U6: First thoughts on public-facing project

For my unit 6, I want to develop the idea of my unit 3 video work ‘Talking about decisions’ into a larger project that I’m calling ‘The Archive of Decisions’. The idea being to collect decisions from members of the public and bring these into dialogue with one another, in a sort of archive.

In my draft research proposal, I’ve framed my investigation as being around how concept-driven participatory artistic practices create meaning in relational ways.

The public-facing project – the first part of unit 6 – will be a small first step towards realising this project for a public ‘archive of decisions’. I envision the final archive as being multi-modal, as having writing (digital and hand-produced), images, audio, transcripts, maybe even objects. Materials that could lend themselves to being experienced in an exhibition or via a website. There may be some unifying way of navigating it – every submission to the archive may be summarised in a card, for example, or with a text summary, and/or with categorisations. But I don’t imagine getting that far during this first stage of unit 6.

I have a few ideas about how I could go about collecting decisions. I could run an open call, or orchestrate a series of controlled interactions, either one-on-one or in groups, invited or coincidental. Either way, I imagine it unfolding in stages or chapters, which could be location-based or theme-based (eg decisions about love).

My vision for the archive is that it brings together a multitude of experiences. That it captures ‘what is on our minds’, collectively – the decisions that are still psychologically present for us. These could be decisions to move country, take a job, pick a course of study, leave a partner, buy a house, something psychological like the decision to commit to looking after your health, or smaller things like buying a new pair of jeans or re-painting a room. The scope and range of the decisions will reveal something about our everyday lives, what we share, and our finitude (the necessity to take decisions/to close off certain paths). And that even seemingly inconsequential decisions might leave a big mark on us. Collectively, I hope they will encourage reflection – in direct and more subtle ways – on the differences in how we think about decision making, about our agency, and our personal responsibility.

Ironically, I’ve been wracked by indecision about exactly how to go about collecting decisions – and meeting the criteria of engaging the public – in this project. Some ideas I’ve considered:

• Invite one-on-one in-depth conversations with specific people – these would be recorded and potentially edited. These could be people with a specific relationship to decision-making, such as a judge, paramedic, philosopher, tarot reader, priest. As a starting point for the project, it may be interesting to have wider conversations about decision-making, but I wouldn’t continue the project in this way (seeking people based on occupation). Or I could look for people to have a one-on-one conversation with, who specifically want to share a decision related to a theme, e.g. love.
• I could initiate a public digital call-out around a specific theme and invite people to submit decisions in whatever way they’d like – writing, handwriting, voicenote, or through conversation.
• I could do a public space project, for example in a library, where I catch people going about their day, tell them about the project and invite them to share a decision by writing on a card.

What I’m interested in thinking about is whether these ideas would set me heading in the right direction, in terms of the material I want to generate. And also in terms of the relationship I’m establishing with the public – will I be reaching a diversity of voices, what are the ethical implications of what I’m asking for from them and how I’m structuring the project?

In my unit three video, there’s a real depth afforded by the conversation and the length. I’m worried that a mass participation project won’t feel as rich. I’m interested in the reflections on decision making, not just the reflections on the particular decision – will people get into that?