Artist-Led Initiatives Support Network
Encyclopedia
Artist-Led Initiatives Support Network, abbreviated ALISN, is a non-profit international support network for artists which provides exhibition spaces, strategic support, education, creative facilitation and artist-to-artist exchange. ALISN was founded in 2007 by designer
Jordan Dalladay-Simpson (Goldsmiths Alumnus) and artist
Iavor Lubomirov (Oxford University Alumnus
). ALISN was previously known as AFMMXII (Artists for 2012), and was officially re-branded as ALISN in August 2009.
. At the time Lubomirov had recently left his art degree at University of East London
and Dalladay-Simpson was an undergraduate studying design at Goldsmiths. Both founders were looking for ways of showing work and collaborating with other struggling artists to organise and promote art events. The show attracted over 300 visitors and laid the ground for future working relationships between the artists involved.
In November 2007, ALISN was officially launched under the name of Artists for 2012 (AF2012) and held a pilot show of 5 emerging artists at the 491 Gallery
, east London
.
ALISN's next project was facilitating the Goldsmiths/BAA Expo Award 08, which would see two large-scale sculptures installed in the departures lounge of the newly opened Heathrow Terminal 5. This project was done in collaboration with BAA and Goldsmiths students, with mentor-ship from Cathy de Monchaux
and Andrew Shoben
and oversight from the global communications company Imagination. The two winning teams built and installed Arc and Taking Place. Arc was by London-based art-collective Lobby, and Taking Place by Sally Hogarth and Emma Johnson.
At the start of 2009, ALISN aided the formation of the Hackney Transients Art Project (HTAP), which is an east London arts organisation founded by Lucy Tomlins and Marnie Baumer. HTAP went on to produce two collaborative events that year, the workshop-based Pattern-making for Beginners as part of the annual HackneyWICKed Art Festival and In/Flux exhibition on Kingsland Road, Hackney, London. They also produced an Oral History Archive containing ethnographic recordings the opinions of various Hackney
residents regarding the area's 'transient nature'. The project was also featured on the British Community Channel
.
In August 2008 ALISN embarked on a second independent collaborative arts exhibition, under the name Art in the Carpark. This event took place in October, in the CCP Cark Park, Liverpool, and was in collaboration with the underground arts organisation The Arts Organisation (TAO). The event featured a diverse range of artwork from 14 Artists, and was part of the Liverpool Independents Biennial.
In the summer of 2009, a decision was made by the founders to find a name more appropriate to the way the organisation had been working, as well as reflecting the models of creative facilitation it had developed, AF2012 was re-branded as ALISN in August 2009.
In 2009 ALISN started a working relationship with Goldsmiths Creative Enterprise Society, launching this indefinite partnership with a talk entitled In Conversation with ALISN followed by a series of art-film screenings. The screenings included David's Buchanan's feature-length musical The Last Babacus and Minou Norouzi's The Anatomy of Failure (HotDocs Selection 2008) with talks by the Film makers.
At the start of 2010 the ALISN founders were gifted a stable home by a philanthropic London property developer. The Magnificent Basement is in Farringdon, Central London.
of artists and other individuals within the creative industries
.
ALISN has a network of more than 500 international artists, which is managed by the founders with the assistance of the organisations fellows. Since its conception, they made use of online social networking platforms to support its network, maintaining the artist network through Facebook
, Twitter
and CargoCollective. ALISN also uses these channels to disseminate open calls for participation and promote events. The support network is maintained by the founders Dalladay-Simpson and Lubomirov, with the help of an organisational administrator.
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
Jordan Dalladay-Simpson (Goldsmiths Alumnus) and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Iavor Lubomirov (Oxford University Alumnus
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
). ALISN was previously known as AFMMXII (Artists for 2012), and was officially re-branded as ALISN in August 2009.
