Prof John Byrne
Liverpool School of Art and Design
Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies
Email: J.Byrne@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 904 1128
John Byrne is a Professor of Useful Art at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Art and Design. Byrne is also currently Head of The Institute of Art and Technology at Liverpool John Moores University’s Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies.
From 2019 Byrne has also occupied the position of Researcher and Writer in Residence at The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester UK (www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk). As part of this Residency Byrne co-produced and developed the ongoing online Research Platform ‘Decentralising Political Economies’ (or www.dpe.tools) which acts as a critical Research intersection between The Whitworth Art Gallery, The Association of Arte Útil (www.arte-util.org) and IAT at LJMU
Since 2020 Byrne has also acted a member of the Adivsory Board for Ty Pawb – a hybrid market, cultural hub, gallery space and community garden in Wrexham, Wales (www.typawb.wales). In 2022 Ty Pawb was an Art Fund Museum of the Year Shortlisted Finalist.
From 2013 – 2018 Byrne also acted as LJMU/LSAD Co-ordinator for "The Uses of Art- the legacy of 1848 and 1989" (2013 – 2018) EU Funded Project: GA 2013-1183. ‘The Uses of Art’ Project is a 5 yearlong project which will align research developed around the theme of ‘Useful Art’ from LJMU/LSAD alongside Grizedale Arts (Coniston UK), The University of Hildesheim (Hildesheim, Germany), The Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK) and the L’Internationale consortium of Museums and Galleries: Moderna Galerija (MG=MSUM, Ljubljana, Slovenia); Museo nacional centro de arte Reina Sofia (MNCARS, Madrid, Spain); Museu d’art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA, Barcelona, Spain); Museum van Hedendgaagse Kunst Antwerpen (M HKA, Antwerp, Belgium); SALT (Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey) and Van Abbermuseum (VAM, Eindhoven, NL); Grizedale Arts (Coniston, UK); University of Hildesheim, (Hildesheim, Germany). The Uses of Art has received funding of € 2.5 million from the European Union. The tangible outputs of the ‘The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989’Programme are: (1) Collection mobility through an exchange of 500 works and the streamlining of procedures for internal loans (2) Mobility of 600 cultural professionals (3) 20 exhibitions, which will show 1500 works (4) 12 symposia/seminars (5) 5 publications (6) L’Internatioale Online platform (7) 5 magazines (8) a special education program for 60 young Europeans (9) 4 commissioned art projects with contemporary artists (10) an estimated public of 2.5,000,000 visitors and participants.
In September 2015 – 2018 Byrne took on the role of Co-ordinator for the L’Internationale ‘Constituencies’ Research Strand. This saw Byrne collating Bench Mark research around the relationship between Museums/Galleries and Publics between September 2015 and April 2016. From April 2016 – October 2016 Byrne was responsible for coordinating research around examples of experimental practice between L’Internationale partners and their publics (with a view to developing International practice standards for Knowledge development and co-production). From October 2016 to March 2018 Byrne was responsible for organizing an editorial team to produce a major historical and critical publication on the ‘Constituent Museum’ for publication by L’Internationale as part of the "The Uses of Art- the legacy of 1848 and 1989"
In July 2015 Byrne also became a Narrator/Curator of the L’Internationale ‘Glossary of Common Knowledge’ Project, based at Moderna Galerija Ljubljana. In March 2016 Byrne and Zdenka Badovinca (Director of Moderna Galerija) co-curated a ‘Constituencies’ Glossary of Common Knowledge Seminar that was held in Liverpool at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Art and Design.
Byrne’s continued work with The L’Internationale Group of Museums and Galleries from 2013 -20018, and also a continued Research Relationship with The Van Abbemuseum (NL) and The Whitworth Art Gallery from 2019 onward around Constituency and The Constituent Museum formed one of the three Impact Case Studies submitted as part of UoA32 from Liverpool School of Art and Design/LJMU for REF 2021.
