Statement: November 2006

Matthew Tickle's Installation Punctum & Nebula (the last part of Incandescent ) ended on Sunday 12th November 2006 and was the final Hull Art Lab event.

Hull Art Lab's original conception included the premise how do we develop contemporary art in Hull? and How can we enable artists to be artists? These (despite our closure) remain vital questions.

Since October 2004 Hull Art Lab has programmed four exhibitions, twenty events, five seminars/talks, three residencies, eleven gigs, one screening, six site specific works and eight new works have been produced. We have worked with one-hundred-and-twenty local, national and international artists from: UK, China, USA, Hungary, France, Norway, Holland and Japan. We've had a total audience of over three-and-a-half thousand - plus another three thousand for publicly sited events. Many of our audience had never previously attended contemporary art exhibitions before. All these events have been archived on our website and will remain accessible for the foreseeable future.

We would like to give our warmest thanks to everyone who has supported us (see acknowledgements & thanks below), especially those who came to our events and exhibitions - we've had a fantastic response to our programme. A special thanks to all the artists we've worked with; for your hard work, the risk taking, dedication and your belief in us. This made HAL a vibrant, challenging and inspiring place. Thanks also to those groups, organisations and individuals who have given us money, materials, equipment, transport, support, encouragement and lent us your time, (our partners in particular).

To become sustainable we needed to have at least one substantial income source. Most cities comparable to Hull have a developed cultural strategy that incorporates culture within regeneration plans. This enables partnerships with the independent arts sector who can be provided with a degree of revenue and infra-structure support. In Hull some progress is being made with the developments underway with Hull Truck, ArtlinkExchange and the continued support for Hull Time Based Arts all of whom were formerly funded by Humberside County Council. In the current climate Hull City Council are unlikely to broaden this portfolio of revenue funded organisations. Hull still has no cultural strategy.

We recognised these difficulties within our own strategic planning and estimated a time scale for change that, with effective lobbying and local support, was achievable. Our last application to the Arts Council of England, Yorkshire for twelve months funding would have given us a level of security and confidence to enable us to implement our own strategy. We had an exciting programme planned for 2007-8 (see proposed programme below) that included an increased international dimension and further collaborative projects. This application, however was not successful, the reasons given included: insufficient alternative income streams; lack of public benefit; and questions over our management structure. Without the support from the Arts Council, for either our programme or our strategic plan, then our future becomes untenable.

Many people have already heard about our situation and made offers of help to whom we are most grateful. Although we are not going to appeal against the Arts Council decision we are at the same time concerned about the prospects for the independent art sector in Hull and for future Arts Council support for artists. To this end we would welcome messages to be sent from friends, artists, supporters and anyone who attended Hull Art Lab events. These could be about your experience, what you thought was important about HAL or any other matters implied above. These will be used accordingly and published on our website. We would be grateful to receive copies of any messages sent to third parties.

As for ourselves, we intend to devote the time previously spent on Hull Art Lab on our own work as freelance artists, musicians, curators and lecturers. We would also be pleased to be able to share the knowledge and experience gained over the last two years for the benefit of others.

Espen Jensen, Bob Levene & Rob Gawthrop, 14th November 2006

Acknowledgements and thanks:

Special Thanks
Rick Welton for facilitating HAL and continued strategic support.
Financial Support
Arts Council England, Yorkshire (Grants for the Arts), Hull City Arts (including Grants to Arts, Live Music Fund, Humber Mouth); Yorkshire Forward; Wykeland Group; Elephant Trust; National Lottery (Awards for All); and Urban Cultural Programme (Illuminate).
In-kind support (including reduced charges)
Nellist Fruiters; Hull Time Based Arts; Hull School of Art & Design (University of Lincoln); Walled City (web design & support); Visual Edge (video);Johnny Bates (photography); Human Design (graphic design); D. Ward (Engineering); P.Bennett (fabrication); D.D.Platten (Builders) and; Kev Laughton (Plumber).
Collaborators
The New Adelphi Club, Hull Film (4th Hull International Short Film Festival); Hull Time Based Arts (Gage); Hull University (both drama & philosophy departments); IME; Slack Video; RED; ArtsAdmin; Ferens Art Gallery (Live Art Space); The Lamp; The Welly Club and; Hull Screen.
Individual Voluntary Support
(including invigilation, documentation, leaflet distribution, general and technical assistance).
Andrew Quinn, Adalet Garmiany, Anna-liisa Krolov, Anne Sellers, Bridget Murray, Bruce Hitchcock, Chris Gladwin, Chris White, Dan Bull, Daniel Holdsworth, Dave Priestman, Duncan Hay, Faith Cockerton, Fay Williamson, Gary McKeown, Grace Henderson, Helen Gardner, Gwen Gawthrop,Guy Hanley,Helen Iball, Holly Cryan, James Smith, Jane Remm, Jemma Hutchins, Jo Gates, Jo Millett, John Keel, Kate Mail, Laura Pugh, Mel Adey, Minna Hint, Pete McPartlan, Phil Bennett, Phil Barnes, Ray McGowan, Sam Kenny, Stacey, Steph Wyke, Tim Harrison, Tim Fenton and Wayne Wolton.
Thanks also to anyone who may have been accidentally missed out (please let us know if this is the case).

Programme 2007-8 (cancelled)

Flatness To commission installations both site-specific and in HAL to make a direct relationship with water and landscape including Flatland by Angela Detanico & Rafeal Lain (Brazil).
Shirwan Can (Kurdistan/Germany/UK) an installation that uses fish and earthenware sculptural pots (coinciding with ArtRole's exchange of artists between UK & Kurdistan/Iraq)
Utterance 07 (for Humber Mouth) to develop a series of events concerned with story-telling through indigenous languages.
Emancipation (for Wilberforce 07) a curated exhibition of confrontational works dealing with mental health, capital punishment and racism.
Exchange
The development of an exchange project with Tou (Norway) and Muu (Finland). Feedback
A touring programme of reflexive live and expanded film and video works based on feedback and visual and aural noise. Paint & Substance
An artist commission concerned with painting as intervention through use of colour and its physicality.
Meantime (3) to give access to artists based locally to test out or develop work for exhibitions and events.

Other possible projects included: Not Wanted on Voyage a new public sculpture by Richard Wilson; continuation of our programme of experimental music and sound art events; develop a public event for Architecture week with ARC and; an international symposium of talks, discussions and performances around the theme of art and regeneration.