Reasons for the use of generous practices
exchange based art:
democratic access to the “art world”
utopian proposals
collaborative storytelling
social aesthetic practices
non-sanctioned public art
critiques of capital economies
community architecture
interactive gift sculptures
local politics
gift sculptures: The audience is a guest. . . The art object is a gift.
Felix Gonzales-Torres
Rirkrit Tiravanija
democracy projects: privilege of distribution, performance of funding is redistributed.
community authorship and collective action
confrontational/detournment:
questioning the politics of unequal distribution of wealth
The act of giving becomes a criticism of not giving,
social aesthetics:
artists work collaboratively within a community to create something that directly benefits that community
How successful do see these works as being?
What are some of the disadvantages, challenges of this kind of work?
Improv Everywhere
Monument against facism
Santiago Sierra:
Francis Alys:
Agnes Denes: tree mountain
Rirkrit Tiravanija
Questions about activism in art:
is there a difference between social work and art that is helping a community? What is it that differentiates the two.
What can artists do that social workers aren’t already doing? These things being art. . . how does that affect the situation?
Why should we make art about issues? in what way are we helping the situation?
when the work leaves the artist hand and become a part of the community is it still art?
How is it art? What makes it art?
What is an appropriate setting for this type of art? relational aesthetics (non-object based art works)
What effect do these social action
How much freedom should the audience have in creating the art work? How does this effect authorship? How does this lack of orchestration effect the visual format?
Why do artists feel the need to record work that is all about social interaction? how does recording it change it? are they using people?
What are some of the issues/challenges of making art that involves people?
appropriateness, gaining trust,
How do these types of artists survive? Is it wrong to make a living with your art?
What are the reasons that people give away their work to the viewers? (ask Dan)
Should artists be giving things away? Why or why not? What problems/issues does this create? What is good about it? Why do artists use this as a strategy? Is it effective? How effective is it?
exchange
community
activism
controversial
interactive
misc
Felix Gonzales-Torres
Olafur Eliasson
http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/artist.php?art_name=Olafur%20Eliasson
Christo and Jeanne-Claude http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/
Wafaa Bilal
Domestic Tension http://www.wafaabilal.com/html/domesticTension.html
And Counting http://www.wafaabilal.com/html/andCounting.php
Paul Chan
Waiting for Godot
http://www.creativetime.org/programs/archive/2007/chan/welcome.html
Harrell Fletcher
http://www.harrellfletcher.com/
subRosa Can you See Us Now?
Yes Men
Harrell Fletcher
Towards a tender society of thoughtful questions and answers
2002
People often asked how I'm able to entice random strangers into working with me on art projects about their own lives. The answer is that I appear to actually be interested in the person and his or her activities. And what is the best strategy for appearing interested? The answer is to sincerely be interested in fact nothing else will work. This is not difficult for me, because I actually think that people are interesting. I would even go so far as to say that I have a great fondness for the human race.
This wasn't always the case; as a child and adolescent, I was extremely shy and preferred to stay clear of most people. Dogs, books, and cheeses were all preferable companions to me. When, later in life, I decided to become a participant in society, I realized that I had no social skills for constructively engaging with people. Small talk had always made me feel dead inside, so that wasn't going to work. Instead, I decided to actively push conversations in the direction of "bigger talk." I asked people real questions about their lives, their work, their histories, their favorite foods, etc. Sometimes this was perceived as invasive, but I tried to be very sensitive. I became an increasingly capable listener and asker of related follow-up questions. As a result, my social self has been very intentionally constructed. This isn't as bad as it might seem, though. I think everyone's social (and personal) selves are constructed, just not usually very consciously.
As it turns out, people really like to be paid attention to. Perhaps they are even starved for thoughtful attention. From these interactions of mine, I have formed collaborations with people to produce exhibitions and public art projects about aspects of their lives that might otherwise have gone unnoticed, sometimes even by themselves. I've worked with neighborhood residents in Oakland, mall shoppers in a Bay Area suburb, developmentally disabled adults in San Francisco, office workers in Minnesota, a ten-year-old boy in Seattle, etc. One project that was produced here in Portland involved Cleveland and Joan Williams' lawn sculptures, which had been vandalized. I created twenty reinforcement sculptures that looked like the original three, but were based on the Williams and their friends and family. All of the sculptures were shown at PICA last summer as part of a show I did there and are now permanently displayed in the Williams' front yard. After the project was completed, I continued to spend time with the Williams and eventually bought a house in their neighborhood that had belonged to Cleveland's mother, who had recently died. So, my relationship with the Williams not only developed into an art project; it created a way for me to become a part of a neighborhood in a very real way.
Through asking strangers questions, I have learned to have more meaningful interactions with people outside of my work--friends, family, neighbors, even people at art openings, sometimes. I try to be willing to discuss subjects that are really important in my life, too. When my sister died last summer, I talked with several people about it (sometimes people I didn't know very well) and found out that most of them had also faced death in some way. It was very comforting, and it caused me to believe that people in general have the ability to relate to all sorts of things, if they are given the chance.
Since I've been paying attention, it's become incredibly obvious how few meaningful questions people ask each other. I recommend that people try a little harder. How much do you really know about the people who you encounter on a daily basis? Try asking these people what they really care about. Show them that you are truly interested. Perhaps it will rub off on them, and they will ask you a question back. Whole complex conversations might ensue. You'll learn things from each other, trust and honesty could develop --the world (and the art world with it) might become a better place.
http://www.chiapasphoto.org/introe.html
