DOCSLIB.ORG

Aesthetics and Politics of Street Arts Interventions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Aesthetics and Politics of Street Arts Interventions Notes Preface: Into the Street 1. Sue Harris (2004) in her article, ‘“Dancing in the Streets”: The Aurillac Festival of Street Theatre’ demonstrates the same thrill although in somewhat more measured tones of academic discourse. These ‘astonished reactions’ are dis- cussed in more detail in the Introduction as forms of ‘shock’. 2. ‘Street arts’ and ‘street theatre’ are contested terms. Many artists who work with some form of live performance in public spaces do not come from theatre backgrounds, but rather from music, film, dance, painting, sculpture, architec- ture, or installation art and reject the labels of ‘street theatre’ and ‘street arts’ for their creative work. Charlotte Granger lists several terms: ‘arts de la rue, théâtre de rue, théâtre itinérant, arts forains, théâtre in situ, arts urbains, animation, divertissement cultures urbains, arts dans l’espace public, arts publics, spectacles en plain air’ and claims that the range of terms signifies a range of forms and thus thwarts any common definition (Freydefont and Granger, 2008: 27). For many years in France, there was discussion over whether to call the work théâtre de rue, théâtre de la rue, or even théâtre dans la rue: a distinction hard to translate with the same connotations, but one that prioritizes essential characteristics over location. In this book, I will rely on the terms street arts, street theatre, and performance in public spaces, using them interchangeably. 3. HorsLesMurs was created in 1993 by the Minister of Culture as a resource to document and disseminate information, both scholarly and practical, about street theatre and circus. 4. I have limited my study to performance interventions that have occurred some- where in Europe even though a few of the artists are based elsewhere. Outdoor performance is a vibrant theatrical form in many areas of the world outside the European context, but often the traditions, performance practices, sources of inspiration, and engagement of the audience are quite different. These street performances are outside the scope of this book. There are many sources on these performances, but a good place to start an exploration of this street theatre is Jan Cohen-Cruz, Radical Street Performance: An International Anthology (1998). Introduction: Aesthetics and Politics of Street Arts Interventions 1. Some of the most important pioneering radical theatre companies that experimented with outdoor performance were Bread and Puppet Theatre, San Francisco Mime Troupe, El Teatro Campesino, and Living Theatre in the United States; Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed in Brazil; El Comediants in Catalonia; Il Gorilla Quadrumano, Piccolo Teatro di Pontedera, and Dario Fo in Italy; Kollektif Rote Rübe in Germany; Welfare State International, People Show, Natural Theatre Company, I.O.U., and 184 Notes 185 John Bull Puncture Repair Kit in England; Dogtroep in Holland; Akademia Ruchu in Poland; Squat Theatre in Hungary; and Théâtre de l’Unité, Théâtre à Bretelles, Théâtracide, Urban Sax, and Troupe Z in France. 2. Grant Peterson, in his doctoral thesis, traces the trajectory of the Natural Theatre Company from the 1960s to the present. This pioneering British street arts company created provocative and confrontational walkabout characters who mocked various characteristics of British national identity. Peterson uses the work of the company as a case study to explore a shift from political oppositional art to corporate entertainment. 3. Grant Kester, in The One and the Many: Contemporary Collaborative Art in a Global Context, also suggests an alternate model in ‘dialogic, collabora- tive projects’ that rely on ‘a reciprocal testing of both ethical and aesthetic norms, the outcome of which can only be determined through the subse- quent forms of social interaction mobilized by a given work’ (2011: 185). I will return to Kester’s model later in the book. 4. See Hirschhorn’s interview with Okwui Enwezor in Thomas Hirschhorn: Jumbo Spoons and Big Cake (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2000, pp. 27–9). Grant Kester points out that Hirschhorn ‘appropriated’ the phrase from Jean- Luc Godard who said, ‘I don’t make political films, I make films politically’ (2011: 234, footnote 24). 5. See Claire Bishop, ‘Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics’ and ‘The Social Turn: Collaboration and Its Discontents’ where she explores shock and rupture as key aspects of the art experience. 6. In a later book, however, Kester questions the power of shock to initiate insight and increased agency since the disorientation it causes resembles trauma in its psychological impact. He identifies shock as a key tactic of avant-garde art and offers an alternative model in dialogic collaboration (2011: 182–4). 7. Michael Warner in Publics and Counterpublics distinguishes between the public (‘a kind of social totality… the people in general’) and a public (‘a concrete audience, a crowd witnessing itself in visible space, as with a theat- rical public. Such a public also has a sense of totality, bounded by the event or by the shared physical space’), pp. 65–6. When I use ‘public’ to refer to audiences in this book, I am using the term like Warner’s ‘a public’. 