Leeds 13

Leeds 13 was an English artist collective. The group formed in 1997–1998 at the University of Leeds, West Yorkshire. All thirteen third-year students taking the four-year BA (Fine Art) were members: nine women and four men. Their degree had two parts, marked with equal weight: art history and theory, and studio practice. In studio practice, each student was expected to produce original artwork for an end-of-year exhibition. Members of Leeds 13 rejected this convention. Instead, they cooperated on two conceptual works and unconventional exhibitions. These proved controversial but received top grades.

Going Places (1998) provoked public debate on activities acceptable as contemporary art. Leeds 13's members pretended to take a week's holiday on the Spanish Costa del Sol (English: Sun Coast), an activity generally regarded as leisure. But the students said it was work: they had made art and the exhibition through their trip. The holiday story matched the popular stereotype of art students as lazy and irresponsible. Many UK mass media organisations ran the story without checking if it was true. A few days later, the group revealed the holiday was an elaborate simulation bringing the media response to a frenzy. Leeds 13's members all received first class for their third year.

The Degree Show (1999) examined the art world: exhibitions and relationships between both works and stakeholders. The group curated a corporate-style art exhibition. They showed a diverse collection of work by other artists worth a total of £1 million. The media and art critics objected to a final-year exhibition without any original work by the student artists. But the examiners supported the concept: exhibition as a group artwork. All the members of Leeds 13 graduated with first class degrees, and most continued working together until mid-2000.

Leeds 13 was "... trying to counter the traditional notion of the artist as an individual creator of specific objects.",^[3] according to the artist's statement for The Degree Show. In contrast, they worked as a group producing one-off events that defied the art market. Going Places has continued to attract interest for pushing the boundaries in contemporary art and as a well-executed media hoax.

Going Places (1998)

In the academic year 1997–1998, there were thirteen third-year fine art students at the University of Leeds:^[4] nine women and four men.^[5][6] For studio practice, they decided to work together as a group. Their tutor Terry Atkinson's anti-pedagogy and emphasis on the practice of art rather than the aesthetic objects that it produced were later cited as key influences on the group.^[4]

Concept

The project brief was "come up with something thought-provoking",^[7] according to Martin Wainwright in The Guardian newspaper. The students aimed to start a public debate on the nature of art, and the boundaries between activities acceptable as art and those that were not.^[8] They designed a work to attract interest from the media that would distribute news of the work to the public. To be newsworthy, it had to be controversial.^[9]

The controversy came from the students choosing an activity not generally accepted as art and their willingness to deceive others. They would pitch a conventional end-of-year art exhibition asking for money to mount the show. The students would appear to take a week-long package holiday on the Costa del Sol then say they had made art and the exhibition out of themselves and their trip.^[8][10] Journalists would be told that the donations had been spent on the holiday so the group would be accused of misusing donors's money.^[8] Finally, the reality would be revealed: the holiday had been a simulation and the donations had not been spent.^[11] By removing the misuse of donations issue, the group hoped people would reconsider their responses to the work.^[12][13]

If the work provoked public debate on the nature of art then the students would consider it a success. They called their project Going Places.^[8]

Preparation

The students applied to their representative body, Leeds University Union, for money to mount an exhibition and were granted £1,126.^[14][15] A Leeds art shop owner, who donated £50, was the only business sponsor later identified by the media.^[10][16]

Evidence for the holiday included a performance art event, stories, props and suntans. The group's supposed arrival back from Spain would be staged at the local international airport for invited guests.^[11] The students convinced the authorities to simulate a flight from Málaga on the announcement boards and then let them exit arrivals.^[6] A prelude in an art space would gather the guests and set the Spanish theme before the event at the airport.^[11]

The group would claim to have spent six days swimming, sunbathing and enjoying the nightlife on the Mediterranean coast.^[17][18] They forged airline tickets, baggage labels,^[19] and the franking mark on a postcard apparently sent from Spain to their tutor.^[11] Spanish-themed props were collected to use as souvenirs. They also added local colour to a set of photographs supposedly taken on their holiday.^[11] Beach shots were actually taken on the North Sea coast at Cayton Sands,^[7] Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Pool shots were taken at a private open-air swimming pool in Chapel Allerton, Leeds. A blue lens filter gave the water and sky a Mediterranean look.^[19] Other backdrops included Leeds bars and a mural, that reminded the students of Gaudí, at a Spanish-themed nightclub in Cayton Bay.^[7]

In the week before the event, the group hid in their student accommodation and used a suntanning bed and fake tan.^[11] They built up a skin tone that they later critiqued as "... (perhaps a shade too orange) ...",^[12][13] in the Going Places artist's statement later published by The Guardian.