Highlighted publications
Byrne J. 2012. Grizedale Arts: Use Value and the Little Society Afterall, :101-107 Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2010. Critical Autonomy: 'Inside Out' and 'Outside In'. Byrne JM, Ten Thije S, Butcher C. The Autonomy Project: Newspaper 1 - Positioning :14-21 Onomatopee. Netherlands 978-90-78454-45-8 Author Url Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2008. Warhol's Silver Studio: A Key to Understanding Popular Culture Today Glenie S, McGarry E. The Eternal Now: Warhol and the Factory 63 - 68 :81-83 The Model Arts and Nailand Gallery/Lewis Glucksman Gallery/Icon Eastside. Dublin 978-0-9551734-6-2 Author Url Publisher Url
Byrne J, Byrne J, Domela P. Martha Rossler Library
Books (authored)
Byrne J. 2023. One to One Scale Practice: Use Value and the Constituent Museum Bowers P. 3 The Manchester University Press. Manchester Publisher Url
Szreder K. 2021. The ABC of the projectariat -Living and working in a precarious art world Byrne J, Bowers P. 1 Manchester University Press. Manchester 978-1-5261-6132-1 Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2013. The Autonomy Reader Byrne J, Lutticken S, Boomgaard J, ten Thije S. 4 Afterall. London Publisher Url
Byrne J. Martha Rossler Library
Journal article
Byrne J, Saviotti A. 2023. Hacking education: Arte Útil as an educational methodology to foster change in curriculum planning Art and the Public Sphere, 11 :99-114 DOI Publisher Url
Saviotti A, Medina Estupiñan G, Byrne J. 2017. Asociación de Arte Útil: a nomadic and multiform platform for usership Journal for Research Cultures, 1
Byrne J. 2016. Social Autonomy and the Use Value of Art Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context and Enquiry, 42 :60-69 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Byrne J. 2012. Use Value and the Contemporary Work of Art: Freeing Art from the Present Technocratic Framework open, :16-25 Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2012. Grizedale Arts: Use Value and the Little Society Afterall, :101-107 Publisher Url
Byrne J. 1999. Life Science: Ars electronica 99 Third Text, 13 :93-97 DOI Publisher Url
Byrne J. 1997. The object(ive) of art in the age of digital revolution Convergence, 3 :17-21 DOI Publisher Url
Chapters
Byrne J. 2022. Social Autonomy and the Use-Value of Art Lutticken S. Art and Autonomy A Critical Reader After all. London 978-1-84638-168-3
Byrne J. 2018. Negotiating Jeopardy: Toward a Constituent Architecture of Use Byrne J, Morgan E, Sanchez A, Zeleznick A. The Constituent Museum Valiz. Amsterdam 978-94-92095-42-8 Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2017. Brexit, New Nationalism, and the New Politics of Migrancy Aikens N, Çaka B, Haq N, Paynter N, Petrešin-Bachelez N, Prieto del Campo P, ten Thije S, Železnik A. Subjects and Objects in Exile :181-187 L'Internationale Online. Ghent Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2016. History, Use Value, and the Contemporary Work or Labour of Art ten Thije S, Aikens N, Seijdel J, Lange T. What’s the Use? Constellations of Art, History and Knowledge A Critical Reader :114-128 Valiz/L'Internationale. Amsterdam 978-94-92095-12-1 Publisher Url Public Url
Byrne J. 2011. Closing the Gap Between Art and Life: Digital Art as Discursive Framework Emerging Digital Spaces in Contemporary Society: Properties of Technology :219-220 Palgrave Macmillan. England 978-0-230-27346-7 Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2010. Critical Autonomy: 'Inside Out' and 'Outside In'. Byrne JM, Ten Thije S, Butcher C. The Autonomy Project: Newspaper 1 - Positioning :14-21 Onomatopee. Netherlands 978-90-78454-45-8 Author Url Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2009. The Yes Men: Art and the Culture of Corporate Capital Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism with the Yes Men :19-22 Carnegie Mellon. Chicago
Byrne J. 2008. Warhol's Silver Studio: A Key to Understanding Popular Culture Today Glenie S, McGarry E. The Eternal Now: Warhol and the Factory 63 - 68 :81-83 The Model Arts and Nailand Gallery/Lewis Glucksman Gallery/Icon Eastside. Dublin 978-0-9551734-6-2 Author Url Publisher Url
Internet publication
Byrne J. 2020. Decentralising Political Economies Publisher Url
Conference publication
Byrne J. 2019. Negotiating Jeopardy: Use Value, the Body and Political Dissent: The Autonomy Project Revisited Aikens N, Scheltinga E. Deviant Research Practice 2018-19, Deviant Research Practice 2018-2019 - Archives and Constituencies 1 :154-177 Publisher Url
Byrne J. 2014. Revolution 3.0: Arte Útil and the Use Value of History The Uses of Art: History
Books (edited)