8. See Laura Cull, Deleuze and Performance (2011). 9. Nigel Thrift, in Non-Representational Theory: Sapces, Politics, Affect, identifies five schools of thought about affect in the social sciences. Each one places significant emphasis on the body (2008: 223–5). 10. Boal (1985) and Dolan (2005) use the term ‘rehearsal’ in this way. 11. A loose translation is ‘Those with no balconies.’ 12. To see a video clip of the many performances, go to: http://www.rueetcirque. fr/index/en/search_simple. Search by the name of the company or the name of the show. 1 Looking Back: A Socio-Historical and Intellectual Context for Contemporary Street Arts in Europe 1. Some sources on entertainments at the fairs are Sybil Rosenfeld, (1960) The Theatre at the London Fairs in the Eighteenth Century (Cambridge: Cambridge 186 Notes University Press); Émile Compardon, (1970) Les Spectacles de la foire: théâtres, acteurs, sauteurs et danseurs de corde…des Foires Saint-Germain et Saint-Laurent, des Boulevards et du Palais-Royal depuis 1595 jusqu’à 1791: documents inédits recueillis aux Archives Nationales (Geneve: Slatkine, photographic repr. of 1877 edition); Virginia Scott, (1972) ‘The Infancy of English Pantomime 1716–1723’, Educational Theatre Journal 24.2: 125–34; Meg Armstrong (1992–3) ‘“A Jumble of Foreignness”: The Sublime Musayums of Nineteenth-Century Fairs and Expositions’, Cultural Critique 23: 199–250. I wrote my doctoral dis- sertation on the London fairs: ‘From Booths, to Theatre, to Court’: The Theatrical Significance of the London Fairs, 1660–1724 (University of Michigan, 1984). 2. See footnote 1 in the Introduction. 3. Lieux Publics (http://www.lieuxpublics.fr/index.php) was founded in Marne la Vallée near Paris in 1983 by Michel Crespin (who remained its director until 2001) and Fabien Jannelle as a centre to encourage artistic reflection and creation. It moved to Marseille in 1990. Today, under the direction of Pierre Sauvageot, director of street music company Décor Sonore, Lieux Publics is a major national creation center that hosts companies to develop artistic crea- tions, leads conferences and symposia, and publishes books, journals, and articles on art in public space. 4. See Gaber, 40 Years of Street Arts (2009a: 71–2). 5. See also Delfour (1997) and Chaudoir (1997) who both acknowledge the importance of the long history of outdoor performance, but argue that the ‘street arts’ that flourished from the 1970s were fundamentally different. Delfour explores the problematics of urban and cultural action that he feels are unique to this period and art form. Chaudoir looks at the issues of uban- ism and locates the historical roots of contemporary street theatre in agit- prop, happenings (and Fluxus), and radical theatre. 6. Many books have been written on the events of 1968 and the circumstances leading up to them, especially in the American and French contexts. Some of the most helpful are Anderson (1999), Berman (1996), Bloom and Breines (1995), Cavallo (1999), Feenberg and Freedman (2001), Gitlin (1987), Gregoire and Perlman (1969), Macedo (1997), Miller (1994), Ross (2002), Seidman (2004), Singer (2000), Starr (1995) and Unger and Unger (1998), but there are many others. Fink, Gassert, and Junker (1998) is one of the few books that has collected essays on the events internationally. Each of the essays has an excellent bibliography that covers sources specific to the geographical loca- tion being analysed. 7. See also Kershaw (1999: 89–125). 8. Throughout his book, The One and the Many: Contemporary Collaborative Art in a Global Context, Kester assesses the impact of May 1968 on the ideas of the major post-structuralists, in part as a way to locate and validate the paradigm of collaboration that he sets up in contrast to the oppositional paradigm represented in art works and theory that elevate shock, dissensus and affect (or somatic experience) to the level of key tactic to change the way the public thinks. 9. A short clip of one of the early performances is available on the HorsLesMurs website (street theatre and circus archive in Paris). To see a video clip of the performance, go to http://www.rueetcirque.fr/ and search by company name or title of the performance. Notes 187 10. Floriane Gaber (2009b), in How It All Started: Street Arts in the Context of the 1970s, offers an excellent and comprehensive description and analysis of the origins of street theatre emphasizing the work in France, but always with an eye to influences and developments outside France. The first chap- ter, ‘The Cultural Policy’, looks in detail at cultural policies in France that led to the development of street theatre. Gaber’s other book, 40 Years of Street Arts, looks at developments of street theatre from the 1970s to the present.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Note on Contributors
