Canalab Proposal

1. You and your work

This proposal is to research and develop the idea of building and 
running a touring arts centre in the form of a canal narrow boat.

It has provisionally been named "Canalab."

Canalab sees the inland waterways system as a kind of 
'trans-regional' network, connecting every single ACE regional 
admin area and passing through them simultaneoulsy. 
As a site, in every traditional sense, it offers an immense 
possibility for creative enquiry and production.


Typically the Canal waterways are seen as a place and location 
around which to base and form work; Canalab proposes to go one 
step further and operate a touring/mobile, work/art centre which 
connects with the infrastructure of the canals themselves.

This proposal is for a research and development study to investigate 
the liklihoods and not so feasible outcomes and logistics of such 
an enterprise.

This proposal is for effectively 10 days research, designing and 
imagining followed through to a printed document which can be used 
to take the idea to whatever further stage awaits it (if indeed any..)

My work in founding and developing the Cube Microplex (or Cinema) 
in Bristol, England has resulted in an interest in spaces as 
centres of networked creativity. I would like to imagine that this 
process is largely down to a 'response' formed by participants 
to the unique space that the Cube is and in the beginning this was 
an outcome we could never have predicted.

The Cube has spawned several projects in its time (Ladyfest, Venn 
festival, Blackout arts) and I see this idea as a direct 
development of the 'micro' or compacted and distilled approach 
to making and staging or exhibiting work which the Cube has so b
elligerently adhered to.

With a boat and the river/canal landscape of Britain I feel reponses 
will be slightly more forthcoming and plentiful and could easily 
imagine this as a long term project, spanning generations as well 
as regions. Essentially though a 'touring project' where the 
landscapes move and one can standstill.

Almost like an old canal based firm or company, but this time 
transporting art and culture instead of coal.


2. Making it happen

I have already carried out various forms of research into the 
feasibility of a project like Canalab. This consists mainly of 
reading and compiling information on the network, offical bodies 
and how they work, various canal based art projects and social 
meetings with boat owners and operators.

The day research periods are broken down into sections; each one 
covering a specific area of work. It will largely be a process 
of fact finding and thinking/responding, eg "whats the maximum 
length of boat able to navigate the whole network?"

Each section will follow the process of:
1. Aims/goals - 
2. Fact-finding, examination and inspection, creative thinking -
3. Written reporting and data/information compilation -

The sections are roughly divided as follows.

Boat research.

Examination of example builds, yard visits, example quotes.	
Proposed uses, measures, models, scale designs.
(effectively all the technical and hardware aspects, but these
very importantly dovetail into 'how' the boat is used and what
its creative purpose is, eg "Is it important to design for maximum 
berths for group residencies, etc?").

Pilotage and water admin.
Licences, fees, maintainence, running costs, crew/pilot
qualification, insurances. Scheduled costs and financial
management plan for tour/content and use.


Tour/content.

"Artist Used and Use lead" Canalab could be a facility for myriad 
approaches to visually creative work. Due to the pace of life 
on the canals it also lends itself to formal living residencies 
and I will be looking at what scale and kind of equipment may 
suit itself to this nature of activity, eg "Do we have computers 
and the internet, is it a studio?"

Even Artists need to review their practice and work, Canalab could 
offer a 'convalesence' environment for such periods of time.

It could certainly express itself as a 'public' space for the 
exhibition and presentation of work, in flat art, film, video, 
sound, performance, etc as well as having mobile resources 
for shore based projects like radio-transmission, satellite 
making, film/video screening, sound performance, crowd expression
management, marine rituals. 
This means it could operate as the site itself or as a focus 
for shore activities.


3. The finances

This proposal covers 10 days research but in reality it is likely
to take twice as long. Please consider the other half of this work
as 'work-in-kind' and I'd prefer to keep this application small 
as essentially this is a speculative engagement.

No other sources of funding have been secured although I am 
considering approaching The Heritage Lottery Fund, maybe you can 
offer some advise on this.  The Cube Cinema are willing to put 
forwards a % of the total budget if this was absolutely required.

[see budget in application form]


4. Benefits

In professional development terms the realisation of the 'whole' 
project would go a long way in furthering my experience in 'building' 
institutions.

The public and artists however would gain a unique resource and
Heritage facility and this applies nationally and potentially
internationally once you consider European mainland waterways
which go as far as the Black Sea.

As a mobile and open facility every settlement, town or city 
community near or on a canal would be able to contribute and 
participate in enduring projects encapsulated and communicated via
the presence of the boat itself at any point in the nationwide
water network.

"eg, Cities/Town on canals: York, Bradford, Leeds,
Kingston-Upon-Hull, Blackburn, Preston, Manchester Liverpool,
Doncaster, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Leicester
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Worcester, Northhampton,
Milton Keynes Oxford, Reading, Gloucester, Bath, Bristol and
London."

5. Meeting our aims

The goals of research are to explore uncharted terrain and this can
only be towards increasing opportunites for participation in the arts
as well as cultural diversity.


6. Evaluation

A research production evaluates as part of its core activity. 
Evaluation of ideas and possibilities and consideration of all the 
aspects involved in planning and conceving something on this scale.
Post research evaluation is largely a matter of application of
the project