Holiday and response

On the evening of 6 May 1998,^[20] around 60 guests,^[17] including Atkinson and the head of the department Ken Hay,^[9] arrived at East Street Studios, Leeds.^[20] They found recorded flamenco music playing and sangria to drink but no artwork or students. After half an hour, an air stewardess appeared and led the guests to a bus that took them to Leeds Bradford Airport.^[11] There they witnessed the students arriving back from their holiday.^[19][11] They told the guests the holiday story,^[12] invited them to the airport bar and after a couple of hours paid the bill with the last of the donations.^[17][21] With thirteen spokespeople ready to retell the holiday story,^[13] the group waited for a response to its work.^[20]

The holiday story spread across campus to the Leeds Student newspaper that interviewed members of the group.^[11] On Friday 15 May, Leeds Student ran "Con Artists' Spanish Rip-Off" on the front page and continued inside with "And They Call This Art?"^[8] Two days later, the national Sunday Mirror newspaper picked up the story.^[10] Regional newspapers the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post followed on Monday.^[9][16] On Tuesday 19 May, when the hoax was revealed, the holiday story was covered on television, radio and,^[11] in national morning newspapers including the Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times.^{[21][22][17][18][5]}

Newspaper reports covered both support for and objections to Going Places. In support, the students told The Daily Telegraph they aimed "... to force people to discuss whether there was any limit on what could be described as art." They continued explaining the holiday with "This is leisure as art." and "It is art and it was an exhibition."^[17] Atkinson said "It was quite a coup de théâtre. They were lucky because the plane could have been 12 hours late." to the Yorkshire Post.^[9] And he told The Times "It's definitely art, but whether it's good or bad art is another thing."^[15] A university spokesman was neutral on what the students had done but positive about the value for money they had achieved.^[17] The objections were later summarised as "... indignation at the cheek of lazy students declaring that their holiday was an artwork, and moral outrage over the misappropriation of funds." by curator Ralph Rugoff in Frieze magazine.^[23]

Some newspapers also ran opinion pieces on Going Places as art. Leeds Student said it was neither creative nor original because millions of people take package holidays every year.^[14] Using the group as the latest example, the Yorkshire Evening Post condemned modern artists as more skilled at self-promotion than making art objects.^[24] The Daily Telegraph contrasted Atkinson's opinion with those of two art critics. Brian Sewell did not accept Going Places as art. Richard Dorment said "This is not a good work of art. It seems to me on the edge of being a hoax and quite a good joke. I think the joke wins."^[17]

The students planned to replace the holiday story with the hoax reality in the next issue of Leeds Student,^[15] on 5 June.^[25] But they "... decided to confess early when the issue became 'very hot'.",^[15] according to Damien Whitworth in The Times.

Hoax and response

On Tuesday 19 May 1998, a member of the group appeared on the BBC Radio 4 morning news and current-affairs programme Today. He revealed the holiday was a simulation and the donations had not been spent.^[19][11] Later that day, the Yorkshire Evening Post checked the facts about the group's arrival with a manager at the airport. This confirmed that the arrival was staged and the holiday story was really a hoax.^[6]

The next day, most newspapers focused on the donations and deceptions. The group considered repaying the money or donating it to charity.^[7][26] They paid the grant back to Leeds University Union.^[25] However, what they did with the sponsorship, amounts reported ranged from £400 through £600 to £800,^[6][27][7] remains unknown. The union later demanded a letter of apology to the city's students for publication in Leeds Student. The group's members refused so were banned from their student representative body.^[25]

A few newspapers ran opinion pieces on whether the Going Places hoax was art. Cosmo Landesman, who interviewed Leeds 13 for The Sunday Times newspaper, was sceptical about their "... postmodern prank."^[28] He struggled with the students's view that a concept produced by a group should be accepted as art like an aesthetic object produced by an individual.^[28] The students responded to Landesman's piece saying he had missed the point.^[12][19] A Leeds Student comment section editor wrote an open letter criticising Going Places.^[29] According to Leeds 13, the letter said their project was a boring and empty sham (unfortunately the Letters page is missing from the scanned copy of that issue of Leeds Student).^[20] The students wrote an exasperated reply that was published, heavily abridged, in the next issue. They complained about their punishment from Leeds University Union. And, having criticised the letter writer's knowledge of art history and theory, they concluded by questioning his authority to judge their work.^[30]

