How to do DIY | Emma Coffield

A piece by Emma Coffield for Convention, Habit or Custom newspaper by Andrew Wilson and Tody Lloyd. Referencing Jasper Joffe's video (see last post) on how to do DIY

page 26 [link]

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"It goes a bit like this: empowering yourself and doing anything you like is good. Lots of publicity is god. Artworks as publicity stunts are bad. Fabricating DIY's rough-and-ready aesthetic is bad."

"Let's think of 'DIY' as a label, a series of claims even...

There are action-based claims, often used to highlight the physical labour involved in setting up 'DIY' art spaces and projects; for example the (re) building, endless wall painting and fundraising - a literal 'we did this ourselves'.

Then there are approach-based claims, highlighting a proactive ethos to artistic production and display i.e. Jasper urges his audience to 'do anything [they] like' without waiting to 'be asked'...

This second claim is a way of being, and a powerful one, as artists take on the roles and responsibilities traditionally associated with the museum or gallery curator, the dealer, the technician and the invigilator."

"In both claims...DIY arts activity draws upon the core values of a broader 'DIY culture' (Perdue et all 1997), namely collective organisation, rebellion, amateurism and anti-commercialism (the labour involved is almost always voluntary)."

"To put it another way, there are certain methods, values and approaches that are legitimately 'DIY', and adopting these legitimate methods allows so-called 'DIY' art spaces and practices to be recognised as such; they become familiar."

"DIY is not inherently 'bad' - but it is not inherently 'good' either. All systems have strengths and weaknesses, results and implications, and need to be interrogated."

"What does it mean to be involved in 'DIY' arts activities? What actions are behaviours are perceived as 'good'? What forms of rule breaking are surprising, or unacceptable?"

"Do some artists feel compelled to behave in certain ways to gain admittance? What attitudes to artists involved in 'DIY' have towards money, reputation, careers - and what might these attitudes result in?"

"DIY arts practice isn't new. To call an art activity or space 'DIY' does not automatically make it a valuable gesture of resistance and camaraderie."

"Can artists re-examine this path, and find fresh routes to as yet unknown destinations?...but first, you need to find a way to do, and think, for yourself."