[matilda] How was the Art 05 project a success?

[Eric Winnert]

How was the Art 05 project a success?

It may have been a personal success for the individuals involved but
for 'Matilda' as a collective and as a community is was an absolute
failer.

Joe has made a mockery of your decision making process and is still doing it.

The official stance Matilda took, the decision that you all agreed on
in the Monday meeting after the Art 05 event was that:

"Matilda will not support the art 05 event or events like it in the
future, and that while Matilda is happy to have things like this in
the building, outside funding should be secured before hand"

This is funny if I had got funding I would have made a clear £1,200
wages, this would have made me very happy, but I'm pretty sure the
people telling me that I should have secured funding would be the
first to scream blue bloody murder at this, I mean Joe then went on to
formulate this very argument, "people who are securing funding are
deemed to be making a 'profit' through the artist fees there fore are
not allowed to operate in Matilda."

Another reason why I wanted to do the project at Matilda was because I
trusted you to support me, with the minimum financial support that it
cost and that if I did fuck up, which I did, then it wouldn't be a
problem, but I didn't get Matilda's support in any context. All I got
was a load of snide emails telling me "that as I did fuckup I'm going
to have to pay the cost for everything irrespective what happened"

Because of this official 'support' Matilda gave me I have had to turn
away 5 artists who all had good projects they wanted to do 'about'
Matilda. I don't have the time, money or energy to carry on for a year
on my own doing projects that apparently are 'success's' but Matilda
refuses to support. And why the hell should I? Why should I invest so
much of myself it to projects that Matilda receives all the benefits
at my personal expense.

Another aim for the show was to create a load of energy and momentum
that Matilda could then use to take things further to create and offer
people artistic opportunities that they may not normally have access
to. I had the momentum kicked out of me when it was made very clear
that "Matilda' will not support this or any other art project again.
It was also made clear at the Monday meetings that anyone else who
wanted to carry the positive energy forward where shouted out of the
meeting, there fore stopping all creative activity that would have
come form this 'success', dead!

The energy and momentum from Art 05 has now gone. And nothing further
will come of it.

The biggest crime Matilda has committed is that the two main people
who help create this 'success' have now been made to feel that they
are no longer welcome at Matilda and there is no place for them there
anymore. Because they were at the receiving end of an unprovoked,
vicious physical attack and that the perpetrator is allowed to stay at
Matilda and walk around as if nothing had happened.

So to recap: Matilda takes the official stance that it will not
support arts events. When people make a mistake Matilda proceeds to
bully and make unreasonable demands on the people who made the
mistake. Matilda allowed all the energy form the event to be destroyed
to the point where nothing further will come from it. Matilda then
alienates and ostracises the people who put their hart and soul in to
making the art event happen by leaving them out in the cold.

In light of this I'm a little confused, exactly how was Art 05 a success?

Matilda didn't create this, only one person did, Joe! Matilda's crime,
which is worse, is that you all allowed this to happen. Matilda
allowed a jealous child to come in and affect decisions with mindless
non-senseical arguments that have no aim other than to hurt and
humiliate people. And it was blatantly obvious that he pursued this
course of action for no other reason than to act out a personal
vandeter against some one he had chosen not to like, and in this
process he hurt more innocent people.

This isn't about 'alternative methods' its about respect. How can you
expect to build anything when the very foundation of respect for your
follow human does not exist? Joe's actions and the fact Matilda
allowed it to happen show a blatant lack of respect, for anyone trying
to do good.

The only success I can see is Joe's, he wanted me out, for some reason
that I will never understand, and he won, I've gone and he's still
there.  I can have nothing more to do with Matilda for the simple fact
I cannot waste any more of my energy on a community that allows this
level of dis-respectful bullying.

You can deliberate and discuss and fail to come to conclusions all you
want, the simple fact is Joe has hurt people, destroyed creative
positive energy and has made people feel unwelcome for no reason.

Eric