The Incidental Artist approach: contemporary reworkings of the methods and legacies of the Artist Placement Group 1966-1989

Research question: How do participatory, regenerative and decentralised methodologies advance APG's aim to question organisational structures and develop new patterns of collaboration? Context: This research will explore the relationship between creative practice, policy and theory by reflecting on the potential

of the incidental person to bring about change in contemporary society. The proposal consists of two phases: Research Evaluate historical APG placements Evaluate contemporary reworkings of the APG model through the following three programmes: "Incidental Artists" at ESP Owen Griffths upcoming community garden project a Whitworth (not announced yet) stemmng from Economics the

Blockbuster exhibition in line with ACE "Let's Create" "MANIFEST" programme part of Policy Lab Practice Test new applications of the APG model through a self-initiated placement in an intergovernmental organisation such as the United Nations Learnings from these phases will be shared over the course of the PhD through public events.

Methods: Research: Research on the role of the Incidental Person through evaluation of historical APG placements: Archival research of material (APG archive at Tate and FTHo, as well as authors such as De Angelis, 2017; Mazzuccato, 2021; Mollona, 2021 and Raworth, 2017) Research of non-archived material (Barbara Steveni and Roger Coward's uncatalogued collection of books/letters)

Research Steveni's exhibition at Modern Art Oxford in 2025 Qualitative interview with Roger Coward (former APG artist) and David Harding (former APG collaborator) Qualitative interview with Incidental Unit (IU) team and attend IU meetings Evaluate contemporary APG reworkings: Qualitative interview with ESP team and "Incidental Artists"

Research visits: Work from ESP premises for a period of time Qualitative interview with Owen Griffths Qualitative interview with Policy Lab's team and creative practitioners Theorisation: Share findings of research through public events at FTHo and ESP Practice Field work: Test new applications of the APG model through a self-initiated placement in an intergovernmental

organisation such as the UN. Put into practice the incidental person's methodology which involves critically observing aspects of the organisation without predetermined activities. The methodology for this placement will be defined through the research carried out in the first phase and through ongoing support from FTHo and the IU.

Theorisation: Share learnings and findings through through public events with the UN, FTHo and ESP Impact: Research Further APG's relevance and sphere of influence in contemporary society Evaluate the impact of new creative blueprints within organisational structures developed as a result of placements

Make the case for more placements Practice: the self-initiated placement would enable me to foreground participatory, regenerative and decentralised methodologies, exploring their potential in the context of an intergovernmental organisation. This placement would be a significant new step in the history of APG. The placement by Coward in Birmingham in

1975 marked a transition from industry to government. At a time when international collaboration is more urgent than ever, this placement could mark a development from governmental to intergovernmental structures. The choice of the UN is also driven by the parallels that exist between APG's ambition to create a democratic,

prosperous and inclusive society and the 2030 SDGs.