Among those who accepted Going Places was art, opinions on whether it was good or interesting were mixed. Atkinson said it was good because it raised issues including the activities acceptable as art and the way media organisations fed off each other.^[31] Hay told The Guardian that "[The students] have got everyone talking about the very things—the nature of art and its relationship with life—that lie at the heart of the course."^[7] The Guardian's art critic Adrian Searle wrote Going Places was a fantastic work that played with popular stereotypes.^[7] At the end of May, The Times Higher Education Supplement published "Talented Artists or Just Con Artists?" As well as Atkinson and Hay, the piece quoted artist John Stezaker who found the fictional trip interesting and deserving of the top grade. However, two lecturers from other universities said Going Places was neither good nor interesting. One said it only showed the mutual dependence of art and media. The other contrasted the students's blatant deceptions to Duchamp's ambiguity about whether his conceptual works were sincere. Both lecturers had concerns about the negative effects of the deceptions on those who had been hoaxed and on the reputation of artists.^[31]

As well as news, the hoax was also covered as entertainment on television. The day after the reveal, three members of the group appeared on The Big Breakfast.^[26][19] Later that week, panelists on Have I Got News for You were asked about the headline "Costa del Spoof". Germaine Greer was positive saying the project was art and the students should receive As. The other three panelists were less enthusiastic.^[32] In the artist's statement, the students wrote "During our brief foray into the limelight, we have added greatly to the jollity of the nation."^[13]

In July, the group's members all received first class for their third year. According to a BBC News report, "Examiners praised them for challenging popular perceptions about how art is produced, taught and criticised."^[33]

Leeds 13's place in art history was explored by Rugoff in the September–October edition of Frieze magazine. Rugoff wrote that Going Places was a "... perfectly executed double whammy." It had provoked public debate on the nature of art but he did not think the results had been illuminating. More interesting was that in distributing news of the work the media had added new facets to it. In Rugoff's view, Leeds 13, and contemporaries Decima Gallery, were the first artists to make the media their principal medium. He labelled them Neo-Publicists.^[23]

Going Places and its "... media frenzy ..." ended the year among the news highlights of 1998 picked by Claire Sanders for The Times Higher Education Supplement.^[34]

Exhibitions

In the Going Places artist's statement, the students wrote "We have produced no tangible end object for market, ..."^[13] One member of the group explained the art was the impression that the work had left in people's minds.^[31] Despite this, Going Places was featured in three art exhibitions.

Go Away: Artists and Travel at the Royal College of Art (RCA) Galleries, London ran from 17 April to 6 May 1999. Mounted by RCA students on the MA (Visual Arts Administration), the exhibition included works by over thirty artists. Leeds 13 showed Going Places holiday photographs, ephemera and a video of the television coverage.^[2]

f.k.a.a. (formerly known as art) at The Wardrobe, Leeds ran 16–18 March 2000 and featured work by local artists.^[35] The members of Leeds 13, who all graduated the previous year, showed a collection of Going Places items wrapped and priced. These included a bikini top for £69.96, Frisbee for £110, men's shorts for £80,000 and the holiday photographs in an album for £13 million. A member of the group explained to the Yorkshire Post "It's not really a finished project, it's a processing of the items, that they themselves have become legitimate as art."^[36] Wainwright credited Leeds 13's zest with attracting others to revitalise visual arts in the city. But he also noted concerns that the group's critique of the art market and its prices was becoming ridiculous.^[35]

In 2019–2020, an exhibition was mounted to mark 70 years of Fine Art at the University of Leeds. It featured both Going Places and Leeds 13's final student project The Degree Show.^[4]

The Degree Show (1999)

The original members of Leeds 13 continued into their fourth and final year. They were joined by two new members,^[13][2] one of whom had rejoined the year group after taking the previous year off.^[4] But one original member left before graduating.^[37]

Concept

The students were interested in art exhibitions and two types of relationships in the art world. First, the relationships between works of art that gave each one its significance relative to others. Second, the relationships between art world stakeholders including artists and private sector patrons. They decided to curate a corporate-style exhibition. The show would feature a diverse collection of existing works by other artists as "... conceptual props, ...",^[3] according to the artist's statement later published in The Times Higher Education Supplement. They would present the exhibition as a group artwork and call their project The Degree Show.^[38]

Preparation

Leeds 13 gained corporate and local business sponsorship for the exhibition.^[39] Property developer Hammerson hosted the show in West Riding House, Leeds.^[38] The works, worth a total of £1 million,^[40][41] were by over thirty artists. They included sculpture by Duchamp and Barbara Hepworth, bronze by Rodin and Henry Moore, paintings by David Shepherd and Damien Hirst, collage by Kurt Schwitters, a poster by Jeff Koons, photographs by Jo Spence, the BANK fax-back service and performance by Decima Gallery.^[39]

