Collaborative artistic laboratories. Transfrontier spaces of cultural production

The appearance of the open code paradigm and the demands of social movements have permeated the ways in which today’s cultural institutions are organized. This article analyzes the birth of a new critical and cooperative spatiality and how it is transforming current modes of cultural research and production. It centers on the potential for establishing the new means of cooperation that are being tested in what are defined as collaborative artistic laboratories. These are hybrid spaces of research and creation based on networked and cooperative structures producing a new societal-technical body that forces us to reconsider the traditional organic conditions of the productive scenarios of knowledge and artistic practice.

Artistic proposals of visual arts of Ecuador since the second half of the twentieth century to the present

This article is the result of a research that analyzes the most important artistic proposals of Visual Arts in Ecuador, since the second half of the twentieth century to the present. Through literature review and data collection held in the city of Guayaquil, we could determine their influence and impact on the circuit of contemporary art. The instruments used for data collection were depth interviews that were done to experts in the field. Like surveys of attendees at different artistic events (exhibitions, permanent exhibitions, seminars), allowed to establish the social interests of those proposals. The methodology was mixed approach, quantitative and qualitative data were used.

Dissenting Exhibitions by Artists (1968-1998). Reframing Marxist Exhibition Legacy.

The goal of this thesis is to look at the critical and dissenting value of exhibitions through the examination of four cases studies, based on six exhibitions taking place between 1968 and 1998 in Latin and North America. The exhibitions belong to the history of modern and contemporary exhibitions and curating, a field of research and study that has only started to be written about in the last two decades. This investigation contributes to it, in its creation of new genealogies by connecting previously overlooked antecedents, or by proposing new relations within established lineages, at the intersection of a specific historiography; to address exhibitions, a tradition of artists acting as curators and an emerging history of curating. The examined exhibitions were put together by artists or artist collectives and were placed in a liminal position between artistic and curatorial practice. All the cases presented a distinct proposal in relation to art and social change, a fact that connects them, in their aims and modus operandi, to a Marxist and neo-Marxist critical and transformative legacy. The cases address the following connections: exhibition as political site (Tucumán Arde, 1968); exhibition as social space (The People’s Choice (Arroz con Mango), 1981); exhibition as encounter (Rooms with a view, We the People, Art/Artifact, 1987-88); and exhibition as an exchange situation (El Museo de la Calle, 1998-2001). Key to their analysis is the concept of dissensus, as put forward by Jacques Rancière. Within this theoretical framework, these exhibitions put into practice particular cases of dissensus in a given distribution of the sensible. All of them tried to deal with their thematic concerns by performing them as a praxis. They dissent with the way in which reality was formatted in their historical moment and challenge the exhibition medium itself opening new ways of doing and making in the exhibition field. Therefore, in this thesis the dissenting value of exhibitions is closely related to its main features as a medium, namely their temporality, heterogeneity and flexibility, which contribute to their potential for creative analysis and propositioning. In the case of these exhibitions, this capability is brought into play for institutional interrogation, for offering alternative cultural narratives and also for inspiring new imaginary realms.

How is a fruit tree like you? Using artistic metaphors to explore and develop emotional competence in children

Counselling children often requires the use of supplementary strategies in order to interest and engage the child in the therapeutic process. One such strategy is the Metaphorical Fruit Tree (MFT); an art metaphor suited to exploring and developing self-concept. Quantitative and qualitative data was used to explore the relationships between children’s ability to use metaphor, age, gender, and level of emotional competence (N = 58). Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between self-reported emotional competence and ability to use the MFT. It is proposed that children rely on different processes to understand self and as children’s ability to cognitively report on their emotional capabilities via the Emotional Competence Questionnaire (ECQ) increases, their ability to report creatively on those capabilities via the MFT is undermined. It is suggested that the MFT may be used, via creative processes and as an alternative to cognitive processes, to increase understanding and awareness of intrapersonal and interpersonal concepts of self in the child during counselling.

Reciprocity : where art meets the community : action research in response to artistic encounters and relationships

This practice-led research project examines some of the factors and issues facing artists working in the public domain who wish to engage with the community as audience. Using the methodology of action research, the three major creative projects in this study use art as a socio-political tool with the aim of providing an effective vehicle for broadening awareness, understanding forms of social protest and increasing tolerance for diversity. The three projects: Floodline November 7, 2004, Look in, Look out, and The Urban Terrorist Project, dealt with issues of marginalisation of communities, audiences and graffiti artists respectively. The artist/researcher is outlined as both creator and collaborator in the work. Processes included ephemeral elements, such as temporary installation and performance, as well as interactive elements that encouraged direct audience involvement as part of the work. In addition to the roles of creator and collaborator, both of which included audience as well as artist, the presence of an outside entity was evident. Whether local, legal authorities or prevailing attitudes, outside entities had an unavoidable impact on the processes and outcomes of the work. Each project elicited a range of responses from their respective audiences; however, the overarching concept of reciprocity was seen to be the crucial factor in conception, artistic methods and outcomes.

