Tenth Anniversary Short Films – FrenchMotterShead

Watch December's film

Pearls of Wisdom by FrenchMottershead

Notes by FrenchMottershead:

In this Pearls of Wisdom video, advisers from various sectors of society offer wise words, which were originally spoken by the Live Art Development Agency, during meetings with FrenchMottershead.

Over the last nine years, we've shared many meetings with Lois, Daniel and Andrew (and hopefully CJ soon!). During each one we've scribbled extensive notes, eager that the Agency's 'Pearls' not slip our mind. These meeting notes document our relationship – detailing the invaluable ideas, strategies and encouragement the Agency has given us as we've negotiated building our careers as artists.

As the 'Pearls' spoken in the video are extracted from our notes, they're a hybrid of the Agency's spoken words and our handwritten notation, and then are further altered by each adviser's ad-libbing. Nonetheless, we hope the advice still resonates with live artists and other viewers.

There are some 'Pearls' not included in the video as they weren't chosen by the advisers. They are:

• Best strategy internationally is to start in Europe
• Email him, say “Daniel Brine said we should contact you”
• Start investigating this now so you have something resolved to apply with. Don't leave it til the last minute like last time
• Keep mentioning to everyone you are looking for more international work and hope someone passes this onto the British Council
• Best to approach people formally first and try to get commissioned. Then consider going guerrilla if formal approaches don't work
• “Your aim is to develop trust in the sector …” should continue “… where programmers believe in your work and trust you to deliver something special each time.”

Great Thanks and Happy 10th Birthday to the Live Art Development Agency!

Rebecca French and Andrew Mottershead create art that specifically explores ideas of identity, social ritual and the everyday public and private realms in which they are played out. Through participatory works, they subvert sites and engage people complicitly in the creative act.

“For once it is art that actually achieves the popular ideal of raising your awareness of everyday life.” Art Monthly

Collaborating together since 1999, their works have been sited at the National Review of Live Art, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, the ICA, Arnolfini and East International.

Running until 13 February 2010, their current exhibition 'The SHOPS Project' at Site Gallery, Sheffield, brings together a collection of intimate portraits of local shops and contemporary urban life. Made through engagement with shopkeepers and customers in cities in Brasil, China, Turkey, Slovenia, Romania, Finland, and the UK, FrenchMottershead's take a look at societies through local shops, and show the possibilities of local difference amidst the dominant, highly commodified world of shops and shopping. The accompanying book will document the four years of interventions, writing, photographic and video works and will be published by Site Gallery in 2010.

FrenchMottershead have been Thinkers in Residence at the Live Art Development Agency, have received DIY funding, and have contributed to EEC, and Liverpool Live.

www.frenchmottershead.com

shopsproject.blogspot.com

http://www.sitegallery.org/whats_on/

Click here to go to the Live Art Developement Agency's Directors Channel on You Tube.