The Western Alliance
Steven Paige, Alexandra Zierle, Oliver Sutherland, Paul Carter, Patrick Lowry, Alison Sharkey & Rebecca Weeks
An Overview of An Evolving Organisation: The Western Alliance built upon the strengths, successes and experience of the individual members, and initially came together in order to facilitate access to international art and discourse for the group. However from that initial desire to attend the Istanbul biennial in 2009 a more complex range of activities and potential impacts have emerged which extend beyond benefits to the individuals concerned.
The Western Alliance seeking to reverse the relationship they have already achieved with individuals and the culture of Istanbul wanted to establish a means of inviting artist/activators they had met in Istanbul to Cornwall in order to extend the dialogues that had begun to unfold. Alongside delivering dissemination events in venues across the South West to feedback research generated through the trip to the biennial, 'The Western Alliance' applied for and were selected by 'Visiting Arts' as recipients of the 'Artist to Artist 2010 Scheme' in order to enable them to invite artists Iz Oztat and Volkan Aslan to Cornwall between the 8th -18th March 2010 for a non productive residency. It is planned that the residency will culminate in a conference workshop, the format of which has been proposed by and will be led by The Western Alliance. The conference will take place at the Delfina Foundation on the 19th March. The conference workshop will result in a publication that will make tangible the exchanges between all the artists involved nationally and internationally in the 'Visiting Arts, Artist To Artist 2010 Scheme' and will represent an innovation in terms of documenting the exchanges between the artists supported by 'Visiting Arts'. In order to generate dialogue and material in the lead up to the conference The Western Alliance have built and intend to manage a discussion forum for the use of those currently supported by the Artist To Artist Scheme.
The Western Alliance is also functioning in a reflexive way, discussing the politics of the international art world and seeking to develop a critical voice that acknowledges their own complicity and the complexities involved.
The Western Alliance Projects/Strands
The Western Alliance Istanbul Biennial Research Trip
The Western Alliance Istanbul Dissemination Events
The Western Alliance Cornwall Residency Programme
The Western Alliance Discussion Forum
The Western Alliance Conference Workshop
The Western Alliance Publication
For More Information
www.thewesternalliance.org.uk
info@thewesternalliance.org.uk