2018. The Constituent Museum Byrne J, Morgan E, Sanchez A, Zeleznik A. Valiz. Amsterdam 978-94-92095-42-8 Publisher Url
Exhibition
Byrne J. The Inevitable Show (reproducing fame) Damien Hirst, Michael Riedel, Static Author Url Publisher Url
Byrne J, Byrne J, Domela P. Martha Rossler Library
Byrne J. The Office of Useful Art: Liverpool School of Art and Design Publisher Url
Conference organisation:
Decentralising Political Economies Roving Symposium, Symposium Editor/Organiser, https://dpe.tools/. 2021
Working with Constituents, Coordinator, http://www.visitmima.com/whats-on/single/working-with-constituencies/. 2016
Research Grants Awarded:
The Whitworth Art Gallery, The Decentralising Political Economies Roving Symposium, Grant value (£): 4000, Duration of research project: 6 moths. 2021
The Culture program of the EACEA (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency), Grant agreement n. EACEA 2013-1183-001-001., The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989, L'internationale Consortium of Museums and Galleries: Grizedale Arts (Coniston UK), The University of Hildesheim (Hildesheim, Germany), The Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK) and the L’Internationale consortium of Museums and Galleries: Moderna Galerija (MG=MSUM, Ljubljana, Slovenia); Museo nacional centro de arte Reina Sofia (MNCARS, Madrid, Spain); Museu d’art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA, Barcelona, Spain); Museum van Hedendgaagse Kunst Antwerpen (M HKA, Antwerp, Belgium); SALT (Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey) and Van Abbermuseum (VAM, Eindhoven, NL); Grizedale Arts (Coniston, UK); University of Hildesheim, (Hildesheim, Germany)., Grant value (£): The Uses of Art has received funding of € 5 million overall - €2.5 million from the European Union and €2.5 million match funding from participating institutions., Duration of research project: 5 Years. 2012
Editorial boards:
The Whitworth Manuals, Editor, https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/about/whitworthmanuals/. 2021
The Association of Arte Útil Online Platform, Editorial Board Member, http://www.arte-util.org/. 2016
The Constituent Museum/L'internationale, Project Manager/Coordinator: Lead Editor, http://www.internationaleonline.org/. 2015
Industrial connections:
Ty Pawb, Board Member, https://www.typawb.wales/. 2021
Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, As Director of 'The Uses of Art Lab' at LJMU's School of Art and Design, and as a Board Member/Editor of the Association of Arte Útil, John Byrne has agreed with Alistair Hudson (Director of 'Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) to develop and coordinate International Research into Use, Use-Value and Constituency in collaboration with Internationally renowned artist Tania Bruguera and the 'Broadcasting the Archive' project team. This will include a long term plan to develop free and open access learning materials online as part of the Association of Arte Útil's Archive, in collaboration with LJMU, The Florrie (Toxteth), Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and the L'Internationale Consortium of Museums and Galleries, http://www.visitmima.com/?home=true. 2017
The Florrie, Toxteth, Liverpool, As Director of 'The Uses of Art Lab' at LJMU's School of Art and Design, and as a Board Member/Editor of the Association of Arte Útil, John Byrne has agreed with Anne Lundon (Director of 'The Florrie', Toxteth, Liverpool) to develop and coordinate International Research into Use, Use-Value and Constituency in collaboration with Internationally renowned artist Tania Bruguera and the 'Broadcasting the Archive' project team. This will include a long term plan to develop free and open access learning materials online as part of the Association of Arte Útil's Archive, in collaboration with LJMU, The Florrie (Toxteth), Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and the L'Internationale Consortium of Museums and Galleries, http://www.theflorrie.org/. 2017
The Association of Arte Útil, As a Board Member/Editor of the Association of Arte Útil, John Byrne's agreed role is to help develop and coordinate International Research into Use, Use-Value and Constituency in collaboration with Internationally renowned artist Tania Bruguera and the 'Broadcasting the Archive' project team. This will include a long term plan to develop free and open access learning materials online as part of the Association of Arte Útil's Archive, in collaboration with LJMU, The Florrie (Toxteth), Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and the L'Internationale Consortium of Museums and Galleries, http://www.arte-util.org/. 2016
External committees:
