged in boxes and posted to destinations unknown to them. • Trusting in other artists to show their work, then repackage the works and sent onwards. • Receiving Boxes and showing the work of others without prejudice or prescription.

4. Key events • The Boxspace project will be launched on the 15th December 2009 with the first boxes being exhibited at multiple locations. • An Exhibition to be held at a major gallery during 2011 of a set of boxes plus contents. The gallery will add prestige and validation to the project. It will also bring the gallery into cutting edge contemporary practice and theory. • First target is Pallant Gallery • Second target is Aspex?

5. Initial Rationale • The Boxspace project was initially devised to widen Art Space members to show their work outside the Portsmouth as well as establishing a robust network of partners and collaborators. • The concept evolved and has now become less about the Art Space artists and more about exposing Portsmouth to artists from other places, with different outlooks and cultural bias. • Altermodernism at work: Promoting links, contacts and understanding.

6. The Boxspace Concept • Boxspace was devised in order to provide a clear focal point for setting up the venture and the relationships. • Boxspace entails an exchange of boxes between the participating groups and subsequent exhibition of the delivered Box and contents. • The exhibition is then dismantled and re-packed and sent to the next participating group, where the actions are repeated. • The Exchange shall be set up to manage and keep track of the movement of Boxes from and to all participants • The Boxspace launch date: 15th December 2009. This is the week before Christmas and gives us an excuse for a launch party or series of parties.

7. Risks and Benefits • Possible risks: • The Artspace Box is not exhibited by receiver • Receiver does not deliver the Artspace Box to next receiver • The Artspace Box is lost or damaged • The Receiver does not record the Preview/ Exhibition • Benefits: • Widen our members’ access to exhibition opportunities outside the Portsmouth area • Widen our members’ exposure of their work outside the Portsmouth area • Introduce artists from outside Portsmouth to our area • Establish a  robust network of partners and collaborators. • Create a viral collaborative artwork which should improve our profile nationally

8. The Boxspace Team • This project needs dedicated effort to kick off successfully. The team is as follows: • Project Facilitator : Arturo Casciaro • Artspace Box Facilitator : Kier Eyles • Exhibitions Facilitator : Gill Hawkins • Marketing Facilitator : Mike Blackman

9. Boxspace management • Arturo Casciaro has agreed to take on this task • The Project Facilitator will be responsible for ensuring that the Project process, deliverables and timescales are met. • All activity managers will report on progress to the Project Facilitator to make sure everything is co-ordinated

10. Milestone plan up to Launch

11. Artspace Box- Project management • Kier Eyles has agreed to take on this task • Design of the Main Box • Design of Individual Boxes • Ensure all Artspace Participating Members deliver on time

12. Main Box • Main Box can be used as a plinth. • Box design is a key issue • Dimensions of say, 80x80x60cm and weight of 20Kg Box (to be decided) • Robustness is a primary consideration given that we do not know how long it needs to last • Main Box instructions including: written on the outside the unpacking instructions; a list of Participants etc.

13. Individual Boxes • Divide the volume of the Main Box equally by volume but unequally by shape?

17. Artspace Participating Members • Invite all members of Artspace to participate: Invitation issued 17 March • Assign an Individual Box to a Participating Member • Resolution will not be prescribed. Each Participating Member can decide on their individual theme or media. The only limitation shall be the total weight of the contribution (affects the cost of postage) • All resolutions shall be accepted by gASP subject to Health and Safety and Transit considerations • Each Participating Member shall include any instructions etc. Within their Individual Box. Specified installation requirements to ensure consistency for example: Each individual box would have written on the outside the unpacking instructions and any installation specifications; Ease of unpacking and installation and robustness (due to the box needing to be unpacked, installed, uninstalled, and repacked several times as the Main Box does the rounds from target partners/collaborators and onwards to the next site) • Each Participating Member to decide on the collateral and biographical info to be included. However this will have to be contained within the Individual Box

18. Request to members • The GASP group are inviting all Artspace members to participate in the 'Boxspace‘ project • The Box will hold work made by Artspace members and be mailed, opened and the contents curated by art organisations within the UK. We will in turn receive similar boxes from those organisations and will open and curate the contents. Possible leads include art organisations in London, Nottingham and Sheffield. • There could be problems with shows not curated correctly, a lost box in the mail, and never seeing your artwork again! But that’s the fun of chance!? The whole concept of the Boxspace is to let it run free in the world, create networks and interact with people and organisations and see what happens.  • The Box will be the size of Jumbo Tea Chest, the weight say under 20kgs and costs will be low due to number of artists. • Boxspace will be documented and published by website. • Other details will follow later, but at the moment I need a clear indication of how many artists want to be included in Boxspace. Email me by Wednesday, 1st April 2009 at kiereyles@hotmail.com and in the subject field type, 'Boxspace' to participate. • If you agree the work has to be delivered to myself and Gill Hawkins on Friday, 2nd October 2009 and the work will be curated in a trial run on, Monday 2nd November 2009. The exhibition will be dismantled and the box repackaged and sent to the first collaborating art organisation in November and the first preview will be on 15th December. • I believe the benefits outweigh the risks and is a sure goer! Thank you, and I look forward to working with you.

