Where's the Ambition, Where's the Representation?

An Open Letter from Leigh French (from Variant) on the political consequences/lessons form the collapse of the CCA in Glasgow:

"By talking about governance rather than policy differences we are led to believe that there is no choice in what we do, only choices in how we do it. By talking about the whole political process in terms of the interpersonal relationships of the key players we are gently led to believe that this is the important thing. The problem has got so bad that quite a lot of the professionals can't even see the politics anymore."

CCA's problem is not simply in the personnel, it's in the root ideology.

The Lottery hierarchical managerial model with privileged access for the few cannot represent the multiplicity of voices needed for it to function on any meaningful level. It has failed us all and tinkering with personnel will not change that.

It's time to put on the line just how imaginative and creative the so-called imaginative and creative industries are, not least in their organisational structures and abilities to communicate across communities.

Yes, there is a crisis of confidence in Scotland, but this resides in its governance. We need to challenge how genuine these bodies are in supporting creativity.

For all the lauding of successes of artist-run activity, and for all the lip service it gets when harnessed as artist-led, it's about time this wealth of knowledge, commitment and skill was enabled to develop to its potential. [Where do the imprints of free and open source software really lead?]

I'm proposing that CCA be overhauled and run as a workers' co-op on the basis of the Cubemicroplex in Bristol - The Cube is what Glasgow could have had before the managers intervened. I propose more music, more art, more books, more films, more food... on the basis of more independence to reflect the cultural vibrancy that we know exists...

I would be willing to engage with anyone wishing to move forward from here on that basis.

Leigh French
Co-Editor, Variant

Read the Herald's account of the closing of the CCA here...

1 comment

All power to the idea of a collective running this venture. Not only can't the corporate sub-Stalinist statists at Holyrood be trusted to provide money or indeed anything else, they shouldn't be allowed to run or have any say in what is after all the people's own: where else does the funding come from? Not from McConnell's own sporran or that of his apparatchiks.

left by delescluze on 18 February 2006