History
Artist-Led Initiatives Support Network began when Iavor Lubomirov and Jordan Dalladay-Simpson met in 2006 while organising a pop-up exhibition for art students and recent art graduates in a disused office building in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. At the time Lubomirov had recently left his art degree at University of East London
University of East London
The University of East London is a university located in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, based at two campuses in Stratford and Docklands areas...
and Dalladay-Simpson was an undergraduate studying design at Goldsmiths. Both founders were looking for ways of showing work and collaborating with other struggling artists to organise and promote art events. The show attracted over 300 visitors and laid the ground for future working relationships between the artists involved.
In November 2007, ALISN was officially launched under the name of Artists for 2012 (AF2012) and held a pilot show of 5 emerging artists at the 491 Gallery
491 Gallery
The 491 Gallery is a squatted social centre in Leytonstone, London, England. The multi-disciplinary gallery takes its name from its street number, 491 Grove Green Road. Formerly a factory, it is now home to a community-led art organisation and serves as a constant exhibition space for a diverse...
, east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
ALISN's next project was facilitating the Goldsmiths/BAA Expo Award 08, which would see two large-scale sculptures installed in the departures lounge of the newly opened Heathrow Terminal 5. This project was done in collaboration with BAA and Goldsmiths students, with mentor-ship from Cathy de Monchaux
Cathy de Monchaux
Cathy de Monchaux is a British sculptor.de Monchaux was born in London. She studied first at the Camberwell School of Art , and later at Goldsmiths College in London ....
and Andrew Shoben
Greyworld
Greyworld are a collective of London based artists who are interested in public-activated art, sculpture and interactive installations. Although often varied in their materials, their work is typically subtle and environmentally reflective, often allowing participants the opportunity to play...
and oversight from the global communications company Imagination. The two winning teams built and installed Arc and Taking Place. Arc was by London-based art-collective Lobby, and Taking Place by Sally Hogarth and Emma Johnson.
At the start of 2009, ALISN aided the formation of the Hackney Transients Art Project (HTAP), which is an east London arts organisation founded by Lucy Tomlins and Marnie Baumer. HTAP went on to produce two collaborative events that year, the workshop-based Pattern-making for Beginners as part of the annual HackneyWICKed Art Festival and In/Flux exhibition on Kingsland Road, Hackney, London. They also produced an Oral History Archive containing ethnographic recordings the opinions of various Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
residents regarding the area's 'transient nature'. The project was also featured on the British Community Channel
Community Channel
Community Channel is a British free-to-air television channel wholly owned by Media Trust and supported by major broadcasters including the BBC. Launched in September, 2000, the channel broadcasts from 05:00am – 08:00am each day on Freeview, 24 hours a day on Sky and Virgin TV, and anytime with...
.
In August 2008 ALISN embarked on a second independent collaborative arts exhibition, under the name Art in the Carpark. This event took place in October, in the CCP Cark Park, Liverpool, and was in collaboration with the underground arts organisation The Arts Organisation (TAO). The event featured a diverse range of artwork from 14 Artists, and was part of the Liverpool Independents Biennial.
In the summer of 2009, a decision was made by the founders to find a name more appropriate to the way the organisation had been working, as well as reflecting the models of creative facilitation it had developed, AF2012 was re-branded as ALISN in August 2009.
In 2009 ALISN started a working relationship with Goldsmiths Creative Enterprise Society, launching this indefinite partnership with a talk entitled In Conversation with ALISN followed by a series of art-film screenings. The screenings included David's Buchanan's feature-length musical The Last Babacus and Minou Norouzi's The Anatomy of Failure (HotDocs Selection 2008) with talks by the Film makers.
At the start of 2010 the ALISN founders were gifted a stable home by a philanthropic London property developer. The Magnificent Basement is in Farringdon, Central London.
Network
ALISN says its emphasis is not simply on showing art, but on bringing the artists themselves into contact with each other to accomplish development through cross-pollination of ideas, critical peer feedback, transfer of experience and networking. The organisation does this by maintaining a virtual communityVirtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
of artists and other individuals within the creative industries
Creative industries
The creative industries refers to a range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information...
.
ALISN has a network of more than 500 international artists, which is managed by the founders with the assistance of the organisations fellows. Since its conception, they made use of online social networking platforms to support its network, maintaining the artist network through Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and CargoCollective. ALISN also uses these channels to disseminate open calls for participation and promote events. The support network is maintained by the founders Dalladay-Simpson and Lubomirov, with the help of an organisational administrator.
