Tether, The Black Swans 2011, Still image from Tethervision. Photo: Tethervision
Tether
Resident Artist
STUDIO B5
Tether
Formed in 2007,by a group of Nottingham Trent graduates. Tether have exhibited widely including solo shows in London and Nottingham as well as performative works in Zurich, Leeds and Manchester. They are best known for the curatorial work in The Wasp Room and Tethervision which had such a strong presence during British Art Show 7, Sideshow event.
Statement (taken from “Contemporary art is not a cause worth killing yourself for or over, we are not the ambassadors for shit”):
“Tether have a problem with not being taken seriously. Tether instigate events only to destroy them; installations that potentially lead nowhere; & produce online video broadcasts around contemporary art. Tether is interested in the accuracy of historical recreations, myths implanted into records and archives, revolutions, the citizens of North Korea and mostly, what would happen if all the questions in the universe get answered.”
With documentary films, real life often becomes more interesting than fantasy; the lifespan of myths are now sped up to the point where illusions are shattered no sooner than their deception is established. But how often are histories embellished in their retelling? How many myths have supplemented reality? Do artists need to be accurate to (re)create history?
“History is an act of imagination. It is about trying to get inside other people’s skins, about seeing the world from remote perspectives.”1
How long does an adventure last for? They are often remembered and recounted but are the realities of an adventure the same? Memories aren’t enough; we record to cling to our adventures. What have we got to prove?
Museums collect relics to act in their best interests. Who should decide what’s important enough to keep, to record history as an artefact? In the words of Bob Dylan, “all the people can’t be all right all of the time”. To have the power to record is to have and the power to manipulate. The first generation often needs upgrading, shifting and refocusing. Spectacles have to evolve to maintain their impact.
1 Do artists need to be accurate to recreate history? Jonathan Jones, Guardian.co.uk 28 February 20
