Moot Moves

Sunday, 16 November 2008

Tom Godfrey, one of four artist/directors of Nottingham’s Moot organisation is excited about new prospects opened up by the occupation of new premises.

"Moot opened in a new space on 4 October this year, taking over the ground floor of a grand, four storey warehouse with a colourful history; it was previously home to a hosiery company, to Boots (Ibuprofen was discovered in the building), before becoming a bank HQ in the 1990s. Art is the new incumbant.

Working alongside Stand Assembly, the three floors above the gallery are being transformed into artists’ studios and a project space which will provide 20 artists and curators with new workspace. S Mark Gubb, Craig Fisher, Tomas Chaffe, Jennie Syson, Joseph Hallam as well as the four artists who run Moot; myself, Candice Jacobs, Matthew Jamieson and Tristan Hessing, are among the first residents.

We originally opened Moot in October 2005 and were keen to establish our outward looking perspective quickly by working with artists from all over the country and beyond. We combine a programme of solo and group exhibitions, off-site activities and publication projects such as The Long Take where 15 artists were invited to contribute to a continuous document via the use of a fax machine. Moot also takes part in events such as the Zoo Art Fair. A decision was made early on not to represent artists, but to act more as a middle ground between discovery and gallery representation. We have succeeded in doing this for artists such as Jack Strange, Jonty Lees, Sean Edwards and Morag Keil. Established as a not for profit organisation, money made from sales goes back into the gallery exhibition and commissioning programme.

Now in the new building, we’re excited by the prospect of working in a bigger and more challenging space. The inaugural exhibition by artist Tomas Chaffe features an entirely new body of work that develops his practice of subtle spatial interventions and sculptures that both depend upon and reference their display environment.”

Tomas Chaffe, Moot, 4 October–2 November