Transitory Arts on Service of Sustainable Development

EMOTIONAL WORK IN PERFORMING ARTS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Corinne Covez-Abdeljalil

Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Crete, 22-25 September 2004

The question which underlies this research is to verify whether the artistic practice workshops in performing arts allows the realization of a cultural, emotional and creative work, which can be put at the service of an education within the framework of sustainable development.

I. GOALS AND STARTING QUESTION :

As a teacher in an agricultural highschool. I have continued my work, for several years in two directions: First of all, to promote sustainable development. Therefore, I created a module entitled “environment and citizenship”. However, I’ve noticed that for pupils moving from theory into practice is not an easy reaction to come to. In other words, they can learn about sustainable development without adopting behaviours of an “ecocitizenship” type. Then, my objective is to encourage ways of acting which go from simple practical application of known concept ( not to throw refuse in a park) to more complex behaviours like creating new social solutions which take place in the heart of the citizenship concept.

The second axis is the promotion of artistic activities carried out in collaboration with the regional management of cultural affairs. These performing arts workshops enable the pupils to discover an art thanks to the practice, rather than simply to appreciate it intellectually. Moreover workshop seem to improve pupils’ feelings in multiple fields such as: self-knowledge, empathy, group life, taking risk into account, responsibility, creativity…As this impression is not sufficient, my objective is to appreciate the work of the students, which contributes to their identity construction and the social bond.

II. PROBLEMS :

The central question of this study is education in performing arts, in connection with the sustainable development. This concept links together ecology, economics, and society. It will be thus a question of considering how unsuspected links until here, or less visible, can be created between performing arts and sustainable development. Initially it is a question of better identifying sustainable development and education, then, in the second place, performing arts and education.

1° Sustainable development and education:

Sustainable development, through its numerous definitions, is a concept which has been quite criticized.

1.1. A restricted notion: 2

The “sustainable development” expression has been first used in the Brundtland report (CMED-1987). This report underlines the close links between economy and environment. The latter actually being regarded as a constraint of which it is necessary to hold account to continue with growth. The concept of development assimilated here to progress or growth, is thus not called into question, but simply replaced in prospect: the sustainable development is a development which meets the needs for the present, without compromising the capacities of the future generations to answer theirs.

The introduction of durability is not neutral either, because the idea is general and does not appear to meet any restriction: but what must continue to last ? Durability thus covers a field of vague operations which can make forget the essential objectives, such as, for example: to anticipate the end of the oil shafts, to find out alternate solutions or to restore the position of human being in the order of nature. So, this really means that the environment is subordinated to economic exploitation.

Another widespread idea, since the Rio de Janeiro summit in 1992, is that sustainable development answers three demands: - ecological cautiousness: to limit pollution and the taking away of natural resources; - economic effectiveness: possible cover of human needs (water, energy, employment and limitation of costs); - social equity: equity between generations, reduction of inequalities between rich and poor and rich countries and poor countries.

It actually appears illusory to separate the various grounds: economy, society and environment, so much the fields are connected. Thus the sphere of economy cannot be thought without social choices, and environment results from the human economic activity. This diagram is thus questionable because it splits in 3 parts a society which acts in an economic way that effects on the whole environment.

The 1st chapter of the declaration of Rio 1992 stipulates the human beings are at the centre of the concern relating to sustainable development. They have right to a healthy and productive life, in harmony with durable nature. Sustainable development is thus a concept deeply rooted in modernism and which cannot claim to answer the question of the future generations in so far, as it is hiding the fundamental aspect which is that economy creates material needs which force to pollute our planet in a durable way. It seems to us impossible to take into account what appears essential i.e, another man’s relation with his environment whether it is physical or social. It is rather a question of starting to reconsider the bond man- society-nature. Development would not thus take a restrictive definition of the economic field, but widened within the meaning of personal blooming . Let’s see now, how education can help in redefining our society’s values.

1.2. Stakes of education and cultural problems of the environment:

In 1992, Unesco launched the decade of education for sustainable development . Education “for” development is of doubtful validity because: how to teach in disregarding the reference to the world of progress and productivism to which it refers? The contradiction appears sooner or later. How making pupils believe that durability is good in itself ? The ethical shift comes to light and puts ill at ease. Why not rather speak of education “within” the 3 framework of sustainable development. The stakes of education “for” sustainable development are ambiguous, being given the economist predominant concept. But as M. Pilo (2001) explains, “sustainable development concept stands between myth, reality and real perspectives”. Its education should allow a whole set of behaviours associated with the awakening, knowledge and vigilance, which constitute according to us a real stake of education.

