Thinkers In Residence: Mary Paterson, 2009/2010

The Live Art Development Agency has invited Mary Paterson to be Writer in Residence. Using the online shop Unbound as a tool and a provocation, Mary is exploring the relationship between Live Art and online space.

Is the internet an opportunity for free expression, a platform for developing and showcasing Live Art, and a chance to speak and share? Or is it a slush pile of unaccountable points of view and soundbites, and a resource constrained by the demands of its own upkeep?

Mary will draw on the findings of an online survey of Unbound and its publications and artefacts to navigate the territory surrounding Live Art – its paraphernalia, documentation and archive: how does the Live Art sector speak itself, and its history? She will also look at the ways in which artists respond to online platforms, and make use of online technology in the creation of Live Art: how does the Live Art sector make use of changing technologies?

The residency will culminate in a piece of writing, which will be available through Unbound and in the Live Art Development Agency Study Room.

Mary Paterson is a writer and producer based in London. She was a writer with Live Art UK's 'Writing from Live Art' initiative (2006 – 2008) and Writing Live Fellow for Performa International Biennial of Performance (2007), supported by Arts Council England. She is co-director of Open Dialogues.

www.open-dialogues.blogspot.com