    Note on Contributors Note on Contributors Sofia Apospori is currently a PhD candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research, which is supervised by Professor Helen Nicholson and advised by Dr. Colette Conroy, explores theatre for people with visual impairments. More specifically, it engages with the theoretical, aesthetic and ethical challenges that are implicated by the re-evaluation of performance space in reference to visual and non-visual perception respectively. Over the last two years, Sofia has been a visiting tutor in the Department of Drama and Theatre Studies, teaching Writing and Performance and Staging Histories. She holds a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies and an MA in Theatre (Applied Drama), both of which were awarded by Royal Holloway, University of London. Beatriz Cantinho is presently developing practice based research work as a PhD student in Dance/Philsophy at the Edinburgh College of Art. Her work focuses mainly on the mechanisms of image perception within aesthetics and performance art. The academic research as been presented at Edinburgh University, Chelsea College of Art, Cambridge University and the University of Surrey. Beatriz graduated from the Superior School of Dance at Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa. She took an intensive training course in Noh Theatre at the Kyoto Art Centre. She has completed a professional internship in the theatre company Royal de Luxe. Artistically for the past few years she has been developing work as a choreographer in projects such as Parde2, Scch…Um Ensaio Sobre o Silêncio, and Peça Veloz Corpo Volátil. She has also been involved in collaborative projects with artists from different disciplines with work that has been presented in Portugal, France, the UK, Germany, and Austria.
    [Show full text]
  • Impacts 08 Evaluation
    Impacts 08 Team Dr Beatriz García, Director Ruth Melville and Tamsin Cox, Programme Managers Ann Wade, Programme Coordinator Document Reference: Impacts 08 – Miah & Adi (2009) Liverpool 08 – Centre of the Online Universe Liverpool 08 Centre of the Online Universe The impact of the Liverpool ECoC within social media environments October 2009 Report by Prof Andy Miah and Ana Adi Faculty of Business & Creative Industries Impacts 08 is a joint programme of the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University Commissioned by Liverpool City Council Impacts 08 – Miah & Adi | Liverpool 08 – Centre of the Online Universe | 2009 Executive Summary Background to the study One of the major topics of debate in media research today is whether the Internet should be treated as the dominant form of information distribution, outstripping the impact of other media, such as television, radio or print. Opinions vary about this, but numerous examples of successful online media campaigns abound, such as Barack Obama‟s use of social media during the US Presidential campaign. Today, other governments are quick to utilise similar environments, and 10 Downing Street has accounts with both YouTube and Flickr, the popular websites used for video and photo sharing respectively. Additionally, marketing and communications departments in business, industry, the arts and the media are rapidly re-organising their strategies around the rise of digital convergence and in light of evidence that demonstrates the decline (or fragmentation) of mass media audiences. These circumstances are pertinent to the hosting of European Capital of Culture by Liverpool in 2008. In short, if we want to understand how audiences were engaged during 2008, we need to complement a range of surveys and reporting with analyses of online activity, which have the potential to reflect both broader media perspectives and the views of people on the street.
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Study of the 2008 European Capital of Culture, Liverpool
    Article The Cultural Legacy of a Major Event: A Case Study of the 2008 European Capital of Culture, Liverpool Yi-De Liu Graduate Institute of European Cultures and Tourism, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 106, Taiwan; yideliu@ntnu.edu.tw Received: 23 June 2019; Accepted: 26 July 2019; Published: 26 July 2019 Abstract: Cultural legacy is a relatively neglected theme in event and sustainability studies, compared to economic or physical legacies with solid evidence. This article focuses on the experience of Liverpool as the 2008 European Capital of Culture. An evaluation ten years on can provide the basis for research on the long-term cultural legacy of a major event, as well as how to achieve sustainability through legacy planning. Five dimensions of cultural legacy are explored, including: Cultural agency and strategies, cultural network, cultural provision, cultural engagement, and cultural image. The results of the study show that the spill-over effect of culture can be achieved through thorough legacy planning. The most important lesson learned from Liverpool is to integrate the event into the city’s long-term and culture-led development, which yields a healthy and productive cultural climate. Keywords: event sustainability; cultural legacy; legacy planning; European Capital of Culture; Liverpool 1. Introduction In view of the economic, social and cultural impacts, more and more cities are competing to host major events. However, due to the short-lived and one-off nature, the event itself may not be sustainable. The sustainability of major events, or their legacy or long-term impact, has been the focus of discussion in recent years.
