I've been an artist for my whole working life. In that time I've watched the ebb and flow of my 'own' ideas, and those of the culture around me, watched things develop from iconoclasm to cliche and back again, and seen ideas that were dismissed as ephemeral and inconsequential stay the course and outlast many that were at the time seen as important and substantial.
I've also seen things recycle and re-recycle, returning with new vigour as a new generation discovers them. I conclude from this that it's nearly impossible to make a reliable assessment of the value of anything during its first flush of existence. Art history was always hard, but now it's become almost impossible - attempts to distinguish between 'high' and 'low' art, and between 'art' and 'craft' are increasingly irrelevant.
Read Brian's full introduction
My feeling is that culture is an ecology of ideas - and just as we wouldn't imagine a biological ecology where horses were seen as 'important' and goats as 'trivial', nor should we do the same thing with art.
I remember reading an interview with a Chicago police detective who had been very successful at tracing criminals. He was asked his secret. He said, 'If I find myself doing a double take, I do a triple take.' I reformulated this as 'Pay attention to what
you're paying attention to.' This is a principle I've tried to follow - whether my attention is engaged by the most 'profound' fine art or the most 'trivial' pop, I want to acknowledge and take seriously the engagement.
This Festival's reputation rests on its commitment to presenting new and original talent in
unexpected combinations - crossing the boundaries with ease and lightness. I'm excited about working in Brighton: I love the city, and I have great respect for the Festival, which has consistently placed itself at the cutting edge of the creative arts in Britain. I hope this edition of it will exercise the benefits of keeping the mind open and awake and clear of boundaries and snobberies.