proto academy introduction

The objectives of proto academy are to develop ways in which an art institutional structure can take advantage of the wealth and knowledge in a particular city and serve as a meeting-point for artists and various academic specialists, cultural producers, politicians, business leaders, and citizens. Further than this the ambition is to provide an interface between art research and the wider public through
exhibitions and other forms of representation. - Charles Esche

Ask the question 'What is proto academy?' and you'll receive as many varied opinions as there are current participants. It exists as much in the evolving dialogue of those participants as in any particular project, collaboration or event. The one thing that unites everyone involved is the belief in conversation, rigorous debate and an emphasis on the creative potential of collaborative activity.

Incorporating a voluntary membership proto academy aims to create a meeting
point somewhere between the academic institution and the public realm which will
enable a fluctuating group of artists and others to come together and experiment. Participants include current students and artists in the first years of their career. They are drawn from art academies across Europe and centred around a base in Edinburgh.

Perhaps the simplest way to describe the proto academy is to imagine a table
around which any and all interested individuals can gather and talk. The discussions and ideas raised for activity or collective projects born there are then taken forward.

The proto academy is chiefly funded by Edinburgh Projects at Edinburgh College
of Art as well as other private and public sources.

(Link to protoacademy web site: www.protoacademy.org)

proto academy news

YOUNG YOUNG DRAGONS
Collaborative project by Mr Tayto and Mr Tayto opens in the
Weir's Land project space on 9 June - 20 June. For more info
contact Ryan.

Following Niklas Hansson's installation, Laura Quarmby took
up residence in the project space - developing new work.
Laura concluded her time at Weir's Land with a stunt which
took place early May.

MALMÖ NOMADSLAND
Initiated by protos in Malmö this event brought together a
selected group of members from Sweden, Berlin and Edinburgh
to discuss subjects related to nomadism with a programme of
visits and workshops. 1 - 5 June 2001 to be documented online
soon.

PROTO NEWSLETTER
An e-mail based newsletter is available to anyone interested
in proto academy activities. Contact [email protected] and
ask to join the list. The newsletter is sent on an
occassional basis (promise not to clog up your mailbox!).

CORK
proto member Dobz lives in Cork and has initiated a project
to happen in Cork (Ireland) in November. The project will
involve a talk with Charles Esche, a round table discussion
with Shep Steiner and a proto exhibition project. There will
be a meeting in Edinburgh on 19 June to discuss this further.
Contact Ola for further info.

FORUM A - PROTO DIALOGUE
Forum a is a collective of artists and writers based in
Seoul, South Korea. Initiated by Frankfurth based artist
Haegue Yang, proto academy and forum a are at the beginning
of what promises to be a very interesting e-mail exchange,
possibly leading to other forms of activity. Contact Lyn for
further info.

New projects currently in development.