Leeds 13 hung, lit and secured the work. They also created the catalogue, wall labels and advertising.^[3] The introductory essay was a collage of art writing. It explained the concept with "As Hugh McDiarmid said 'the greater the plagiarism the greater the work of art.' If we can accept this dissident posture we can take this exhibition as a work of art in itself."^[39]

Response

The Degree Show was open to the public 8–18 June 1999.^[39] Leeds 13's tutor Ben Read told The Times that students normally showed original work. He continued by asking "Have they made these works their own art?" Read concluded that the exhibition had stimulated debate on the nature of art.^[42]

The show was covered in the regional and quality newspapers that had been hoaxed by Going Places. As the students had not produced original artworks for a second year, questions were asked about what they had been doing.^[43][41] The response to The Degree Show as a group artwork was negative. An art and philosophy lecturer wrote that the work was not good art. In his view, the show failed to critique corporate art exhibitions because it looked exactly like one.^[44] Two art critics were quoted in both The Guardian and The Times. Matthew Collings dismissed The Degree Show as "... appropriation art, trendy but moronic." David Lee said it "... confirms the important point that the path to success in modern art is through notoriety. It sounds like a complete abrogation of responsibility as a degree show."^[40][42]

In contrast, the response to The Degree Show as an exhibition was positive. According to a Leeds gallery owner, who lent £140,000 worth of bronze, the mounting of the show was excellent.^[40] She also appreciated the selection of work by artists with Leeds connections: Hepworth, Hirst and Moore.^[45] Shepherd, who exhibited two paintings, said the show was a good opportunity for the public to view a diverse collection of work.^[40] And Read noted it had more visitors than any of the department's previous exhibitions.^[42]

Leeds 13's fourteen members received upper second class for The Degree Show, the studio practice half of their marks.^[46] This was added to their individual marks for art history and theory. The day after the show opened, the students received six first and eight upper second class degrees.^[45][37] But seven students appealed saying the examiners had rushed marking The Degree Show to take industrial action. Their appeal was successful, and by September all fourteen had received first class degrees.^[46]

After graduation (late 1999–2000)

Leeds 13 continued after its members graduated but the later works, covered on the group's official website, do not appear to have been covered by the media or any other reliable source.

In March 2000, the group revisited Going Places at the f.k.a.a. exhibition.^[35][36]

By May 2000, eleven Leeds 13 members were in Paris promoting the Batofar cultural centre and restaurant as artists-in-residence. They staged playful interventions in formal spaces: the Louvre and the National Library.^[1]

The Batofar residency was the last time that Leeds 13 members worked together, according to their official website. However, a few of them have continued to respond to the ongoing interest in Going Places.

Continuing response

A BBC Introduction to Modern and Contemporary Art by Paul Glinkowski was published in 2000. Glinkowski wrote that Going Places was "... possibly the most outrageous game in British art history." He categorised the work as challenging both the rules and the rulers of the art world.^[47]

Going Places was the first example of simulation in art critic John A. Walker's book Art in the Age of the Mass Media (3rd ed.), published in 2001. Walker wrote the project was a prank by young artists to pay the media back for their barbed coverage of contemporary art. He mentioned The Degree Show in passing. Walker suggested alternative careers for the by-then-graduate artists: public relations or journalism.^[48]

In 2009, RTÉ Radio 1 broadcast Grand Art in The Curious Ear series of documentaries. It revisited two performance artworks costing about £1,000 from the late 1990s with Going Places as the second work. A member of Leeds 13 explained how the work unfolded from the event guest and public's point of view, and then covered how it was produced.^[11]

Beating the Bounds was a 2013 Reith Lecture given by artist Grayson Perry on BBC Radio 4. It examined the idea that anything could be art using Going Places as an example. Perry hoped the work was a parody of that idea.^[49]

An exhibition to mark 70 years of Fine Art at Leeds University ran from 4 December 2019 to 4 April 2020. Leeds 13 showed artefacts and a video from their works produced as students. The exhibition was co-curated by University of Leeds art historian Griselda Pollock, known for her work on women in art. In the studio guide, Pollock, with assistance from two Leeds 13 members, focused on the anti-pedagogical and feminist aspects of the group and its work.^[4]

In 2022, Vice Media published How We Conned the British Press a podcast on Going Places. Two Leeds 13 members explained how the work was produced and gave examples of the media response. The podcast also featured Wainwright, who covered the group for The Guardian, and he commented on Going Places from the media's point of view. Wainwright said the holiday and hoax stories were both entertaining and Going Places was one of history's famous hoaxes.^[19]

References