On Behalf of Gayle Night

[Busman747]

If any member has questions that they would like answered on the Panopticon project, please do so here and Gayle Night will reply next Monday evening onwards.......

[WillowTheWhisp]

I won't be here on Monday evening to read the replies but look forward to doing so when I return.

Some points I'd immediately like to raise are:

1) Why does this panopticon have to be on the Coppice? Why can't the Coppice be left alone and a work of art be placed elsewhere?

2) Who is going to look after the thing when we've got one? Even earthworks can be vandalised.

3) As regards this idea of concentric circles of earth with gathered rain water between - have the safety aspects been considered?

4) Please explain how anything stuck up on top of the Coppice is going to be of benefit to the town and bring investment in.

[chav1]

i just nipped out for a pack of ciggys from the margram and when walking back home i looked up at the coppice and thought of the following

if it is been put on the coppice to attract people to accrington and generate revenue what good is it up on the coppice as when people are up there looking at it they wont be spending any money for starters unless were building a shopping complex up there as well

people coming to see it will simply drive right to the base of the coppice and walk up to see it so again totaly bypassing the town centre

the way i see it the most revenue it will attract is a few busfares from the few people sad enough to come to accrington just to climb a hill and look at some alleged piece of art and go back home


i have many more problems with this project and other questions but will let somone else have a turn

[Busman747]

Glad you could show yourself at last Gayle, It's a pity you could not be straight forward like Graham Jones who gained much respect on this site simply by being honest.

You said..." I am a resident of Hyndburn and thus entitled to have an opinion on this subject. I must stress that any opinions that I express are mine and mine alone, they are not necessarily the views of any other member of any organisation which I am involved with. As I am also closely related to this project I am in a unique position."


Sorry, but that is untrue! YES, You are entitled to an opinion as much as anyone else on this site BUT, You are paid as a press officer to convince the public that the Panopticon project is the way to go. For those Accy web members who have missed Gayles intro comments, they are here: please click

The comments made by the members are genuine worries by the residents of Hyndburn. Mr. Peter Britcliffe tells us that we are in debt and cannot afford the upkeep of the area but whatever design is placed on the coppice, WHO will pay for future maintenance? WHO will stop grafitti? If the Panopticon is going to be such a great crowd-puller, are there going to be toilet blocks built as it is so far away from Accrington? Will the Hyndburn council make the Panopticon available to all including the infirm? At the moment, only the more fit people can access the dangerous climb up to the top of the coppice, Have you personally been up there?

Loads of questions, with I am sure more to come, but P.Britcliffe has so far failed to answer any of these, perhaps you can?

[jason]

MMM............Sounds interesting...............a piece of art on top of an hill?........Who the hell is going to go and see that?.......The only time i went up there was in the dark at night with my cb in my car and spoke to people far and wide.
Who had this brainwave?

[WillowTheWhisp]

Haven't you got one lined up in Colne then Jason?








.

[jason]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Haven't you got one lined up in Colne then Jason?








.

I certainly hope not,there are enough sites to look at on a saturday night!!

[PurpleLass]

Originally Posted by Busman747

If any member has questions that they would like answered on the Panopticon project, please do so here and Gayle Night will reply next Monday evening onwards.......

For the benefit of everyone else, I've copied the text from Gayle's first text. I hope you know what you've let yourself in for Gayle.



Some of you will be aware that I have been viewing this website for the past few weeks. I have shied clear of coming on in person because I did not want to antagonise some of you anymore. However, it would appear that I have become the public face of the Panopticon project within Hyndburn whether I like it or not and therefore, I am getting the majority of the flak for it. I can’t help but take this personally because some of you have made it personal.



So, I’m here and I’m willing to answer any question about the Panopticon project. I will answer any question as truthfully as I have the knowledge to do so, if I don’t know the answer I will tell you that I don’t know the answer. I will not answer any postings that I consider to be abusive or irrelevant. I am a resident of Hyndburn and thus entitled to have an opinion on this subject. I must stress that any opinions that I express are mine and mine alone, they are not necessarily the views of any other member of any organisation which I am involved with. As I am also closely related to this project I am in a unique position.



