Projects
Leeds Post-Punk 1977-1984
Limited edition double vinyl LP
The Leeds post-punk scene, and the impact of the city’s art schools on its music, have been unjustly overlooked – until now. This double vinyl set compiled by author Gavin Butt comprises hitherto unreleased and rare tracks, plus a few favourites, by diverse art school acts who experimented with art-punk, electro, pop, dada, fluxus and punk-funk. Contains extensive liner notes.
PROJECT CO-ORGANISED BY GAVIN FEATURED IN EXHIBITION
30 August 2022 – 15 January 2023
Work from Performance Matters was on show at Out of the Margins: Performance in London’s institutions from the 1990s–2010s, Whitechapel Gallery, London, 30 August 2022 to 15 January 2023.
March 2019 - January 2020
Exhibitions
Gavin researched exhibition materials about the history of experimental art education in Leeds, UK for two gallery shows: Bauhaus Imaginista (Haus der Kulturen der Welt, March 15 – June 10 2019) and Still Undead: Popular Culture in Britain Beyond the Bauhaus (Nottingham Contemporary, September 21 2019 – January 12 2020).
These exhibitions were realised in partnership between Goethe Institute, Bauhaus Kooperation, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and Nottingham Contemporary.
20 February 2019
Symposium and performance reenactments
At a time of debate about the value of a creative arts education in contemporary Britain, this special one-day event addressed the overlooked importance of regional art school education in the history of UK experimental performance and alternative arts.
How to change the world with your video camera … or create your own
2011 (2013 DVD) 119 mins
"Filmformance" documentary
The video revolution of the 1970s offered unprecedented access to the moving image for artists and performers. This Is Not a Dream explores the legacies of this revolution and its continued impact on contemporary art and performance. Charting a path across four decades of avant-garde experiment and radical escapism, This Is Not a Dream traces the influences of Andy Warhol, John Waters and Jack Smith to the perverted frontiers of YouTube and Chatroulette, taking in subverted talk shows and soap operas, streetwalker fashions and glittery magic penises along the way.
Co-directed by Gavin and Ben Walters.
rethinking why performance matters through the matter of performance
2009 to 2014
Performance research project
Performance Matters was a five-year creative research project exploring the cultural value of performance, its increased public presence and vital force, and its extensive circulation as a concept and metaphor in critical discourse.
The project was co-directed by Gavin, Adrian Heathfield and Lois Keidan and resulted from a partnership between Goldsmiths, University of London, Roehampton University, and the Live Art Development Agency.
It was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.