19. Target partners and collaborators • The following is a simple 2 tier criteria to enable all our members and collaborators to make the search viral. • Priority to target organizations similar to ours in the UK. Criteria: • 50 to 100 members • Artist run studio or gallery space • At least a 5 year track record. • Wider search criteria: Groups based in either main cities or coastal towns. Criteria: • Gallery space • Artist membership

20. Artspace Exhibition Manager • Gill Hawkins has agreed to take on this task • Responsible for all the logistics and arrangements relating to the setting up and taking down of all exhibitions done at Artspace or other chosen Portsmouth sites • We need to decide how many Box Exhibitions we are prepared to do in each year????? • Should there be a major exhibition, say after 12 months, of as many Collaborators as possible, venue to be agreed? • Should we launch the Boxspace at Lakeside in December?

21. Possible Participants Manchester:  http://www.castlefieldgallery.co.uk/ Brighton: http://twokatsandacow.co.uk/ London: http://www.cubittartists.org.uk/ London: http://www.studiovoltaire.org/ London: http://www.cafegalleryprojects.org/ L:ondon: http://www.cell.org.uk/ London: http://www.kingsgateworkshops.org.uk/ London: http://www.spacestationsixtyfive.com/ London: http://www.embassygallery.co.uk/ London: http://www.surgery123.org/ London: http://www.almaenterprises.com/proposals.htm London: http://www.vegasgallery.co.uk/ London: http://www.v22ashwinstreet.com/ London: http://www.madamelillies.org/ London: http://www.shedandahalfgallery.com/ London: http://www.workingrooms.co.uk/ London: http://www.wilsonwilliamsgallery.com/ Lewes: http://www.chalkgallery.org.uk/ General: http://www.rojo-magazine.com/artspace/ Barrow: http://www.artgene.co.uk/ Kettering: http://www.fermynwoods.co.uk/ Manchester: http://www.apartmentmanchester.blogspot.com/ Carlisle: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=652189339#/group.php?gid=27256479518 Manchester: http://www.bankley.org.uk/ Blackpool: http://www.badept.info/ Blackpool: http://www.blott.co.uk/ Manchester: http://www.cowlanestudios.com/ Cumbria: http://www.foldgallery.co.uk/ Manchester: http://www.international3.com/ Salford: http://www.islingtonmill.com/ Salford: http://www.salfordleftfield.co.uk/ Manchester: http://www.openendedproject.com/ Manchester: http://www.poolarts.org/ Manchester: http://www.rogueartistsstudios.co.uk/ Salford: http://www.smallpond.info/ Lancaster: http://www.vaultgallery.org/

22. Possible Participants Brighton: http://www.phoenixarts.org/ London: http://www.beaconsfield.ltd.uk/ London: http://cubittartists.org.uk/ Bristol: www.​roomartspace.​co.​uk Bristol: www.​lot6.​co.​uk Bristol: www.​spikeisland.​org.​uk Lowestoft: The Warehouse Art Collective Ltd. Norwich: www.​norwichoutpost.​org

23. Exhibitions • Exhibition shall be the total responsibility of the receiving collaborator • Installation shall be done in accordance with “boxed” instructions, where they can be followed for practical or aesthetic or curatorial reasons • Three weeks will be allocated for each site exhibition: • Week 1, receipt of the Box; • Week 2, Preview and Exhibition; • Week 3, onward delivery. • The receiving collaborator shall arrange and pay for a Preview for the Exhibition: • Invitations shall be sent to all partners/collaborators. • The Exhibition shall run for a week only. • Photographs shall be taken of: • The Preview event • “Clean” images of the exhibition (layout, exhibits and other points of interest)

24. Marketing plan • Mike Blackman has agreed to take on this task • Project name (including domain name) and logo needed • Setting up and management of the website: • Dormant gASP site to be re-activated so we can start using it until the new Artspace website is launched • Promotion of the Project including interface with the Marketing Sub-committee

25. The Boxspace Website • The website is the primary collateral for the project including: • A photo record of each collaborators’ Box • Photo records of the Exhibitions • Articles written about the project • Issues that arise • The website will include: • All communications between the collaborators • Announcements including Exhibition adverts and other public statements • The website will host the Exchange • The Website shall be the only centrally managed component but writing rights shall be given to all participating Groups. So in time even this will be “un managed”

26. The Exchange • The concept is to create a viral collaborative project not controlled centrally but there is a need for a minimum amount of overall co-ordination • In order to: • Improve efficiency for all participants • Ensure overall visibility • Provide a single point for communications for each of the key stages • The Key Stages are as follows: • A Group wanting to participate makes contact • Notify all participants of the new Group • Point to point exchanges identified • Key dates including Sending of Box, Preview date etc • The Exchange shall be managed by GASP

27. Funding management • Funding manager to be agreed • The target is to make the Boxspace project self financing in the first year • The estimated costs need to be verified • Budgets need to be defined for each key activity • Talk to the Fund Raising committee about what help we can get • Should there be a fee taken from the Artspace Participants for joining the Project? This can be used to cover the cost of Previews, Postage etc.?

28. Funding • Costs: • One off costs of £42, this year: • Cost of Main Box (80x80x60cm) @ £20 from www.a1box.co.uk (Jumbo Tea Chest Heavy Duty Double Wall) • Each participant to cover the cost of their work • Postage of Artspace Box using Parcelforce from Portsmouth to Edinburgh, 48 hour delivery (This is a one off cost as the onward delivery is paid for by the Receiver): 20 Kg = £22 (or 10Kg box= £16 or 30Kg = £43) • Annual cost of £488, if we set a limit of 4 exhibitions per year: • Cost of installation (£50 per Exhibition, £50x4= £200) • Cost of Previews (£50 per Preview, £50x4= £200) • Onward Postage (20 Kg = £22x4= £88) • Printing costs to be agreed. • Admin costs to be agreed. • Total cost per annum of £488 • A Funding stream or streams should be established