National UK Health and Wellbeing Hub, AHRC, Advisory Board. 2017
Other invited event:
Barcelona/MACBA – L’Internationale ‘Uses of Art’ Project Team Meeting December 2016, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Barcelona, From December 12th to 14th 2016 the L’Internationale Project Team for ‘The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989’ met at Macba (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona) for their penultimate project meeting. Discussions included a set of themes for the final ‘L’Internationale Dialogues’ project, which will see a range of curators, artists, activists and thinkers discuss issues of ‘Use’. During our time at Macba the first of these dialogues ‘Art, Museums and Democracy’ – a discussion between Manuel Borja-Villel, Director of Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid), Bart De Baere, General and artistic Direoctor of M HKA (Antwerp) and Charles Esche, Director of the Van Abbemuseum (Eindhoven) – took place on December 12th. These dialogues will uploaded to the L’Internationale online platform at www.internationaleonle.org. There will be four ‘threads’ to the L’Internationale dialogues programme, these are: • Who is speaking? • What is true? • What needs to change? • Where is South? The L’Internationale Dialogues can be found online at: www.internationaleonline.org/dialogues/. 2016
Association of Arte Util and Middlesbrough Institue of Modern Art visit to Granby, Toxteth, Granby Four Streets Area, Toxteth, Liverpool, On December 8th 2016 Alessandra Saviotti and Gemma Medina, who run the ‘Broadcasting the Archive’ Project for The Association of Arte Útil, together with a group of constituents from mima http://www.visitmima.com/?home=true (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) visited the Granby 4 Streets area in Toxteth, Liverpool. After looking around the area, and also seeing the work being done by the Granby 4 Streets Community Land Trust and Turner Prize winning group Assemble, discussions took place in the Granby Office of Useful Art around archiving, knowledge exchange, future practice and the potential of the Association of Arte Útil as a ground-up and constituent platform for developing open-source forms of education and use-based collaboration. You can find a reflection of Alessandra and Gemma’s visit to Middlesbrough and Liverpool in ‘Broadcasting the Archive 9# – Reflections on Participation on the Association of Arte Útil website at http://www.arte-util.org/broadcasting-the-archive9-reflexions-on-participation/. 2016
Curating the Alps, EVAC Switzerland, On Thursday 13th and Friday 14th October 2016 John Byrne took part in the ‘Curating The Alps” curatorial workshop, hosted by ECAV in Switzerland. This gave me the opportunity to talk and discuss some of the ideas that Byrne has recently developed around The Association of Arte Útil and also for the article ‘Social Autonomy and the Use Value of Art’ that Byrne had prepared for the Autumn/Winter 2016 volume of Afterall.. 2016
Working with Constituents, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, From Thursday 8th September until Saturday 10th September 2016 mima hosted the ‘Working with Constituents’ event. This conference, developed by John Byrne, Elinor Morgan and the editorial team of the forthcoming L’Internationale publication ‘The Constituent Museum’ invited speakers and contributors including Anthony Gardner, Jesús Carrillo Castillo, Archivos en Uso, Alina Müller (The Silent University), Kristine Khouri, Nikos Papastergiadis, Bini Araia, Céline Condorelli, Igor Španjol, pantxo ramas, Daniela Ortiz and Burak Arıkan ( Graph Commons) to think around and further discuss the idea, concept and usefulness of the term ‘Constituencies’. The event itself intended to address the key question ‘What would happen if museums put relationships at the centre of their operations?’. However, the incredible discussions then ensued began to make us think that perhaps the title of the event should have been ‘Becoming Constituent’ rather than ‘Working with Constituencies’. After all, the premise of the event was to ask ‘What would happen if museums put relationships at the center of their work?’ and to ‘explore the possibility of a museum in which the visitor is not a passive receiver of predefined content, but a member of a constituent body, who provokes, informs and co-produces programmes’. This was made particularly pertinent in the light of mima’s recent mission statement which is as follows: ‘Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, part of Teesside University, is moving forward with a vision of itself as a “useful museum,” or “museum 3.0,” under the directorship of Alistair Hudson and with programming by Miguel Amado and Elinor Morgan. The “useful museum” is a civic institution that promotes art as a tool for social change and is created by the sum of the actions of its users. The “museum 3.0″ establishes the gallery as a public site, beyond representation and participation and based on use value, with its meaning defined by its constituents’.. 2016
