| Description | The Incidental Unit (IU) was formed after a series of 'incidental meetings' which were initiated by Barbara Steveni, Neal White, Tina O'Connell, Gareth Bell-Jones and Marsha Bradfield in 2016-17. The aim of these meetings was to informally share information about the Artist Placement Group (1966-89), as well as O+I (1989-2009), whose work on 'the artist placement' and the idea of being incidental within a societal context was seen as having a resonance with contemporary socially engaged art. The meetings shared one open agenda item: 'unfinished business'. The meeting structure evolved in intention and purpose to become the Incidental Unit, with the aim of reconnecting the rigorous approach of APG with wider concerns around socially engaged art today. IU have hosted a wide range of artists, collectives and others who are given a critically supportive space in which to discuss and exchange their ideas without the expectations or evaluative frameworks of an artistic commission, gallery briefing or social project. An Arts Council funded project 'Incidental Futures' was the first touring public programme organised by IU. Partcipants of the public events were invited to share thoughts and practice which related to APG's 'unfinished business'. The papers include Barbara Steveni's copies of minutes, correspondence and her notes on IU; the Zero Balance artwork and papers related to the 'Zero Balance' artwork. |