Auto Italia South East about a new format of TV

The studio space is currently located in a large ex-car garage on Old Kent Road, London. The aim is to create an artist-run TV series, a sustainable network and new methods in which to work. Auto-Italia hosts exhibitions, shoots and screenings talks with a mix of established and emerging artists. Amanda Dennis, Kate Cooper and Richard John Jones do co-run Auto Italia South East and tell how they allow artists to experiement and try new untroden territory.

About the building you’re based in: Do you own, rent or occupy? Are you pirats?

We are, unfortunately, not glamorous or heroic figures like pirates. We have a short term lease which is negotiated with the Housing Asociation that own the land. The buildings we have used are all due for demolition and this has allowed us to inhabit them temporarily and use the space while it is still there. This element of the way we work has had a really unique influence on how we develop projects and work on the programme.

How are programms developed?

As an artist run space we work very closely with the other artists in our programme to provide a framework for developing alternative approaches to practice and exhibition formats. We find that through our projects we create discussions and ideas which become things we use to develop the programme. Each project has a long lead-up period to it and things change and develop quite organically.

You seem having been really busy with the show recently – what are the next projects?

We have had a really busy year and the projects have all been really ambitious. We are taking a short time for research and are currently in the process of consolidating a programme for next year. Our new website has many more ways to publish new content and we are very active on Facebook and Twitter. There are always things going on at Auto Italia so keep visiting the website to stay up to date. With Auto Italia LIVE you take the format of live Television into the gallery and on the Web, to engage with the history of broadcasting and explore the possibilities that digital technology and the Internet have to offer artists.

 

So far, how have people reacted to the project?

We have had some really positive feedback and are all extremely proud of Auto Italia LIVE and the huge amount of people that worked on it. With the project, artists were not merely making films and video or organizing performances they were taking an innovative role in how these works were broadcast, employing really creative approaches towards how they were distributed. Beyond that we were also trying to challenge the role of the TV commissioner and re-claim the format of TV for artists.  

What do the risks associated with broadcasting live bring to the project?

We were adamant that each episode had to be a cohesive collaboration between several artists and that they had to be performed live in front of the camera. We took this to its extreme in Episode 2 which doesn’t use any pre-recorded material – the whole episode was delicately choreographed from beginning to end to allow time for camera transitions while ensuring a seamless transition from scene to scene. This was a real technical feat for us and the idea of ‘liveness’ introduces the element of risk and excitement. The project is a great way to allow artists to experiement and try new untroden territory in their practice and we found that this element of liveness really encourages the artists to think beyond the standard conventions. It also opens the project up to a live studio audience, makes each episode an event in its own right.

Did anything changed when the Arts Council England added you to it's list of National Portfolio Organisations?

It’s actually a common misconception that this decision went into effect instantly. The NPO programme doesn’t come into effect until April 2012 so things might change then but we’ll have to get back to you on that one. We have worked really hard at developing Auto Italia as an organisation over nearly 5 years and so we are always changing and developing the work that we do.
 
Do you see London as a national hub for artistic excellence and innovation?

It is definitely a great place to be located but the cultural landscape has completely changed in recent years and the funding cuts have been quite devastating. It’s now very difficult to be an artist in London as there is little to no incentive to stay – we would love to work more internationally and although there is plenty to keep us busy here we are really interested by other groups working abroad.