Which type of education can this new vision bring? It is thus a question of considering the pre-existent attempts about environmental education. Education Relating to the Environment corresponding to a new education, gives us interesting answers. Its pedagogy is progressive and its stakes vary from natural sciences to the development of a project of society. The range of ERA corresponds to 3 spheres of interaction (Sauvé 1999): - “ The personal sphere of self-construction, where the individual develops by confrontation with himself (characteristics, capacities, limits); it’s where the individual develops autonomy and responsibility towards himself ; - Sphere of otherness, the relation with other individuals or social groups. It is in this sphere that is experimented the difficulties and the advantages at the same time of living with others, that is develop a feeling of membership with the group. It is the place of cultural education, with co-operation, peace, human rights, solidarity: it is the sphere of education, citizenship and the training of democracy. - Finally the sphere of education relating to the environment. It is made of biophysics components in close interaction with the socio- cultural components of population which live in there. It is a question of developing a feeling of membership with the wide area network of the alive beings.”

The sphere of education relating to the environment, in conditions that all these spheres are closely dependent, is a fundamental dimension of education since it reveals educational globality. It can thus be used as a basis for an education concerned with cultural problems.

2° Artistic fields and sustainable development:

2.1. Contributions of artistic education:

Let’s consider the stakes fixed at artistic education by various institutions, since the 80’s. The implied ministry of national education and agriculture signed a draft treaty with the ministry for Culture with a marked aim to consider artistic education as a major priority stake of a policy of democratization. The goal is to facilitate the access to culture, but also to make the artists work in the training and mediation. So, on one hand, what is concerned is the proposal for an intervention in training young public and on the other hand, it allows to open up the school culture with the surrounding reality especially of contemporary creation.

The presence of an external artist at school, and in a project based on the exchange of representations of each one (artists, teachers and pupils) has certainly to see with taking into consideration the daily culture heard like: “the whole of the features distinctive, spiritual and material, intellectual and emotional, which characterize a society or a social group” (Unesco 1982). 4

In this general context, we must remember the educational objectives of art. The artistic field being vast, we will only introduce some concepts thanks to teaching the visual arts. “The field of investigation extends to the whole surrounding world. It refers to the artistic production, past and on going, to the images provided by media, objects, architecture, urbanism…”(D. Danetis 2002) The formulation makes us think that a true work of opening in time as well as in space, helps moving so as to support and cause sensitivity, way of feeling and personal creation. It is also a question of perceiving and apprehending the implicit or explicit surrounding world. The opening to the world, the creativity and knowledge of the plastic technicians, constitute the fundamental stakes of artistic education and visual arts. Education with art thus calls one with the creativity, but also to stand aloof from messages of a multimediatized society among others.

The implied objectives of artistic education therefore improve the taking into account of environment and one self. Artistic education is thus an education with creation and relation. D. Danetis observes that practice of visual arts, betters the relationship between pupils. Since it is the question of relations to the environment which is considered: what can be the contribution of an education to performing arts through the body ?

Talking about education, it doesn’t seem easy to establish the link between health and environment. We generally study in a separate way the body and the environment .How the fact of becoming aware and of our body allows better knowledge of the natural and social external environment ? Several psychiatrists’ work is based on the fact that professional work lost the overall vision of the social activities in which it is inserted and then became only an alienated work. This point of view makes it possible to become aware of the relations which exist between the environment and the physical experiment of an Individual. This is precisely the place of field that performing arts take, by confronting with expression in space.

2.2.Contribution of the practice of performing arts:

Even limited to the performing arts, the question of cultural fields is impressive: theatre, circus, miming…not to mention the multiple versions which are in the turn asserted: street-theatre, equestrian theatre… The choice, since it is necessary to do one, is made on circus, just as easily called “ arts of the circus” in France. The objective is to try and include the educational stake related to the circus.

First of all, it should be recalled that the circus with many regards, is considered as an open unit, made of borrowings and mixtures, which sometimes confuses it with theatre or which inspired more than one director ( Meyerhold, Kantor…). They spoke of it in a praise of courage, precision, imagination and creative energy. Mixed with dance, mime and songs… the circus became an “art at the cross roads” (Jacob 2001), a contemporary art of the metamorphosis, which uses all the means within its range to express, no more scenes intended to frighten, laugh or admire, but a history of mankind that is articulated with an aim of moving ( Wallon 2002).

