About Jack Tan’s residency

Jack was appointed as FACT’s first board artist-in-residence for the financial year 2021-2022 after conversations with FACT’s CEO Nicola Triscott on barriers for artists joining the formal structures and restrictions of boards. He attended board meetings and away days as an invited artist, responding to the processes of governance as an artistic medium – as sculptural material that could be moulded and shaped through dialogue and exchange.

During his time with FACT, Jack has presented on the functions of a board, involving Trustees as co-creators in public programme discussions shared as artworks. You can explore all past presentations, here. Performing Boardness will be his last public performance as part of this culture-shifting piece of work.

About Performing Boardness

Inspired by the work of Artists Placement Group, this ‘live sculpture’ will consist of a set of round tables each facilitated by one of our trustees, leading on conversations informed by the practises of arts organisations. Each round table will resemble a different kind of conventional space we might recognise – a Boardroom, a poker table, a tea table, or perhaps a dressing table to encourage different approaches to conversation.

We have invited participants to join these discussions and share thoughts on the key ideas explored in Jack’s residency around authenticity, care, value, trust and accountability.

As well as a culmination of Jack’s residency, this performance invites us all to think about the kind of culture we want and the role cultural organisations can play to get us there.