As announced previously in this blog the first theme to be explored by PAUSE is environment. An enthusiastic group including artists, curators, project managers, academics and representatives of arts organisations gathered for a planning meeting on January 19th. A lively discussion ensued covering topics such as:

- sharing practice between artists and organisations; issues raised included deliverables and outcomes, freedom and funding
- respective roles in projects - artists as more than illustrators and/or problem solvers
- how to best foster art/science relationships to create a meaningful dialogue which respects different forms of knowledge and increases awareness of possibilities despite differences in language
- the question of value
- artists being environmentally and ecologically literate, recognising the complexity of the context in which they are working; moving beyond a sense of 'disaster' to one of 'balance'
- land use
- the non-human perspective, animals, plants etc.
- the museumification of the land
- ideas of habitat
- nature as a cultural concept; nature as a political concept
- nature as a physical place; nature as a emotional place
- ideas of wilderness, otherness and edgelands
- different concepts of time

Participants suggested several useful links and texts some of which can be found in the downloads and links section of the project page, and others will be included in the main body of the blog. The outcome of the meeting was suggestions for six events which are in the process of being mapped out. The first is likely to be a 'Reading and Discussion Group' in early March to consider some of the issues raised through appropriate readings (to be suggested by PAUSE participants). Suggestions for texts should be sent to info@intersectionspublicart.org.uk