New Models

This is an in process learning blog for students thinking about and working within art as social practice. We are interested in gaining a critical understanding of what that term means and experimenting with new models of artistic practice that exist at the in betweens- of life and art, design and architecture, politics and activism.

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Psychogeographic Nature walk through the area surrounding the CCAD campus in Columbus

Instructions:

Walk until you feel uncanny. Stop and describe what you see

Find a place of circulation and describe it here

Find an in between place and draw it  here

find an edible plant and draw it here

find a lookout: draw the view

find an example of entropy

find an example of symbiosis (things working together for a common goal)

find a high place and observe the urban canopy

find a safe place and describe its physical properties

find a grass island: stop for two minutes and listen carefully: what do you hear?

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Art as Social Practice

“What is it? A new genre? A new “ism”? A new movement?”

NO

Art as Social practice is NOT a genre, it is NOT a movement, and it is NOT an “ism!!!” At least I don’t think it is! Social Practice is simply (or not so simply) just a way in which art EXISTS! It’s medium is “social.” Just like painting uses paint, sculptors use objects, material, and space…. Social Practice uses “social.” What is “social?”

1.) people

2.) the things and spaces that surround people.

3.) the social structures that define, control, and affect those people, things, and spaces.

4.) the interactions between all of the aforementioned.

Social Practice is an art and design practice, or in other words a creative practice. It is often “socially engaged,” it thrives off of the participation of others, or the intervention into others’ lives. Social practice, in essence, is a creative practice that often focuses on creating new ways to exist in and understand the world. It is not object based, although, objects are not excluded. The “product” of social practice rarely manifests in the exhibition space, but rather in the “everyday,” or public space. Social Practice is rarely commodified, making it, in my opinion, more likely to remain creatively dynamic and pure. Social Practice uses creative means to create vibrant and interesting pedagogical experiences.

Social practice is just another way for creativity to exist. It is not caught up in trying to separate the words “creativity,” “art,” and “life.”

#jack #last day of college

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The question "what is social practice" is hard. I know as soon as I try to define "social practice" I'll accidentally crop out works that exist along its blurry edges. Social practice artists create frameworks to either intervene in existing social relationships or create entirely new social relationships. Traditionally, an artist creates an art object to be viewed by an art audience; social practice artists create relationships: they activate audience members and encourage them to become participants instead of spectators. WhatI find so exciting about social practice is its the way it uses the robust framework of art theory and history to create situations/events/happenings would be unthinkable, or impractical otherwise. The lateral thinking skills and idiosyncratic worldviews of artists are severely undervalued in our culture. Funding for the arts is seen as a waste, and the bloated, heavily monetized art world is gradually becoming irrelevant in that century that's characterized by it's economic austerity. The way I see it, in these bleak times, social practice is the way forward for artists.

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My perspective of Art in Social Practice

After observing many different roles and approaches other artists have practiced in the field of social art, I also have learned my perspective in regards of social practice- 'the fundamental cause of the success of all creatures' life is their comprehension of all lives live in peaceful coexistence within the nature from the universe.'

The ultimate goal to practice social art to me is to ensure our ability on respect the differences from all species.  Social art is not just about taking a splendid expression to redefine what a perfect way the world should be operated.  Instead, social art is one of the very best and quickest way to engage the majority of the society with a good faith and show people the artists' appreciation in art. 

To stay 'connected'  with the real world we live in, it would be a must for all of us to sincerely respect each other with a positive thinking, 'It's a wonderful world!!'  Nothing crazy, nothing fancy, sincereness and honesty would do just great!!!

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Art as a Social Practice

As far as this class goes, and including everything we have covered so far, I feel as though it is very important to highlight everything I've learned before even getting into the definition of social practice. An artist is a citizen before anything. This concept is what makes us want to reach out to other people in order to create better societies. The necessity of the human condition to interchange knowledge and resources between each other in order to progress as a whole civilization is definitively a huge role that takes part in social practice. When this exchange is done between artists and citizens, it creates a dialogue in which i have become very interested in. 

Now, "Art as a Social Practice" can mean a variety of things. This platform gives the artist a million of possibilities to address social issues either out in the streets, or in the gallery setting. It doesn't matter if its a dinner with their friends at their gallery, or an art show at a garage sale even, the social practicer always finds a way to create some sort of intervention in a community. This "intervention" doesn't always result in the most positive way, but just like in all other forms of expression process is key.

