A recap of what we need to produce during unit 3:
- A moving image recording of a curated, self-aware conversation with a central consideration
- One that considers the ethics of conversation and conversation as a source of cultural production/an intercultural practice – about cultural norms, values and expectations are navigated
- One that shows evidence of consideration of process.
Some general notes on my interests
What excites me about this term’s task is that it gives me an opportunity to think about dialogic art/performance/projects. In my practice as an arts communicator and fundraiser, I’ve worked with a community of artists who make work rooted in conversation with the public – projects that are made through a process of conversation, and where often this defines their form. I’m thinking of the work of Quarantine (No Such Thing, 12 Last Songs), of associated artists Kate Daley (Building of Spines) and Sarah Hunter (The People of, Wallflower Dances), of the work of Lowri Evans (Leaves / Leaving).
I’m interested in forms of cultural production that create frames for new experiences to occur, or to borrow a common comms message from Quarantine: that create the circumstances for conversations between strangers. Ones that use the space of art to find ways for humans to connect over what they have in common and negotiate differences in a productive way. I’m interested in this as a role, function and value of art.
I’m wanting to build on my skills as a writer and communicator, a journalist and editor, and as someone who works in a supportive capacity on these types of engaged/participatory projects. Someone who works with the stuff of life. I’m keen to look at how I personally use conversation in my practice and how I might want to develop that going forward.
I’m also interested in reflecting on the role of conversation in criticism, in the ethics of criticism, and in how art doesn’t stand alone – how an artwork is talked about extends the experience of it. Criticism, communication, interviews, chit chat – all of these generate artistic meaning and experience. There are artistic projects that have had an impact on me even though I never actually experienced them – I just read about them or heard someone talk about them.
The decision to focus on decisions
I’ve arrived at the topic of ‘decisions’ for a variety of reasons. Some personal: I’ve made some big decisions in my life in the past few years (leaving my home country without a clear plan to return; ending a 13-year relationship) that I’m still thinking about and processing. It’s also a response to some of the topics that I’ve found myself drawn to for a long time and especially since starting MAIP, including:
- personal responsibility
- how we understand our own free will
- how we understand this in relation to other people, to society, to collective responsibility and decision making
- how we understand consciousness and our place in the universe
- and that how we think about all of the above is a line of difference in the world that isn’t always very obvious, isn’t always articulated, but is present in how we relate to one another.
The topic of decisions, asking people about decisions that feel important to them, feels like a way into this greater conversation with people. It’s a starting point for a conversation that is more human, more approachable.
I thought about having a conversation with one person about a decision they have made or are making. Then I had the idea of talking to many people, of collecting together a multitude of stories of decisions that sit in relation to each other and can reveal something greater, more expansive about the human experience: an archive of decisions.
I’m interested in how an archive project such as this is dialogic in its own right, in that it’s a conversation between me and those who submit entries – I set it up, frame it, issue the invitation, and also curate, categorise, interpret, archive the material and control how it’s experienced. Perhaps some/all of the archive entries would be the product of a conversation or directly document a conversation. But it would also be dialogic between all of the entries.
Whatever I decide, during this term, I’m keen to find ways of working that are true to my personality and my skill set. I don’t want to emulate other people’s ways of working or force myself to work in a way that doesn’t play to my strengths. I’m an introvert and my role in community engagement projects so far has usually been behind the scenes – not the person out on the streets bringing people in. But I am interested in finding structures and processes to involve other people in my work, to have more conversations and interactions. To maybe even use my practice as an excuse to do this more.
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