Granby 4 Streets ‘Office of Useful Art’, Granby, Toxteth, Liverpool, On Saturday 3 September, Michael Simon (Granby 4 Streets Community Land Trust member and Social Activist), in collaboration with John Byrne, opened the Granby 4 Streets Office of Useful Art. The plan for this short term/pop-up project was to develop the grounds for ‘The Uses of Art’ Lab to be developed at LJMU – and for The ‘Uses of Art Lab’ to be the first truly ground-up, constituency led ‘Office of Useful Art’, developed in conjunction with a major civic institution, that will use the existing Association of Arte Útil archive – amongst other available resources- to both partake in, and contribute to, the next steps of the Association of Arte Útil. As well as this, the Granby Office of Useful Art also marked an opportunity for LJMU to work closely with constituents from the Granby area, as a means to use art as a vehicle for collaboratively producing, and re-thinking, forms of ground up education and access, and for LJMU/LSAD ‘The Office of Useful Art’ to develop stronger working links with ‘The Florrie’ in Toxteth, Liverpool.. 2016
Mediation Task Force Meeting MACBA – Constituencies, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA - Barcelona), From January 12th to 14th 2016 the L’Internationale Mediation Task Force met up in MACBA Barcelona to discuss plans for developing Constituencies research and publication. Representatives from Museo Reina Sofía, MUHKA, Van Abbemuseum, Moderna Galerija, SALT Research and Programmes, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art- Teeside Univeristy and Liverpool John Moores University (myself and PhD Research Students Emma Curd and John Hill) and MACBA discussed possible ways to develop this research and began to plan an outline for publication. Whilst at MACBA, the Mediation Task Force also had the opportunity to partake in a workshop with the Avalancha Group who work closely with MACBA in the development of education and outreach projects based on re-negotiating archival material and resources.. 2016
Arte Útil Summit 2016, Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art (mima), From 22 to 25th July the Association of Arte Útil Summit took place at mima. Amongst the speakers over the weekend were Stephen Wright, Tania Bruguera, Charles Esche, Núria Güell, Kuba Szreder, Sebastian Cichocki, Gemma Medina, Alessandra Saviotti, Annie Fletcher, Michael Simon (Granby 4 Streets Community Land Trust) and John Byrne. The Summit opened up a very broad range of debates and allowed everybody present to begin opening up ideas and new pathways forward for the Association of Arte Util. On Monday 25th July a final, and open, Association of Arte Útil Board meeting was held and a range of ideas and proposals for the development of the AAU were discussed. Principal amongst these were the proposal to develop the next years of the AAU around the three areas of people (constituencies), Places (discussions of real and virtual exchange including those of ‘Museum 3.0’) and Methods (the development of a rigorous critical and theoretical framework for the practices developed by the AAU which could ‘beyond’ the current museological methodologies of neo-Kantian aesthetics. One of the key proposals was to develop an Office of Useful Art in Granby, Liverpool, as the first example of a ‘ground-up’ and constituency led Office of Useful Art which would, in turn, use the AAU archive in new, productive and useful ways. The other key motion was for ‘Broadcasting the Archive’ to contact the artists and projects that are currently ‘live’ on the archive and to ask whether or not (and to what degree) they would be happy for other constituencies to take their ideas and develop them as independent projects. This, in turn, will lead to a rigorous debate around an alternative ‘creative commons’ of ownership and rights for the AAU which may begin to point to ways in which forms of adequate remuneration can be provided to artists and constituencies outside of the usual ‘object ownership’ of the current art market. It was also agreed that the next AAU Summit will happen in the Summer of 2017 in San Francisco, at the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts and will form part of a developing Syllabus for an AAU Summer School that will take place during this time as part of a broader Tania Bruguera show/retrospective. It is also hoped that LJMU and Granby 4 Streets/The Florrie will be able to collaborate on developing deliverable material for this Summer School as part of their collaboration around the development of ground-up forms of constituent education and the uses of art. In addition to this, and in agreement with Tania Bruguera, John Byrne committed to Researching with the AAU network as a means to continue thinking through issues of use, use-value and the work or labour of art.. 2016
