CrONICAL

A new addition to our website for 2006, CrONICAL is an archive of recorded conversations between committee members and most of the artists or curators involved in our annual program. Content so far has ranged from install practicalities to general observations on the challenges of independent practice and its reception.

Since the founding of Conical in 2001 we have attempted to create an environment where dialogue between artist and organization takes place naturally and informally. This ongoing verbal exchange may have entered the ‘consciousness’ of Conical’s methodology but for better or worse the memories of these long-gone conversations are essentially ephemera. To formalise these exchanges by recording and posting an archive to reach a broader audience seemed appropriate –  despite the sacrifice of some spontaneity.

The conversations were all recorded on the second-last day of each exhibition allowing enough time for artists, viewers and organization to digest the experience. Unlike the prior expectations set up by media releases, the validation of the catalogue or the ‘grabs’ of the mainstream media, CrONICAL provides a post-script moment in which to reflect on the process of production and presentation and the implications on an artists wider practice. In this sense continuity beyond the specific exhibition is sought whilst providing (in psycho-parlance) a necessary ‘closure’.