A Pragmatic Response to Real Circumstances

Description:

In partnership with Fillip, Western Front presented a conversation with Anne Focke and Rhiannon Vogl.

In 1974, Anne Focke wrote, “The PATTERNS I make (designs) are not just abstract—they are patterns of people/artists, work, concerns, activities, energies. They are structures for the people/energies/work to use, to happen in, to be supported by, encouraged by…”

In the fifty years since this text first appeared, Focke—an artist/writer/administrator/organizer—has created a unique pattern for being in the world that provides examples of new social structures and intuitive ways of working. 

Following an introduction by Fillip managing editor Kate Woolf, Focke and scholar/writer/curator Rhiannon Vogl explored their shared interest in alternative networks in the arts and beyond, alongside their interest in experiments with systems of support and structure that can make these networks possible. The talk concluded with a question and answer period. 

Attendees were encouraged to read Focke’s essay, “A Pragmatic Response to Real Circumstances” (2006) in advance of the conversation.