The artistic partnership of two women

This brief paper details the artistic working relationship between Bronwyn Fredericks and Pamela Croft within the Keppel Sands / Rockhampton region.

Delivery

'Delivery' (2005) was an installation work at MetroArts, Brisbane that incorporated drawings, paintings, video projections and temporary architectural structures. The work made central use out of a mock public event, staged in a Gold Coast park by the artist. Documentary footage of the ambiguous event comprised one of the video projections and formed the basic iconographic palette upon which the rest of the works were based. Using 3D animation as well as conventional drawing and paintign approaches, the works conveyed a palpable sense of fragmentation and social dislocation - a quality that was heightened by the reflective panels that bisected the exhibition space. The work was [part of the MetroArts Artistic Program in 2005 and its video elements were included in the 2008 exhibition Video Ground, curated by Rachel O'Reilly for Multimedia Art Asia Pacific (MAAP)/Bangkok Experimental Film Festival (Touring show). The work was the subject of a feature article by Mark Pennings in Eyeline magazine, and also appeared on the front cover of that issue.

Intractable differences : artistic research and the problem of practice

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the complex nature of practice within Artistic research. This will be done by considering practice through the lens of Bourdieu’s conceptualisation of practice. The focus of the paper is on developing an understanding of practice-led approaches to research and how these are framed by what Coessens et al. (2009) call the artistic turn in research. The paper begins with a brief introduction to the nature of practice and then continues on to discuss the broader field of artistic research, describing the environment which has shaped its evolution and foregrounding several of its key dispositions. The paper aims to not simply describe existing methodology but to rethink what is meant by artistic research and practice-led strategies.

Developmental lessons from the Capricornia Arts Mob (CAM)

The Capricornia Arts Mob (CAM) is a collective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual artists, sculptors, photographers, carvers and writers based in the Rockhampton region of Central Queensland. This paper explores the early development of CAM, identifies some of the lessons its members have learned about working together, and considers its role as a regional artists’ collective. The authors identify that traditional Indigenous practices, such as yarning and the sharing of food, have helped to facilitate the emergence of CAM as a vibrant, challenging, eclectic artistic family. They recognise the cultural challenges faced by the collective – including finding a culturally appropriate place to meet and work, and the cross-cultural issues that can emerge within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups. In just 18 months, CAM has held successful exhibitions and developed public artworks. It is a strong part of regional Queensland’s arts scene, which supports emerging artists and provides a space to celebrate and support Indigenous art.

"Who Are You" by DeepBlue Orchestra - Artistic Producer of Show

The production of a two hour show "Who Are You" which which began touring Australia and Asia in 2012.

Gentrification and the artistic dividend : the role of the arts in neighborhood change

Problem, research strategy, and findings: There is a conflict between recent creative placemaking policies intended to promote positive neighborhood development through the arts and the fact that the arts have long been cited as contributing to gentrification and the displacement of lower-income residents. Unfortunately, we do not have data to demonstrate widespread evidence of either outcome. We address the dearth of comprehensive research and inform neighborhood planning efforts by statistically testing how two different groups of arts activities—the fine arts and commercial arts industries—are associated with conditions indicative of revitalization and gentrification in 100 large U.S. metropolitan areas. We find that different arts activities are associated with different types and levels of neighborhood change. Commercial arts industries show the strongest association with gentrification in rapidly changing areas, while the fine arts are associated with stable, slow-growth neighborhoods. Takeaway for practice: This research can help planners to more effectively incorporate the arts into neighborhood planning efforts and to anticipate the potential for different outcomes in their arts development strategies, including gentrification-related displacement.

The location patterns of artistic clusters : a metro- and neighborhood-level analysis

Analysing census and industry data at the metro and neighbourhood levels, this paper seeks to identify the location characteristics associated with artistic clusters and determine how these characteristics vary across different places. We find that the arts cannot be taken overall as an urban panacea, but rather that their impact is place-specific and policy ought to reflect these nuances. However, our work also finds that, paradoxically, the arts’ role in developing metro economies is as highly underestimated as it is overgeneralised. While arts clusters exhibit unique industry, scale and place-specific attributes, we also find evidence that they cluster in ‘innovation districts’, suggesting they can play a larger role in economic development. To this end, our results raise important questions and point toward new approaches for arts-based urban development policy that look beyond a focus on the arts as amenities to consider the localised dynamics between the arts and other industries.