Then, the practice of contemporary arts as for it, is the privileged support thanks to which physical as well as creative, cultural and emotional capacities will be worked out. The studies of artistic practice workshops already showed the capacities of opening and of critical mind in particular (Zay and Lallias 1998). It is a question here, first of all of considering the various stakes of an artistic education by the body. 5

In circus for example, the experimentative attitude of group enables to criticize the settings in images, sound or scene. The body work of juggling, tented wire, balance, acrobatics… demands a work which often meets imbalance, the skid or the fall. More over, the representation itself contains the physical risk which always is managed, anticipated or apprehended. In the traditional circus, the missed act was supposed to result in a feeling of shame for the artist; while the contemporary circus sees the occasion of impromptu diversions there. This professional work of increase capacities thus goes with an emotional work which in all the artistic field appears particularly true in performing arts. This concept resulting from the sociology of emotions seems very interesting to incorporate an effort to think the work of the pupils.

Created in 1983, the “emotional work” is the act by which one tries to change the degree or the quality of an emotion or a feeling. To carry out a work on an emotion or a feeling is the same thing within the frame work of our objectives as to manage an emotion or to play an in-depth game. This work can be exerted in an expressive way to try and change interior feeling ( trying to smile when feeling sad…).Within the frame work of an artistic practice it’s clear that the actor (even trainee) undertakes a more or less thorough work of re- creation of his emotions to make the spectators moved. The artist work of the circus also evolves in the same direction. Tormented that he is to be dominated by his fears of vacuum, imbalance or the missing act. But it is also interesting to include emotional work in an artistic practice workshop, which confronts work on oneself and one with the others.

The cultural problems of sustainable development are not formulated as such in the three dimensional diagram, but deserve some explanation. The relationship which western man maintains with mother nature is far from corresponding to what can exist between aboriginal people and their environment and time. The concept of development thus concerns a specific western culture. The notion of developed culture should then be explicite. The problems of an education relating to the environment which takes into account the cultural dimension are essential because it re-establishes the starting point: namely that is while being based on the cultural identities that projects can be carried out. Culture is not an additional, but quite fundamental dimension of the individuals.

It is by understanding the representations of the pupils that a teacher can improve it. The sustainable development not taking into account the cultural problems cannot understand the entire educational project for which it is necessary to think about. David E. Selby (2003) criticized the fragmentation of the educational courses which kills the fundamental bond of man with nature and prevents from even preserving his sensitivity. The solution for him is the reconquest of nature by culture. This means that we cannot live anymore without a natural dimension. The cultural objective of this school would be to regard nature as a fundamental dimension of human life. He adds: “such lesson would include a contemplative and therapeutic art , dance, exercises of major breathing, yoga and the mediation..”. So, the cultural dimension is broad and is based on a strong will to reconsider the relations between nature, man and society.

This approach is thus useful of the cultural lever, in the broad sense of education to create another citizenship i.e. the behaviours more responsible and respectful of the environment, which constitutes the fundamental values of a total education. The respect of the others taking into account as well as the responsibility to life and shared project also contribute to make artistic practice a situation of training which concerns a global and responsible education. 6

III. RESULTS :

The enquiry took place in march 2003, in a French agricultural highschool in Lille. This establishment experiments sustainable agriculture. The methodology used in this study enquiry is interviews (10) with pupils having taken part in circus workshop and to compare them with interviews with pupils who did not take part. The questions were about their representations of the circus and bonds between circus and sustainable development. The D’Ungug’s thematic analysis of representations (1974) has been used.

For those who practiced circus, it arises from the talks strong emotional, creative and cultural capacities. These capacities include that of “taking risk into account” and “living together”. Concerning pupils, not having taken part in a circus workshop, they primarily have a notion of the sustainable development in bond with nature where man makes the object of little confidence or respect. Instead of this, pupils in circus say they have learn to open their mind (circus is a real profession) , to create together, to work emotionally on themselves (to concentrate…) and to respect each other which is the base (according to them) for a society in sustainable development. Finally, representations about social relations show a high understanding of solidarity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Danetis, D. (2002). Pratique artistique et pratique de formation. Habilitation à diriger des recherches sous la direction de Georges Bloess. 3 tomes.Université Paris 8 Vincennes & Saint-Denis, Département Arts Plastiques.

Lallias, J-C, Zay D. (1998). Les ateliers de pratique artistique théâtre(année 1990-1991). Rapport d’enquête pour la direction des lycées et collèges du ministère de l’Education nationale et de la Culture. Paris : INRP, Documents et travaux de Recherche en Education, 253 p.

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