Topsy Qu’ret is a performance artist of local fame with a range of imaginative and inclusive pieces to his name and credit. His Goatshead Loop performance on the Gateshead-Newcastle Metro system was one of the first that brought him to our attention. There’s a short film online somewhere. If you’ve a link, please post.
Always inventive, always making art, like most artists, Topsy had to seek other ways to make a living than commissions and grants. The new Waygood studios and galleries in various premises seemed an ideal vehicle for someone so good at promotion and such a prosyletiser for his fellow artists and the local art scene. Even his name is a work of art.
It came as a big surprise therefore, to hear that this gentle, smiling fellow had been suspended from his job at Waygood over some sort of oh possibly dispute with his boss. We didn’t know, because taking advice from his union rep and solicitor, he didn’t tell even his friends. It’s probably a wise move, not to say anything, but in his inimitable way he turned the act of silence into a performance piece of its own.
There are a few links online if you search, to the Journal story reporting on the tribunal case, quotes from his loyal partner and friends who were witnesses at the hearing, and the astonishing news that at the core of the whole sorry saga was a feeling that Topsy had looked at his boss in a way she felt was threatening. That he had hung paintings that were considered to be frightening or making a statement.
Today, the tribunal hearing is over. The Chairman Judge Hunter has found in Topsy’s favour – he was unfairly dismissed by Waygood.
Let’s hope that some much-needed funds can now be ploughed into creating some employer training for arts organisations in the NE and well, everywhere. With the millions of pounds that it seems to be costing to refurb the building at Waygood, a few sessions with an arts organisation specialist at something like £400 a day wouldn’t go amiss, would they? Ten, to include the members of the Board or Steering Group or whatever they have, say 10 people. That’d be a mere £4,000. Good grief, I’d do it. Might go some little way towards restoring some of the organisation’s tattered reputation.
In the meantime, Topsy deserves all due consideration and admiration for managing to not only keep quiet for almost two years, but never to utter a word against his employers or their representatives. Exemplary conduct. And please accept our warmest congratulations. We all hope there’ll be some money in compensation forthcoming, with which you can go on and make more of that plumb fool crazy art we know and love.
Will be dropping the relevant links in here as they show up. This is a good one – scroll down to the comments. Journal Live 1, 2 Front page of the Journal Sat 14th November (there will no doubt be more).
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3 Comments
I saw your comment on Topsy’s facebook page that no-one has left a comment under your very good blogpost above, despite the amount of hits it has had.
One of the reasons I think for this is that while a lot of people feel aggrieved about what Helen Smith and her Board have done, not only to Topsy, but to other members of staff (another very recently) and to Waygood as an entity (jeopardising its future via poor business planning); the fact is that while Helen Smith and the Board are still perceived to be in charge, people, particularly artists, are scared to ‘lose favour’. So when you have people who could give the Ceaucescus a run for their money in the lack of humilty, other who stand to lose say their studio, or chance of an exhibition, bla bla bla, decline to criticise them publically.
This is why the City Council and ACE must see that the very clear recommendations of the recent review are publically endorsed and dates given for the departure of Helen Smith and all the sycophantic weakling Board who have failed the project so dismally, morally and financially.
When, and only when, that happens will more people dare to speak out.
I wish it were otherwise, but not many people have Topsy’s guts.
Yes, very astute observations.
I’ve made a FOI request for those documents: the findings from the Arts Council investigation. They will send them within the next 21 days, and when they do, I’ll publish them. I understand there are other copies out there though.
Good.