EAST MEETS WEST MASTERCLASS 2022

November 2022
GRAIN Projects (Birmingham) FORMAT and QUAD (Derby)

Facilitated by Alexander Mourant, Laura Bivolaru, Lina Ivanova and Victoria Louise Doyle

A full day workshop, split into four mini sessions, each session led by a Revolv collective member. Drawing from our experience both as collective and as individual practitioners, we delivered a series of activities and exercises designed to stimulate a fruitful conversation around artistic practice, challenge individual thinking and enable participants to reflect on their position within the creative industry and their communities. The exercises required participants to be flexible and adapt quickly to work in small and larger groups, to be active listeners, speakers and art recipients. Throughout the day we moved from fast-paced to slower activities, allowing time for reflection and connection. The participants were encouraged to be curious towards themselves and others, to question pre-established ideas and get involved in discussions. By exploring a wide range of approaches to learning and knowledge exchange, the participants had the opportunity to create genuine bonds that will serve them throughout future masterclasses. They experimented with negotiation, decision-making, and collaboration towards a common goal, in order to get a feel of what it means to create and be part of an arts community, as well as what it takes to be a responsible art viewer.

Part I: The Collective & I, I in the Collective

The aim of this element of the masterclass is to offer an understanding and appreciation of what collective working can do for the artist as an individual. Reflection on prior experiences allowed us to identify personal and collective values, and evaluate how collaboration can benefit our individual needs and aspirations. Individual and group exercises provided a framework to help recognise the potential for personal development supported by the power of the collective.

Part II: Self-Organisation in Collective Working: Collective Decision-Making

“People often think more about what decisions get made rather than how they are made” – How to set up a worker’s co-operative.

In this workshop we examined the process undertaken when we make choices. More specifically, we explored a variety of decision-making techniques, deconstructing these to consider the frameworks in which they operate. We went on to co-develop a collective decision-making technique and took it for a test run!

Part III: Physicalising Collective Forces

This session of the masterclass drew upon the theoretical and conceptual learning undertaken so far, seeking to physicalise these forces into actions, reactions and outcomes. Through the process of expanded-drawing, participants experienced collective forces firsthand, revealing and recording these energies as abstract art.

Part IV: How to Stand Before an Image

'How to Stand Before An Image' was based on the participants' photographs and encouraged them to forgo their status as artists and develop an awareness of their position as art spectators instead. Through individual reflection and group discussion, the participants were guided to consider how they experience the work from an embodied perspective and how to become responsible and engaged art viewers.

The Collective & I, I in the Collective

The day concluded with group reflection on what success means for the individual and how the power of the collective can feed into individual practices and journeys to success.

EAST MEETS WEST, MASTERCLASS PROGRAMME 22/23

GRAIN Projects (Birmingham) FORMAT and QUAD (Derby) are delighted to announce a new iteration of their successful East Meets West Masterclass Programme, which take’s place in a hybrid format, both in person and online.

The masterclass programme is for UK based emerging photographers and offers professional development, inspiration, guidance and support in a collaborative learning environment in order to allow participants to develop their practice, networks and new unique opportunities. The programme offers a platform for photographers to receive guidance and participate in focussed discussions that will contribute to their creative practice and career development.

This year’s participants are; Anna Sellen, Amber Banks Brumby, Andy Fell, Chiara Zandona, Emily Ryalls, Ismail Khokon, James Cunliffe, Kat Young, Liliana Zaharia, Louise Taylor, Paul Railton, Ruby Nixon, Rebecca Davis, Ryan Gear, Shona Morgan, Zula Rabikowska.

The masterclasses will be led by industry and artform leaders who will share their knowledge and practical advice on developing a successful career.

Speakers: Amak Mahmoodian, Clare Hewitt, Colin Pantall, Mariama Attah, Monica Allende, Revolv Collective, Simona Ciocarlan, Tom Lovelace and Vincent Hasselbach.