The focus on documentation of the process is a very important factor in the development of socially based work, which shows influences from the Situationist and social performance and sculpture art. This part of the intervention becomes an art-form in itself, and allows others to see how to arrive at conclusions from different methods of creative thinking. In a world full of chaos, the social practicer tries to find order while reaching audiences that oversee this entropy. 

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Alejandro vs Social Practice

"What is Art as Social Practice?"

A lot of the art in that category maybe serves to simulate the social experiences of people who are less preoccupied with intellectualized concepts. In other words, the social practice artist is too shy to invite people over for dinner, unless they invite strangers to a gallery for dinner to demonstrate social interaction as a high-concept. The irony here is the artist’s disconnection with how ordinary people coexist naturally. The artist pits his or herself against the world to some degree, so that they can confront society in a dramatized intervention. I’d call that a rehearsal for “real action.”

Or at least that is what I think when I’m in a bad mood.

Someone who is an artist (or who is actually self aware) cannot honestly stand to simply live a life. They cannot stop thinking, hence the whole “living naturally” thing goes to shit as soon as a certain threshold of intelligence is passed. After that you have to consider the absurdity of how everyone goes about living. Social practice explores these absurdities in order to realize different visions for what life could be.

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BRIAN'S REFLECTION

Because we had the theatre up for such a short amount of time I'm finding it hard to write a lengthy reflection. I did notice that the few people that made puppets were too intimidated or in too much of a hurry to participate in the theatre. I don't know if that was because of the location, the weather, a fear of the unknown, or stage fright. People like to build puppets, it's not that risky, but performing a puppet is another thing entirely. The theatre must be approachable and clearly defined -- the participants need to know what they're getting into, and whether they can get out of it.

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An idea to share with COTA project

If, I may suggest, what I would like to see happening on COTA bus in the future would be each COTA bus will employ an attendant who could serve all passengers with full sincereness, enthusiasm, and professionalism in a more approachable friendly way.  Answering questions regarding route information, assisting passengers with special needs, also, if possible, at least playing some kind of pleasant, relaxing music to soften the cheerless, silent atmosphere on the bus, would be very generous and nourishing to the public.

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speaking of revolution.....

#michael hardt #activism #human nature #jack #revolution #direct action #democracy

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look! #jack #form #social practice #social heat #what is the form here?

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Pierre Huyghe

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last class fortune cookies. 

Thanks Alejandro ! 

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how and where will it be given away?

tucked under windscreen wipers like parking tickets?

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thoughts? 

parking ticket project. use parking tickets to spread happiness instead of misery. 

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Some pictures from Fridays lecture by RG and  student presentations and discussion about taking the bus in Columbus. 

This is what I understand of their process: they effectively embed themselves in a community or organization without prior judgement as to what the problems are. What follows is a long period of meeting with the public through workshops, during which desires, needs, wants, issues etc surface. So what is created is a space in which the participants reflect not only on the issues present in their wider community but also ask themselves what they need to change on a personal level. In this way, they parlay the traditional role of the artist-as-outsider/antagonist into the role of a catalyst. They insist that it is not their job to create solutions but rather provide an opportunity among their collaborators and participants for reflection. Solutions may grow out of that process, but must come from within. I was struck by the way that relationships are at the core of their work. Some of their projects last several years; they judge whether a project has been successful through a continued relationship/follow up with the participants after the project has ended.

They work with groups from across the social spectrum, from turkish immigrants in Germany to farmers at risk of losing their land to golf course developers, and now with COTA, an organization that exists at the intersection of city government and urban planning and which is constantly juggling the needs of its riders with the constraints of city government and planning AND the needs of the commercial real estate owners who control much of the land which COTA must use for bus stops and turnarounds. 

The students presentations were thoughtful and insightful. It was great to be able to be a part of this public art process as it happens, and to see the value of this kind of experiential research to that process. I wonder if it is something that COTA could put to use in it's daily planning?

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bus reflection

Most travelers seemed isolated if not with a friend. Their vulnerability seemed more apparent simply because their backs become exposed and the toughest of riders seem more humane when the tag on their shirt becomes visible. There is comfort in being with a group of people, all trying to get where they are going, each one using the same generic route for specific reasons. There is comfort in physically being close to someone, there is comfort in knowing they may feel the same way you do.