#thisisnotartproject

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Collaboration, Glasgow, July 2016. Abigail Beeley and Mandy Shannon www.abigailbeeley.co.uk www.mandyshannon.com

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Prep.

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Theory Q&A

I’ve been looking for a way to explain my project ThisIs(Not)Art in a simple and concise way - but I’d also like to provide a resource for anybody who is interested in reading between/under/into the lines and underlying theory in the project. This is a post dedicated to those people, hopefully answering some of your questions and raising more!

Q: What is #thisisnotartgame ?

A: It is a super-fun sticker-bombing/zine-making/cross-disciplinary/Open-Source Art Game designed for anyone and everyone to play.

Q: But what is "(Not) Art”?

A: "(Not)Art” is a realisation of my experiments with the theory that Art is entirely subjective. The Viewer (as opposed to the Artist, Curator or Critic) is the one who holds the power to declare anything Art or conversely Not Art. The state of Art cannot exist without the state of Not Art and it is the act of labelling items and scenes one way or the other which brings Art into being. I want to put the power back into the hands of the viewer by enabling focusing on the natural inner critic in us all.

Q: What is it about?

A: The project as a whole runs on the premise that every single person’s experience and interpretation of Art is different and we are in a constant state of curation. More specifically we are labelling the world around us every second of the day, both consciously and subconsciously according to our aesthetic and culturally imbued notions of the structure of our environment.

I like this vs I do not like this This is good vs This is bad I want this vs I don’t want this

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This is Art vs This is Not Art

Q: So what is Art?

A: Well, you could literally be here forever with that question. The way I see the definition of Art being most widely handled though, is that Art is something in a Gallery or something you’ve been told is Art by someone else. Through popular opinion with the backing of critics, dealers and curators, the piece becomes the definition.

First there is an Artist, deciding that their piece is Art; then a curator or gallery director agreed with them; the piece is installed in a gallery or other allocated space for “Art”; everyone looks at it and agrees or doesn’t agree but nobody can change that definition, because it has been solidified in the collective conscious.  

“My kid could have painted that!” “I could have painted that!” “Call this Art? It’s rubbish!” “Who decided this was Art?”

Sound like you? Ever? Maybe once or twice?

It’s my belief that the the decision ultimately rests with you, the viewer. You are the one with the power in your hands as you are the perceiver. So my intention with the game This Is (Not) Art is to put the power to make these kind of decisions into your hands.

Q: OK but what about the stickers?

A: Artists have been taking traditionally perceived “Not Art” into Galleries for over a century, and claiming that the very act of telling you it’s Art makes it so… but what about outside of the gallery? What about literally everything else in the whole world? What is design and structure; human frailty; accident and happenstance. What is all that?

I want to ask you: can we take the Gallery outside? Can we figuratively turn it inside out? Can we consciously choose to recognise our own natural status as Curators of the everyday?

Can we do this? Yes we can! And the stickers enable us to do so. The act of placing the sticker upon the curated object labels it. And thus you have curated.

Thus the tagline: What is Art? What is Not Art? Only You Can Decide!

Q: Why are you doing this?

A: Well, to explain this the long way, I’m interested in psychology. In my practise I like to look at perception, and the way people see things. I like hearing and seeing ideas different to my own. I like finding out the differences and similarities in people - especially when people are given the same task or instruction. It always amazed me how different each students’ outcome is when given the same brief or how different the drawings and paintings are when you walk around a room full of people studying still life or life drawing.

So in order to explore, play with and challenge the contrasts in human perception and aesthetics I came up with the sticker bombing game. I had found that labelling stuff Art and Not Art was a pretty fun activity and a few other people agreed with me so I began to develop the stickers into a structure to engage people with Art and their surroundings.

Q: Anything else?

A: I want to question, to provoke, to inspire, and to connect. The more I develop the theory behind this whole game, the more interested I become in the act of choosing, labelling and curating. And the more I think about that, the more drawn I am to the very human ability we have to understand, question and change our own and others perceptions, ideas and notions.

If you can look at a sticker that says This Is Not Art on a painting you instinctually would perceive as Art, or a sticker labelling a broken television dumped on the street as Art, and flick the switch in your mind to see the world through another persons eyes just for a second, then you’ve got it.

Q: Right so, backtrack a second.. how does it work?

A: You get some stickers, put them on things, take a photo and send them back to me via email or by hashtag on tumblr or on Instagram.

Q: Then what?

A: I am making Zines from contributions, and there are other interpretations of the Project in the works. Keep your eyes peeled for further developments!

Q: Can I play?

A: Of course! The easiest way is obviously in person but just get in touch and we will figure out a way to get stickers to you.

Q: How can I find out more?

A: I have written about the project on my blog: psychadelicfishdisco.blogspot.com and my website: abigailbeeley.co.uk under Projects. Still not enough? Feel free to get in touch: [email protected]

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This Is (Not) Art : A Game For Many Participants . What is Art? What is NotArt? Only You Can Decide

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Spot The Sticker!

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