SA Europe

Open day UCCA
 
2007, Intervention
During the academic year several open days take place on the University campus. The first time I saw it, I was surprised by the high glossy mannered way the University advertises its fine art program. It was interesting to be informed about all the “career opportunities”, and the “industry links” a Fine Arts degree has to offer. I thought the way life and future as an artist has been presented was a bit too optimistic. To bring the light of wisdom in the world, I decided to tell everyone the truth about what it means to study Fine Arts. Quoting a U.S. government research, I hung up posters warning people that it is  better not to become artists because the risk of suicide is three times higher than in other professions. As soon as I placed my posters, someone removed them.
 
For the next open day, I tried to convince the Student Union to support my campaign. The representative of the local Union refused to support my mission to save some innocent souls, as she did not want to scare prospective students.
 
For the last open day of the year, I booked two tutorials with visiting lecturers, I booked a wall space in the reception area; I had to do this with the manager of the Herbert Read Gallery; I had to get a risk assessment form from the fine art office, I had to fill out four pages of risk assessment, had to have it signed by my course leader (who was ill during this period, so I had to locate a replacement signature), then I had to show and discuss the risk assessment form with the senior technician, he had  sign it again, as well as myself. After I brought my four page long risk assessment, that had been signed three times, to the gallery manager and explained to her that I would not hang up “controversial” work, (she was concerned about pornographic images, as she was aware of the coming open day); after all that; I was finally allowed to attach three A2 posters on a white wall (with Blu Tack, so as not to damage the wall).
 
Can’t take a joke if it is about health and safety!
The next day my posters were gone. I had my space booked, I had appointments for my tutorials, I had my papers signed, and the posters went back on the wall.
 
The posters had been entitled Fine Art Career Opportunities, showing people in front of the job centre, working in a pub, or selling the Big Issue, on the bottom has been the Internet address linked to a page with vacancies for minimum wage jobs. During the open day, the table where the University welcomes the prospective students stood next to my posters, as though they were a part of the decoration which has been put up for this occasion.
The aspect of this work I am interested in, and which, I think, has an esthetical value, is the way in which all these bits and pieces have been required to arrange in order to make everything work.