Institute for International Visual Arts (InIVA): Social Archive Two: fluctuating economies in Shoreditch. www.iniva.org
A 3-year project (Art at the intersection: art & economies) exploring critical and creative approaches to economics.
Workshop (30/6/12) with Undocumentary (Shiraz Bayjoo and Jessica Harrington) for an afternoon’s filming on the highstreet. Interviewed shopworkers about their impressions of the Olympics – how it’s affected them/their business, thought about the future.
A great opportunity to engage in the now, in an area I lived and loved for 5 years. Well thought-out simple instructions and easy-to-use discrete equipment for conducting the interviews. Loved asking the questions and roaming around with intention.
Film screening party on Thursday 12 July, 6.30 (show continues to 21 July)
The Showroom: Art vs Rehab Focus Group Series
http://artvsrehab.com/
A series of focus groups exploring ideas in different settings in London. Organised by Hannah Hull www.hannahhull.co.uk; www.twitter.com/hannahhull_uk
1: Criticality and Evaluation within a Culture of Optimism. 2: The Role of Art Institutions in Art Outreach 3: Providing and Promoting Social Inclusion: One in the Same? 4: Artists vs Art Therapists 5: The “Other” and the Mental Health History of Practitioners. 6: The Role of Arts Practitioners’ Own Art Practice
I took part in FOCUS GROUP 2: The Role of Art Institutions in Art Outreach(15/6/12). Entry was by email application, which was a detailed set of questions, mainly about previous experience and expectations. We were also asked to suggest a task to be completed by the focus group on the day. There were 8 participants.
Provocations…Are galleries involving themselves tokenistically in education and outreach due to funding streams? How can galleries avoid undermining art when trying to make it more accessible? Is introducing target groups to galleries really empowering, or are we just confirming the gallery system’s authority over creative practice? Do outreach policies resolve the accessibility of art, or simply of galleries themselves? When galleries show work that is below the usual exhibition quality, does this provide genuine inclusion for our participants? Which is more rehabilitative: viewing art, making art or exhibiting art? And is it reasonable to expect these practices to go hand in hand for new artists?
I was very impressed with the high standard of organisation. The day itself was focused and fast-paced; a bit of a shock to my system – but welcomed! We engaged with the ideas using a mixture of group, paired and individual exercises (tasks we submitted on the application form) and the whole event was audio-recorded and documented by a cartoonist/illustrator, who impressively displayed a live stream of images/text on a growing ‘washing line’. To end, we were presented with a blank postcard and asked to write our address on one side and 3 aspirations for the future. These will be posted back to us in 2013 (a nice touch, I thought).
So, thinking about my four words:access, hierarchy, equality and exchange.
Despite feeling a bit inexperienced, I was generously welcomed by everyone in the group; listened to and invited to comment. I didn’t have any sense of hierarchy. My naivety was seen as an asset; a fresh take on the over-familiar ideas and language. I left feeling very excited that I’d encountered a group of artists interested in talking about ideas I’d been thinking about in isolation: art school in the world.
Reflections on: ‘Pedagogy of the oppressed’. Paulo Freire (1970).
Man’s vocation is to be a subject who acts upon and transforms his world, and in so doing moves towards ever new possibilities of a richer life, individually and collectively.
Every human being is capable of looking critically at the world in dialogical encounter with others …an individual can perceive personal and social reality (and contradictions) and become conscious of her own perception of reality; dealing critically and creatively with it to transform their world (freedom?). The paternalistic teacher-student (depositor-depository) relationship (education as ‘banking’- students are passive and not encouraged to develop critical consciousness) is redundant: people educate each other through the mediation of the world.
Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. Educator must encourage students to engage in critical thinking, and trust their creative power.
Praxis and transformation: action and reflection, alongside theory to illuminate it. The leaders do bear the responsibility for coordination and direction (sometimes).The oppressed must be aware, with critical awareness, of their role as Subject of the transformation.
