Whilst it may appear to be a recent phenomenon there is a surprisingly long history of collective art-practice – fifty years and more. In the 1960s the art world bristled with collectives with a political mission while groups like Fluxus and Art & Language began to rewrite the rules. If there is a resurgence of such practice now, what makes it tick?

In 2018 APT launched the first August Collectives to gain a better insight into how collaborations can develop in our spaces and how we can support such projects at their early stages. It is a unique residency format with no fixed outcomes – unlike a studio residency artists have been invited to develop, devise and hash-out collective working practices in our gallery. The gallery is opened throughout August to the selected artists, to develop works in conversation with the public and community.

By making development public, and polished outcomes irrelevant, August Collectives hopes to encourage resident artists to expand on what is meant by collective working.