but is it art?

Nessie studied History of Art and is a very committed environmentalist,which I admire.
Having read as much as I can find about her and this project,it is very obviously a project relating to the food chain.
She spent 18 months visiting the cows to get to know them and talking to farmers...the display in Bristol is a culmination of it.
I suspect it is the press who have dubbed it art and questioned its validity as such ,as she only seems to reference the whole project in relation to milk production.

Art is many things,but not milking cows.

Some cows are kept squashed up in sheds and never see a blade of grass so I expect these cows will be better looked after than many farm animals. If she wants to call it art then it is. Art isn't just a pretty picture you can hang on the wall.

I,m sorry Jaxie,but the Arts Council are the main sponsors.....no surprise there !!!!
This is a project organised by CAPE FAREWELL,a group comprising creatives,scientists and ecologists with sponsorship from various sources......
Greenpeace,RCA,WWF,Science Museum ,Royal Shakespeare company,and many others,though the Arts Council are the main sponsors.

I have spent more than 40 years as a professional artist/designer and have seen many projects which the Arts Council have sponsored.I share your frustration.
To call this an art installation is nutty ,but I expect that has much to do with the press.

Something far more informative and interesting could have been staged with the money ,where is the butter,cream,cheese?
The cows don,t look too bothered...they,re probably baffled.

Busman's holiday for DGS.
He could probably have got that tractor started again

And we go to one with the DGDs (nice )

And then there's the tractor ride that broke down halfway round.

The kids love it, of course.

It was quite fun being weighed on a cattle weighing contraption.

Surely everyone on here has been to a Farm Sunday farm open day, and taken the grandkids? If not, where have you been living for the past God knows how many years?

(They're really boring but the cake can be good)

That's what the organisation does- it obviously needs funding. It thanks Waitrose customers for their support. There is also a link to an open farms Sunday event
farmsunday.org/

They do need to be set up for it - they can't just let the children wander about, they need to have everything organised and explained.

There is a dedicated website for farm visits so some farms must be up for 'hordes of school children' www.visitmyfarm.org/
They could probably do with more funding.

There are two city farms in Bristol.
I don't think it is pretentious.

the money would be better spent funding trips to farms for children so they can see what really happens and actually talk to farmers and farm workers
Unless it is a farm set up for the purpose of educating school children then it would not really be feasible to have hordes of school children visiting farms.

It wouldn't be pretentious when you actually visit it. Just informative. Farm visits are good too of course. As are the farm open days they have nowadays.

I still can't help feeling that the money would be better spent funding trips to farms for children so they can see what really happens and actually talk to farmers and farm workers. This may be very well intentioned but the pretentious nature of the project will put some people off.

I just posted the link on my FB page

At last! Someone seeing the light! Praise the Lord!

more reading

Well, I say good for Nessie Reid!!

Well done that girl for having some initiative.

It's not meant to be a bloody art exhibition.. It has got a serious function. To educate the population. And, my God, some of 'em need it. hmm]

Why do people have to take things at face value without trying to understand them properly. It's really not that taxing to the brain.

Read this You just might get the gist of what it's all about then.

Does anyone remember ( years ago) the pile of bricks in the Tate? Or the Arts Council funding of two men carrying a plank around Britain? Stunts!

Nessie Reid is a member of 'Fiery Spirits to Community of Practice'.
You learn something new every day.

Artists with little real talent trying to establish themselves are desperate to be seen to be original, so rack their brains attempting to be different, not for art's sake, but to feed their egos. I like writing, but I don't foist my stuff on others because I'm aware that I'm a mediocre writer, with little that's original to say. Tracy Emin's bed installation was much criticised, but the woman can actually draw well too, and communicates her ideas very successfully. Give the poor bl--dy cows a break for goodness' sake. I trust The Arts Council hasn't funded this ridiculous spectacle. PS: my name was once anagramised by a colleague as Kelly-Jo Acid.

Miss Reid is probably a farmers daughter as she seems to be very hands on.?

There was an excellent programme on Radio 4 today on milk production on a farm in Sheffield at around 6.30 am. Woke early.