(b). The unfunded 'supper club' model, linked with Upgrade! network
From NodelWiki
Summary: We move forward without seeking funding of any kind. We maintain the mailing list and occasionally organised free meetings, which may have individual themes as decided by the community. Everyone brings something to the table for refreshments. In (very) broad terms NODE.London has a similar manifestation as the [www.theupgrade.net Upgrade!] network (or at least, what we understand it to be at this time); so we link with Upgrade! in some way, and in doing gain leverage in terms of international conversations/artist inputs.
100% of respondents to the NODE.London evaluation report said that, if our 'Subscriber Meetings' were to continue, they would definitely attend and/or recommend to others that they should. Our 'brand' seems still to carry clout in terms of sourcing cultural venues and other interesting and relevant premises that are prepared to host NODE.London meetings, at minimal or no charge.
People would be attracted to, and willing to actively do things to develop, a network if it's fun and delivers tangible benefits. These meets would encourage a party atmosphere, they could be individually themed as one-offs without it being a conceptual headache for us, and the idea of everyone providing a dish fits nicely with the ethos of collective self-organisation and exchange. Artists would once again have a platform to present their ideas-in-progress and gain really useful critical feedback from an interested audience. The clubs would allow artists, producers and organisations to connect and develop new work and ideas.
At an evaluation session in July 06, a group of feedbackers registered an interest in NODE.London's future role as being a means to actively facilitate exchange between artists, producers, curators etc. about the different cultural/socioeconomic contexts within which they work - something that might be different from other international art networks which tend to focus their energies on producing/funding international projects and collaborations. As NODE.London becomes part of the Upgrade! network, it will enter the orbit of a range of internationally positioned 'nodes' sharing similar concerns to its own, and we'll benefit from these exchanges.
Going with this option means the only political relationships NODE.London needs to manage are its internal ones. The absence of a huge future endeavour removes concerns from organisers that involvement in the initiative will exhaust them. And the mailing list seems to fill an ongoing need in a valuable way.
