Several members of the 2000-2001 post-diplome group became interested in identifying, in real practice, the ways in which a self-managed team or workgroup might actually function within an organization. We visualized a sharing of competencies and responsibilities that would be mutually supportive to the functioning of the workgroup and of the individuals participating. We envisioned a dynamic, participatory program that would balance the individual creative practice with responsibility to the team and the team projects; but also where the team projects would feed and fuel the individual engagement.
With these ideas in mind, in July 2002, MultiPoint was born: a self-guided work-group concerned with the extending projects that experiment with the notions of how the artist functions in contemporary society, where the isolated studio practice is only one part of artistic practice.
The website http://multipoint.free.fr as conceived with guest collaborator, Patrick Bernier, a French artist whose work is strongly informed by collaboration and contemporary media (internet, satellite, and digital film). The site explores randomness and chance, dealing out a network of exchange like one might deal a game of cards.
Multipoint continued for one year with a new group of artists but like all revolutionary projects, this one found little favor with a conservative French establishment. When the director of the art school, Robert Fleck, took another position in his native Vienna, the new director transitioned the program back to a simple, French post graduate affair.
Multipoint in America
When April returned to the US, she felt that the efforts began with her colleagues in France were worthy of continued exploration. Beyond Baroque in Venice, California approached her about a similar venture and she took good advantage the chance, seeing it as the next step in the process.
After a year of intensive meeting, discussion, and collaboration around the notion of “belief,” a topic that emerged through a series of chance encounters, the participants in the new project conducted a weekend-long “burn” where they labored intensively making work, discussing practices and ideas, and cooking. The result was a book-object, on Fire-soma rot, that was presented with a performance and extrapolation of the collaborative process at Beyond Baroque.
Multipoint in 2009-2010
A new Multipoint group is forming and will meet in late May to set topics, consider invitées, and conceptualize the format, which will include online and skype discussions. Look for updates on the current Multipoint project.
