letters to atticus

my diary has recently taken on a more experimental tenor; less a personal, private means of expressing my thoughts and mental ramblings, and more a formal journal, an actual work in progress. this is somewhat unexpected, and consequently these pages may reveal just how unprepared i am to make this metaphorical transition. like cicero a propos his 'letters to atticus', this was never meant for publication – but, like cicero, making this protest is a tad disingenuous.

its a physical transition too. since becoming 'writer' or 'thinker' in residence at apartment (not terms i'm entirely comfortable with and may well shrug off - after all i'm no derrida, or even agatha christie!), i have been popping into the space, the experiment that is this ongoing artwork or ideas laboratory, almost daily. from here i eat toast and drink tea, chat to hilary and paul or maeve and cherry, eavesdropping into the world of art and artists before settling down to a day of thinking, writing and researching the hybrid, whirling, blurry boundaries of the contemporary big picture.

apartment is more a situation or outlook than an institution; a space where friends and colleagues meet, share ideas, create work. cheeky, impertinent, an agent provocateur, apartment parodies the gallery, the institution, while at the same time seriously exploiting the possibilities of both. its domestic informality is a framework and catalyst for a new interrogative discourse, an entirely different way of circumnavigating contemporary practice and cultural debate. and like situationism its a strategy, a tactic, a reflexive dialogue more than an orthodox organisation. of course its not alone in wishing to foster this multi-disciplinary vision; visit situations, the bristol based project for more insights, inspiration and information: http://www.situations.org.uk/index.htm

the possibilities for this intellectual 'meta lab' are boundless; lets hope i can do it justice. armed with the words of irit rogoff off i set into this brave new world with a 'curious eye' to discover new questions, new possibilities, new conversations...