I understand that art is very subjective and it is everyone’s prerogative to like or dislike any individual pieces of art – there are some artworks that I don’t like but that doesn’t mean they are bad. There are two issues at stake here 1) the rationale behind the project in the first place and 2) the aesthetics of the design. Let’s not get these confused because they are two very, very separate things. It is possible to appreciate the rationale behind the project without liking the design – if that’s the case then let’s work together to get a design that the majority would be happy with. If you don’t understand or know the rationale behind the project I will happily answer any questions for you.



I will return on Monday evening to post answers. If you send me a private message I will reply by private message. If you post your question within the thread I will answer within the thread. I do not want to inflame the situation any more than it already is I simply want to open a discussion that will ensure that you have all the facts. I also want to put some people straight on some things that have been said about me.



So first of all let me get a few things off my chest and bust a few myths that have been posted about me personally over the last few weeks;



1. I do not hold any power whatsoever, I am a press officer. That means that I have to make sure that the media hear about anything that is happening.

2. I will not receive any bonus when the Panopticon is built. Salaries paid in the Arts are very low, compared to industry.

3. Slightly off track but whilst I’m busting myths, the Vagina Monologues did not cost anyone to put on. I was given the rights free by the author, everyone in it gave their time free of charge, I paid £30 to hire James St Club and posters cost £42. We made £420 in ticket sales and after deducting the £72 that I had spent I gave the rest to The Women’s Centre on Abbey St.

4. Finally, and again off subject a little – Mid Pennine Arts would never advocate graffiti. We spend a lot of our time on education programmes and out of school activities to keep the kids off the street.



I hope you take my presence here as a good thing, and treat it in the manner in which it is intended, as an open and honest attempt to talk. As a resident of Hyndburn I too want the best for our town.

I look forward to reading your postings and joining you again on Monday evening

[park381]

Gayle

1.how would this work of art be best viewed
2. will there be any provision for the disabled (DDA) to gain access to this work of art.

Two basic questions to start things off.

[garinda]

Fellow webbers, please don't let this become abusive, l think it's good that Gayle is going to try and answer our questions.

My question, does this grant have to be spent on the Coppice, which seems to be one of the main objections, we love it as it is why guild the lily? Would the same grant not be available to be spent on a town centre project, or does it have to be spent on 'landscape' art?

[jason]

How about using the grant for something worthwhile................like a childrens local charity,or for the elderly?

[park381]

Originally Posted by garinda

Fellow webbers, please don't let this become abusive, l think it's good that Gail is going to try and answer our questions.

On that score it may be a good idea for a moderator to keep a close eye on the thread.

[garinda]

l'm not saying we've been rude so far, but we have given her a fair amount of stick in other threads, lets have a clean fight

Another question, how much of the grant will be paid to the artist?
Is there a breakdown of how the grant will be spent?

[Busman747]

Originally Posted by garinda

l'm not saying we've been rude so far, but we have given her a fair amount of stick in other threads, lets have a clean fight

Sorry Garinda but if you check, you will find that she has only one post to her name and that is in the "intro" thread! I took the liberty of moving her comments to the "General Chat" thread so that more members were likely to read her comments and reply to them.

I personally disagree with what she says and more importantly, the way she says it However, she IS a member and is entitled to air her views.

One other thing bothers me and that is that commercial advertising is not allowed on the site and she is blatently selling policies on line! If she asked permission from Roy or the moderators that would be fine but considering that her one and only thread was started in the intro thread, I am very doubtful that this is the case.

[park381]

Originally Posted by Busman747

One other thing bothers me and that is that commercial advertising is not allowed on the site and she is blatently selling policies on line!

I am sure that the mods will not allow that happen, I for one look forward to reading all the posts on the subject.