Leeds 13
Encyclopedia
The Leeds 13 were a collective formed by third year fine art
students at the University of Leeds
in 1998. They caused a media sensation with their end of year project, Going Places, in which they claimed to have spent thousands of pounds
of university union money on a holiday to Malaga
.
. Their collaboration began when the entire year group – 13 artists with very different individual practices – decided to work together on a single artwork. Their ambition was to devise a critical art practice that tested the protocols of academia
and was antithetical to the highly commercialised and predominantly object-based YBA phenomenon that had grown out of Goldsmiths College
. Their resulting projects were conceived collectively through a series of group discussions.
, ostensibly paid for by a grant, that was presented as an end-of-year show. The work went on to generate significant media coverage of both the holiday story and the subsequent revelation that it was staged.
The story of 'Going Places' was first published nationally in the Sunday Mirror
, and on the following Wednesday the Leeds 13 were invited onto Radio 4’s Today Programme
to justify their actions. In response to the accusations of a relatively hostile panel of commentators, the students announced that the holiday was in fact an elaborate simulation; the photos, tickets and suntans were all fakes. The turquoise Mediterranean
that featured so heavily in the holidays snaps was in fact the freezing North Sea just along the coast from Scarborough. The Spanish blue skies were created with a lens filter
, and the sun-kissed swimming pool – the iconic symbol of a holiday abroad – was actually located in suburban Leeds
.
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
students at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in 1998. They caused a media sensation with their end of year project, Going Places, in which they claimed to have spent thousands of pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
of university union money on a holiday to Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
.
Origin
The Leeds 13 started working together in the early spring of 1998. They were 3rd year Fine Art students at the University of LeedsUniversity of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. Their collaboration began when the entire year group – 13 artists with very different individual practices – decided to work together on a single artwork. Their ambition was to devise a critical art practice that tested the protocols of academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
and was antithetical to the highly commercialised and predominantly object-based YBA phenomenon that had grown out of Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
. Their resulting projects were conceived collectively through a series of group discussions.
Going Places (1998)
Going Places (1998) is the first-and best known-work by The Leeds 13. The project involved a staged trip to MalagaMálaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, ostensibly paid for by a grant, that was presented as an end-of-year show. The work went on to generate significant media coverage of both the holiday story and the subsequent revelation that it was staged.
The story of 'Going Places' was first published nationally in the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
, and on the following Wednesday the Leeds 13 were invited onto Radio 4’s Today Programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
to justify their actions. In response to the accusations of a relatively hostile panel of commentators, the students announced that the holiday was in fact an elaborate simulation; the photos, tickets and suntans were all fakes. The turquoise Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
that featured so heavily in the holidays snaps was in fact the freezing North Sea just along the coast from Scarborough. The Spanish blue skies were created with a lens filter
Photographic filter
In photography and videography, a filter is a camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that can be inserted in the optical path. The filter can be a square or oblong shape mounted in a holder accessory, or, more commonly, a glass or plastic disk with a metal or plastic ring frame, which...
, and the sun-kissed swimming pool – the iconic symbol of a holiday abroad – was actually located in suburban Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
.