Arts base awards
September 27th, 2008
posted by Cptn
The Weaver Twins - Mounting The Scaffold
Our thoroughly-deserved nomination and loss of the Torbay Artsbase award for literachure (apparently you have to be able to spell it to win it), had us nobbing our hob at Oldway Mansion’s and we briefly bumped to one of the Weaver Twins. Unfortunately, our brief encounter was cut short and you can find out why here.
Poet William Oxley picked up the literature gong, and recited a stanza or two on the event (which put our planned ‘address to the nation’ to shame). Le Chat Noir were the ones what picked up the ‘who rocked the Bay award’. And other winners included MusicPeg, Torbay Film Club, Our Glass, Nicky Swann, The Great Create, Space Invaders (who neither looked nor sounded as you’d expect), Ryans Bar, Mike Hurley, Gillespie Yunnie Architects, Anna Keheler, Nicholas Chave and Rebecca Parfett.
‘Winners’ are just a tip of the creative iceberg, there’s a full list of nominees here, but even nominees are just a sniff of the true creative and artistic activity that’s around. And for this lefty at least, the artistic community is the lifeblood of a healthy society, which promotes inclusion and equality, and defeats homophobia, anti-semitism or other bigotries that shouldn’t have a place… anywhere.
Oh, and we’re trying to raise £80.
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7 Comments Add your own
1. Gwen | September 28th, 2008 at 10:43 am
If this guy was so anti the awards ceremony it rather begs the question, why was he there?
2. the weaver twins | September 28th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Hey Gwen,
good point. We really were going to boycott it, but at the eleventh hour, we went along basically for a laugh and a drink.
Rest assured, I paid a pretty heavy price for that decision and I rather doubt i’ll be going again. I know it’s hard to get behind my point because I was there and that must seem rather hypocritical, but society has shown me the error of my ways. I’ll let you see my cuts and bruises if you want.
3. roger | September 29th, 2008 at 8:53 am
What needs to be noted is that a lot of people go to the Artsbase awards in the hope that one year it will actually become what it seeks to be. ArtsBase is supposed to be a group of creatives (although using that word alone, is enough to suggest at its prentension) working together for the creative future of Torbay. What you actually have is a group of people who are either council employees or are so blinkered they are still of the old school where they genuinally believe the only way to get credibility is to work with officialdom.
The Artsbase awards this year reflected this, only paid up ‘members’ of the council or those who had some relation (by that I mean paid / of beneficial interest) to Artsbase won. For example Nicky Swann won best singer songer writer, whilst she is a very talented woman, it has to also be recognised that her manager is a member of the Artsbase Committee. Open Spaces won art in the community, the community as the Council portray it, not the one that is the poorest community in Devon where art for sale in shop windows is as useful as an electricity key with no credit.
What happened to the young man who was removed by security is an abomination. He was, from memory only small compaired to the steriod enhanced giants the council had felt it necessary to employ, bouncers, who felt it necessary to punch his girlfriend in the face, what man would not be riled by such an action? The Mayor it would seem, as I notice he has yet to step in and defend his ’subjects’ right to free speech.
The real low point of the evening was overhearing it said that someone had got their award as they had had an awful year, no mention of their astounding creativity or talent.
It goes without saying this is definitive, Artsbase is not about doing it well and using art to challenge perception and encourage new audiences but about tokenism and rewarding the art the council would have us accept.
4. kt | September 29th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
i have no opinion about the art base awards i would just like to clarify a point.if you are going to make an ‘example Roger’ you really should do your homework. the internet is a very powerful tool and certain people (Roger) seem to assume they can write anything they damn well please, even if its not true (Roger) the fact is nicky swann doesn’t have a manager. freedom of speech is one thing, but to just manufacture ‘facts’ is something entirely more sinister
5. Teddy (Le Chat Noir) | October 1st, 2008 at 10:49 pm
“only paid up ‘members’ of the council or those who had some relation (by that I mean paid / of beneficial interest) to Artsbase won.”
Excuse me?
You might want to choose your words a bit more carefully before throwing such statements around, Roger. I know you’re angry, but try channeling that anger in a more positive way, or you might end up alienating people who are on the same side as you.
As someone who won an award on the night and didn’t even know of Artsbase’s existence prior to our nomination, I resent being labelled in this way by you. We are a hard working band who have worked our socks off to support music in the Torbay area, and were proud to be recognised for our efforts - even though subsequent events have soured our impression of the event in question.
Whatever you feel about Artsbase, or the way the security handled the guy from The Weaver Twins, there is no need to start tarring everyone else who was in that room with the same brush, thank you.
For the record, what happened to him was an abomination and we have been doing everything we can to bring attention to it and hopefully justice will be done in due course.
Teddy
Le Chat Noir
6. Gerry M | October 2nd, 2008 at 1:09 am
I’ve been along with several mates to the last few arts base awards and though I haven’t a clue about whether the artists, poets, whatever etc deserve the various awards the music awards haven’t been too far wrong (I don’t think). Theyve certainly not been dished out soley to Council cronies.
This year:
Le Chat Noir win the group award (beating Memo and Weaver twins) - arguable, as they’re not Torbay, but a top quality rock act nevertheless.
Nicky Swann wins solo act. Seems to be everywhere but that’s no fault of hers - more power to her “marketing elbow”
Ryan’s Bar wins the venue award - can’t see much argument here. Torbay’s a wasteland for venues supporting original music.
Emily Howard won some other award (”young person”?) - certainly her jam nights have been beneficial all round.
The previous year was Memo, Brixham’s Hannah Martin (without Colin) and venue was Bit On The Side - so pretty reasonable there I think.
Year before was Sellors and The Scientists and Dan Fisher (can’t remember venue winner) - again, okay with me.
I don’t believe in conspiracy theories from Kennedy assassination to 9/11 detonations to artsbase award fixes. My experience is that committees can’t organise p*ss ups in breweries never mind sort out complex cons involving lots of people.
I think a committee of part-timers would struggle to manufacture a practical joke on one person never mind convince me that there decisons on music awards in Torbay are pretty reasonable (if not exactly to my taste) over the last three years.
Probably flawed but don’t think there winners are enbarrassingly wrong.
Gerry
7. Teddy | October 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
Agree with most of what Gerry wrote - except that I’d like to add that we do have a Torquay postcode, so whilst we don’t live right in the Bay itself we are pretty local!
Best wishes,
Teddy
Le Chat Noir
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