UnMasterclass 23

UnMasterclass experienced something akin to how we feel each week on completion of painting our copies of copies of paintings at The University of Lincoln's fine art degree show this week. We were ushered into a lecture theatre and instructed to be quiet and wait for instructions. Before us lay a pencil and pencil sharpener......and an exam paper, something we left behind at A-level. Soon we were asked to begin our papers and were told we had 15 minutes to complete the rather thick examination paper. We were first confronted with a question asking us to define post-modernism, followed by a series of tasks such drawing our impression of Charles Saatchti, putting various art movements in order (some of which we could swear did not exist) and having to stand up and clap our hands quietly. We did not complete our task, having several questions to finish as the invigilator told us sternly to put our pencils down. the failure was not complete, we had further public humiliation to come as we all gathered at the front to have our papers marked. Our nerves increased as we saw others before us fail at the first hurdle for ignoring the instruction to write their names on the front page. We started to think why are we here, surely we became artists to escape the regiment and dross of the exam? How can we fail our art exam? Surely all those that did not put their names on should pass for being subversive? A big clunk of a FAIL stamp was pressed in red onto the papers of all those who had failed and were handed back with a flurry. Our turn came and with a flurry of red ticks our hopes and chances of passing started to look brighter. Till we got to the questions we had not answered and with one red biro cross the paper was shut and FAIL permanently inked on. We have been here before. Each UnMasterclass is a failure. But in art how can you fail? Surely it is right that an artist failed the art exam we had been presented with? Surely it was right that although we failed every question we did put down was right? UnMasterclass like the exam is not about failure as such, more that there is no wrong way, to fail is to succeed. Here at UnMasterclass we do not revel in failure, more that we unlearn what we know to move on. To see this weeks UnMasterclass go to http://vimeo.com/24689841 to fail an art exam visit Lincoln's degree show.