Constituencies Editorial Meeting: Ljubljana, Moderna Galerija and +MSUM Ljubljana, Slovenia, From Monday 28th June to Wednesday 29th of June the Editorial Team for the Constituencies research Strand of the L’Internationale project ‘The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989’ met up in Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana. After a very productive and critically reflective two days the Constituencies Editorial Team, led by John Byrne, developed an outline for the publication ‘The Constituent Museum’ and corresponding symposium (to be held at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, September 2016) to act as a framework for developing further debate in the sector around the development of (and necessity for) constituent practices of production, display and distribution.. 2016
CREATIVE VILLAGES? SEMINAR, Ecole cantonale d’art du Valais (ECAV) Switzerland, From March 26 to 27 2016 John Byrne was invited to attend and participate in the ¿Creative Villages? Seminar which was organized as a collaboration between the Ecole cantonale d’art du Valais (ECAV) and LAPS, Research Institute for Art and Public Space, Amsterdam The premise of the seminar was to take the territory of Leytron/Ovronnaz in Switzerland as a topographical metaphor to address contemporary dynamics of art in public sphere. The seminar itself provided an opportunity to begin radically re-thinking the relationship of 1:1 art practice to the instrumentalization, and commercialization, of the public sphere through contemporary art projects. In the light of this, the seminar also provided an opportunity to also discuss the kind of work, or labour, that the work of art is now becoming under the present conditions of neo-liberal capital.. 2016
‘Constituencies’ Glossary of Common Knowledge at LJMU, Liverpool School of Art and Design, From 2 – 4 March 2016 The ‘Constituencies’ Glossary of Common Knowledge took place at Liverpool John Moores University’s ‘School of Art and Design’. Over the two day period of the Glossary (co-curated in this instance by Zdenka Badovnic, Bojana Piskur and myself) a Keynote talk by Raul Sanchez Cedillo was followed by seminar presentations and discussion from guest including Nick Aickens (Van Abbemuseum, NL); Marwa Arsanios (LB); Zdenka Badovinac, Bojana Piškur, Adela Železnik (MG+MSUM, SI); John Byrne (Liverpool John Moores University, UK); Lia Colombino (Red conceptualismo del sur, PY); Khwezi Gule (SA); Anders Krueger (M HKA, BE); Alexey Penzin (Chto Delat, RU); Ahmet Öğüt (TR); Meriç Öner (SALT Research, TR); Raúl Sánchez Cedillo; Aida Sánchez de Serdio (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, MNCARS, SP), pantxo ramas (MACBA, SP). Guests were also invited for a tour and talk of the Granby 4 Streets Project in Toxteth, Liverpool and were also invited for tours and dinners at ‘The Florrie’ and ‘Static Gallery’ (http://www.statictrading.com/).. 2016
Association of Arte Útil Meeting, Arts Catalyst Gallery Space London, On Sunday February 7th representatives from Van Abbemuseum, MIMA and the Associacion of Arte Útil met up to discuss the next steps for the Association of Arte Útil project. Artist and instigator of the Associacion of Arte Útil project Tania Bruguera was able to attend the meeting and some interesting plans were made for the future of the project, forthcoming events and further activations of the archive. The meeting itself took place in Arts Catalyst space in London where a manifestation of the Archive/Office of Useful Art was taking underway. As part of an update on the project John Byrne was able to feedback on the Office of Useful Art pop-up that took place in Liverpool LJMUs School of Art and Design in October, the role this played in developing the ‘Visible Award’ project in Liverpool and more recent developments that have taken place, in discussion with the Granby 4 Streets Community Land Trust, for further collaboration and research around constituencies and constituency thinking.. 2016
