New Work Network

Posted by:

Grunts for the Arts

Timeframe:

13/3/2007 - no end date

Description:

We will have to lay down the pens and the paintbrushes.
Have to buy sports shower gel and knee supports.
We will have to turn off the computers, the studio lights and the PA systems.
I-Pods and pedometers will be turned on.

Some us will even need to buy sports bras.

Last updates:

19/5/2008 18:52:54

Individuals:

• charlie fox Grunter (Project Moderator)
• Cecilia Wee Gruntette (Project Moderator)
• Tim Jeeves Grunter (Project Moderator)

Companies:

• Grunts for the Arts Grunting (Project Moderator)

Regions:

London,

Artforms:

Performance, Live Art, Time-based, Interdisciplinary, Photography, Visual Art, Writing/Text, Poetry /Spoken word, Experimental music, Site Specific, Public Art, Intervention/ Action, Socially engaged practice, Other,

Details:

It is inevitable, but we must be honest and embrace the truth. For following the massive reduction of funds to Grants for the Arts in order to finance the Olympics, artists, and thousands of them, are going to have to retrain as sports people to ensure balance is maintained in our society, the world, perhaps even the entire cosmos.

To assist with the redirection of thought and body that will be essential in facilitating this shift, Grunts for the Arts have offered a series of retraining opportunities, the first of which took place on Hackney Marshes in East London (large parts of which are being developed for the Olympic site) whilst the second went south of the river Thames, amongst the idyllic greenery of the beautiful Burgess Park.

Following the successful completion of Phase 1 of our endeavours, we have decided that Phase 2 should look to tackle the root of the current struggle. This being the Olympics.

You see, it's all going a bit wrong with the five rings.

The Olympic Dream is suffering somewhat - both 2008 and 2012 have such miserable reputations at the moment that only the eternally optimistic (us) could have any hope that things won't degenerate even further into abject depths of misery and farce (and even we've got doubts).

But we can but try.

Which is what Phase 2 promises to be - our attempt to work out what is wrong with 'the dream', how these faults can be rectified, whether 'the dream' is actually worth saving and whether we can set a new PB in time to get to the P-U-B.

It is with more than a little eagerness spicing up our anticipation that we look forward to working with you towards this admirable end....

Website:

www.gruntsforthearts.wordpress.com

Events:

The following events are connected to this project:

• Artist's Sports Day You know what's going on. You've heard the news. It's just got 35% harder to get money from ACE's Grants for the Arts, and about 0.001% easier to get money from the Olympics comittee. But no one ever did anything heroic by looking at statistics. ...
• Sports Day 2: The Re-Run Grunts for the Arts are back! How good is that? There'll be more artists retraining as sports people, more innovative sporting artistry, more toning of the loose bits that hang off our bodies... This time it's going to be larger, more sporty, more ...
• London 2008 Harder hitting than Wimbledon and with more balls than Euro 2008, it is with no small degree of pleasure that Grunts for the Arts, as a part of the Rational Rec End of Season picnic, proudly presents to you: London 2008 Taking place in the Grunting...