I thought I should add some extracts from the script that we wrote for our ‘Future Collections’ presentation with Clementine Delis. The whole thing is 14 pages and might bore to death as it is a literal transcript from our discussions (meant to be read to people, not read on paper). Some of the topics that came under fire however summed up our various predicaments (and also make for a humorous read)...

LAURIE – We’ve talked about digital collections but what about physical objects

IAN – That’s a conversation that would come from this, so like, someone would voice to the group like, what if this was going to be collected, like this could be in a digital collection, then someone else could say that would be, if as digital, just a 2D image on a screen, it will be like everything else and everything’ll be the same and it removes the sort of personal…

SARAH – I think that such an old argument even look at the 50’s and 60’s there were so many debates that like things were being reduced to the 2 dimensional image, we can make it much more exciting than that.

IAN – I wasn’t saying that’s all we are gonna talk about

SARAH – Yeah I know, but the thing is the start, you need to know more something that can go off in changing directions, and could be contemporary and up to date, like the things we’re looking at, the future collections, I think its important that we don’t take like ideas from the past that have been thrown around for fifty odd years, and start with something fresh really fresh and really now.

LIZZIE – What if, er, you know how she, er, she started off talking about, speaking, booty , and collecting anthropological questions, and I was thinking about an anthropologist who wrote about America, and spelt it backwards, could it have the same idea, but if like the situation was a group of people sitting around in like non, but non-specific sort of non-western place who just discovered this piece, or they have stolen it from some foreign place, and its landed in their environment, and they’re gonna try and work it into their collection, or….try to figure out what It is obviously its not, er, because, this could be the worlds most fantastical non-western community, they obviously don’t know you drink out of it, this object becomes non-utilitarian and their in this situation where they are trying to put it in their exhibition and present it to the community and…

MOMIJI – Yeah, I think that’s really funny, I think that’s really good. So you start with that, they just sort of stumbled across this object, an how would it fit into their society like

IAN – Do we know enough…

LIZZIE – I don’t know it’s a bit like it might take a bit of imagination

SARAH - So would you…you’re saying that everything comes down to economics?

IAN - Well it’s still, it’s still, it’s sort of doing something, it’s still a progressive…

SARAH – So you’re calling every single person in the world a business, a brand, I don’t know, I mean yeah, we could say that but I don’t…And maybe that’s the consumerist age we’re in, I don’t know, is everyone, is everyone a business?

PAUSE

MOMIJI - I don’t think I’d like to be thought of…

SARAH - I wouldn’t like to be a busisness, yeah

FIONA - (Mockingly) You’re a business!

EVERYONE LAUGHS

SARAH - Maybe we are all businesses…

MOMIJI - I do find it’s like…

IAN - In a way, we’re trying to…

KATE - I mean if you’re self employed then effectively you’re running your own business…which an artist is.

SARAH - Yeah

KATE - They’re running their own personal, personal business, even if it’s not as you might think, you know…

MOMIJI - It’s just such a vulgar term, that you’d kind of associate with an artist with

SARAH - ‘Cause it’s like money, yeah

MOMIJI - But that just makes me just not want to be in a like…

SARAH - An art institution?

MOMIJI - yeah

SARAH - Yeah same. It makes me think that I don’t want to…

MOMIJI - (interrupts) So why is there no alternative to that?

SARAH - I think there is an alternative to that though

FIONA - To have a part time job and do art on the side for fun?

MOMIJI - Well not for fun

PAUSE

OLIVIA – So can collections operate in a complex space defined by: A – the drive of the market. B – the drive of the social memory. C - mainstream and alternative pedagogies. Will future collections manage to eschew the model of the canon, and work towards idiosyncrasy alongside inclusivity and democratic representation.

LIZZIE – Could you read it again?

OLIVIA – That’s only one question!

EVERYONE LAUGHS FOLLOWED BY INCOHERANT BANTER

LIZZIE – Could you read it again?

OLIVIA - Ok, can collections operate in a complex space defined by: A – the drive of the market. B – the drive of the social memory or C - mainstream and alternative pedagogies…

FIONA – Whats a pedagogy?

OLIVIA – A pedagogy is like an institution, its like the art or science of teaching…

FIONA – Why doesn’t she just say that

OLIVIA – So, Will future collections manage to eschew the model of the canon, and work towards idiosyncrasy alongside inclusivity and democratic representation?

IAN – How does the question begin again?

ALL LAUGH

(Since writing this script we have all found out what pedagogy means... IT IS NOT AN INSTITUTION!)