Visible Award 2015, Liverpool Town Hall, On Saturday 31 October the Visible Award 2015 took place at Liverpool Town Hall. An audience of local and international users and constituents were joined online in a Parliamentary style discussion and debate to identify the winner of the Visible Award 2015. John Byrne was invited to this event as a Judge and Advisor. The Office of Useful Art, a project organized and curated by Byrne, that took place in October 2015 at Liverpool School of Art (in collaboration with Middleborough Institute of Modern Art, The Association of Arte Útil, Tate Liverpool and the L’Internationale European Funded Project ‘The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989’) acted as part of a public forum for debate leading up to the final Visible Award Parliament at Liverpool Town Hall. Full details can be found online at: : http://www.visibleproject.org/blog/2015-visible-award-temporary-parliament/. 2015
Glossary of Common Knowledge Seminar, Moderna Gallerija+MSUM: Ljubljana, From Wednesday 16th to Friday 18th of September John Byrne attended the ‘Geo-Politics’ Glossary of Common Knowledge Seminars and Talks at +MSUM Ljubljana. Details of this event can be found at the Glossary of Common Knowledge website at http://www.glossary.mg-lj.si/ The event launched with a talk by Boris Burden and also included a public Panel on ‘The Geopolitics of Migration’ from Boris Buden, Djordje Balmazović (Škart collective), Ela Meh, Tzortzis Rallis and Darij Zadnikar. As the realities of the migration ‘crisis’ gripped Europe, it was also decided to add the term ‘Migrancy’ to the debate over Geopolitics. The next Glossary of Common Knowledge Seminar will be in Liverpool in early March and will look at the term Constituencies as part of the L’Internationale ‘Constituencies’ research strand of the EU Funded Project 'The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989'.. 2015
L'Internationale Team Meeting, Moderna Galerija + MSUM: Ljubljana, L'Internationale Team Meeting June 22snd - 24th 2015: On June 22nd to 24th the L’Internationale team met in Ljubljana to discuss and develop the next stages of ‘The Uses of Art’ project. Key decisions were reached about the project itself and the emerging key aims and objectives of the L’Internationale confederation. One of the core outcomes of the meeting was the collaborative will to begin theorising, and problematising the term ‘constituencies’ as a means to understand the complex relationships which now underpin the uses of art. It was agreed at this meeting that John Byrne, representing LJMU, would lead up the 'Constituencies' Research Strand of the L'Internationale EU Funded Project 'The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989'.. 2015
L'Internationale/'Uses of Art' AGM, Van Abbermuseum: Eindhoven: Netherlands, ‘Uses of Art’ AGM: From January 23rd – 25th 2015 the ‘Uses of Art’ AGM took place at Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven. Representatives from all ‘L’Internationale’ and associated partners in the ‘Uses of Art’ project met up to discuss progress and to begin developing more concrete plans for the remainder of the ‘Uses of Art’ project.. 2015
Negotiating Institutions, Tate Liverpool, Negotiating Institutions: On 14th December 2014 John Byrne organized ‘Negotiating Institutions’, the second Mediation/Useful Art Education Seminar of the ‘Uses of Art Project’ which took place at Tate Liverpool. The key purpose of the seminar was to open up lines of inquiry and discussion – around the perceived need to radically redefine institutions in the management and defence of the common good – by inviting representatives of the L’Internationale Group, Liverpool John Moores University and Tate Liverpool to begin debating the conditions of such an inquiry. Convened by Janna Graham and Elliot Perkins, Negotiating Institutions hoped to be the first of a series of such debates that will lead to the collaborative development and publication of an operational ‘Blueprint for Change’ amongst L’Internationale members and Associate Partners collaborating on The Uses of Art project. Participant Groups at the ‘Negotiating Institutions’ Seminar Included: Liverpool John Moores University, Tate Liverpool, Tate Collective and the emerging Family Collective, The Quad Collective, Diásporas críticas PEI, MACBA, , Meet me@MHKA ,Neteorit, Moderna galerija (MG+MSUM), Somateca, Museo Reina Sofía, Van Abbemuseum and MIMA. 2014
Conference presentation:
Collaboration, Co-Labour and Constituent Practices, Curating the Alps, EVAC Switzerland, Oral presentation. 2016
Collaboration and Co-labour, Glossary of Common Knowledge: Constituencies Seminar, Liverpool School of Art and Desing, Oral presentation. 2016
Media Coverage:
Advertisement in E-Flux Journal for the 2015 Visible Award: Temporary Parliament.