Events, Exhibitions & Projects
- PUSH, Improvised Art Space, Wandsworth, London, UK. March 2005.
- AF2012 @ 491 Gallery, Leytonstone, London, UK. November 2007.
- Art in the Carpark, Liverpool, UK. October 2008.
- Fresh Air Machine, Calvert 22, London, UK. September 2008.
- BAA Expo, Heathrow Terminal 5, London, UK. September–December 2008.
- Pattern Making for Beginners (HTAP), Hackney Wicked Festival, London, UK. August 2009.
- Needle & Scalpel, Wandsworth, London, UK. July 2009.
- Room to Breathe, Wandsworth, London, UK. July 2009.
- In/Flux (HTAP), Hackney, London, UK. September 2009.
- Facilitating Collaboration in the Arts. HTAP Seminar Series on Collaboration. Hackney, London, UK. September 2009.
- Creative Enterprise Society Presents: In Conversation with ALISN, Goldsmiths, London, UK. November 2009.
- The Last Babacus (Screening, Talk and Q&A), Goldsmiths, London, UK. November 2009.
- The Anatomy of Failure & Hope For Pinok (Screening, Talk and Q&A), Goldsmiths, London, UK. December 2009.
- artINTERACT, Abu Dhabi, UAE. June 2010.
- Lubomirov & Batiste in The Magnificent Basement, Farringdon, London, UK. June 2010.
- Sharon Gal's Venus Rising in The Magnificent Basement, Farringdon, London, UK. July 2010.
- Daryl Brown - The Judo Series in The Magnificent Basement, Farringdon, London, UK. July 2010.
- Art Idol 2010 - Curated by Marsha Bradfield. London, UK. July 2010
Notable Collaborators
- Stephan Bischof - Designer of the Wheelie bin urinal
- Lee Broughall - Jerwood Contemporary Painters SelectionJerwood FoundationThe Jerwood Foundation is a major United Kingdom funder of arts, education, and science.The foundation is particularly noted in the arts for establishing the Jerwood Charitable Foundation and associated projects such as the Jerwood Space for dance and exhibitions, the Jerwood Painting Prize, the...
2009 - Rebecca Court - Winner of the 4 New Sensations Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
Prize 2009 - Sharon Gal - Founding Member of Resonance FMResonance FMResonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station run by the London Musicians' Collective .The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and over 300 volunteer technical and production staff.Until September 2007, ResonanceFM...
- Sy Hackney - Founding Member of 491 Gallery491 GalleryThe 491 Gallery is a squatted social centre in Leytonstone, London, England. The multi-disciplinary gallery takes its name from its street number, 491 Grove Green Road. Formerly a factory, it is now home to a community-led art organisation and serves as a constant exhibition space for a diverse...
- Sally Hogarth - Winner of IdeasTap Fund 2009
- Cathy de MonchauxCathy de MonchauxCathy de Monchaux is a British sculptor.de Monchaux was born in London. She studied first at the Camberwell School of Art , and later at Goldsmiths College in London ....
- Shortlisted for Turner PrizeTurner PrizeThe Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised... - Minou Norouzi - Hot Docs Selection 2008
- Andrew Shoben - Founder of GreyworldGreyworldGreyworld are a collective of London based artists who are interested in public-activated art, sculpture and interactive installations. Although often varied in their materials, their work is typically subtle and environmentally reflective, often allowing participants the opportunity to play...
- Charlie Tweed - Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2007
See also
- Artist-run initiativeArtist-run initiativeAn artist-run initiative is any project run by visual artists to present their and others' projects. They might approximate a traditional art gallery space in appearance or function, or they may take a markedly different approach, limited only by the artist's understanding of the term...
- Creative IndustriesCreative industriesThe creative industries refers to a range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information...
- Arts administrationArts administrationArts Administration is the business end of an arts organization responsible for facilitating the day-to-day operation of the organization and fulfilling its mission...
- Virtual communityVirtual communityA virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...