    [Show full text]
  • Studies in International Performance Published in Association with The
    Studies in International Performance Published in association with the International Federation of Theatre Research General Editors: Janelle Reinelt and Brian Singleton Culture and performance cross borders constantly, and not just the borders that define nations. In this new series, scholars of performance produce interactions between and among nations and cultures as well as genres, identities and imaginations. Inter-national in the largest sense, the books collected in the Studies in International Performance series display a range of historical, theoretical and critical approaches to the pan- oply of performances that make up the global surround. The series embraces ‘Culture’ which is institutional as well as improvised, underground or alternate, and treats ‘Performance’ as either intercultural or transnational as well as intracultural within nations. Titles include: Khalid Amine and Marvin Carlson THE THEATRES OF MOROCCO, ALGERIA AND TUNISIA Performance Traditions of the Maghreb Patrick Anderson and Jisha Menon (editors) VIOLENCE PERFORMED Local Roots and Global Routes of Conflict Elaine Aston and Sue-Ellen Case STAGING INTERNATIONAL FEMINISMS Matthew Isaac Cohen PERFORMING OTHERNESS Java and Bali on International Stages, 1905–1952 Susan Leigh Foster (editor) WORLDING DANCE Helen Gilbert and Jacqueline Lo PERFORMANCE AND COSMOPOLITICS Cross-Cultural Transactions in Australasia Helena Grehan PERFORMANCE, ETHICS AND SPECTATORSHIP IN A GLOBAL AGE Susan C. Haedicke CONTEMPORARY STREET ARTS IN EUROPE Aesthetics and Politics James Harding and Cindy Rosenthal (editors) THE RISE OF PERFORMANCE STUDIES Rethinking Richard Schechner’s Broad Spectrum Silvija Jestrovic and Yana Meerzon (editors) PERFORMANCE, EXILE AND ‘AMERICA’ Silvija Jestrovic PERFORMANCE, SPACE, UTOPIA Ola Johansson COMMUNITY THEATRE AND AIDS Ketu Katrak CONTEMPORARY INDIAN DANCE New Creative Choreography in India and the Diaspora Sonja Arsham Kuftinec THEATRE, FACILITATION, AND NATION FORMATION IN THE BALKANS AND MIDDLE EAST Daphne P.
    [Show full text]
  • Artichoke Was Founded in 2006 with Its Now Legendary Presentation Of
    JOB INFORMATION | Trustee Leadership Programme: Young Trustee Contract Type: Part time, voluntary London 1666 David Best in collaboration with Artichoke 4 September 2016 1. Artichoke’s Background Artichoke was founded in 2006 with its now legendary presentation of Royal de Luxe's The Sultan's Elephant, which brought London to a standstill as audiences were transfixed by the surprise arrival of a giant puppet and a time- travelling elephant. The production brought joy to hundreds of thousands of people as they explored the capital, turned into a playground, magically liberated from its day-to-day traffic clogged restrictions. The production challenged the political arts establishment to rethink its largely venue-based approach to large cultural events and demonstrated the potential for the temporary transformation of the public realm through the creation of a moment of extraordinary art. Over the last 13 years Artichoke has produced a total of 21 ground-breaking productions ranging from One & Other, Antony Gormley's 2400-hour living 1 Artichoke Trust Registered in England Company registration 5429030 Registered Charity No. 1112716 portrait on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square; Peace Camp, a lyrical set of installations created by Deborah Warner and Fiona Shaw for the London 2012 Festival, to the Lumiere Festivals produced in Durham, Derry-Londonderry and London. Lumiere has become a core feature of the cultural landscape and has sent the benchmark for outdoor city-wide winter arts events. “What was it that made Londoners leave their homes and tourists their hotels during the city’s coldest four nights in years and, as many spontaneously did, lie face up on the freezing tarmac of Oxford Circus? Light is one answer.
    [Show full text]
  • Spectacles of Light, Fire, and Fog: Artichoke and the Art of the Ephemeral
    Spectacles of Light, Fire, and Fog: Artichoke and the Art of the Ephemeral Francisco LaRubia-Prado Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA What does Christ’s crucifixion have in common with George Floyd’s video-recorded murder, Donald Trump’s reality TV-like Presidency, popular festivals like Mardi Gras, and the advertising and news media images that flood our daily existence? The answer is that all of the above have been considered “spectacles” by critics in various fields; and, in fact, they share key features when regarded as a “spectacle.” Furthermore, all have had — or can have — a significant impact at the individual, local, national, and/or global levels. 1 Historically, spectacle emerges as an as the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, inevitable phenomenon in any society, and is unemployment, violence, and gender crucial to promote a sense of identity and inequality— through stunning spectacles that community. It also provides education and place art at their core. Later in this essay, I will entertainment, and is used to enforce the law and examine some of these events. maintain the social order. Leading up to the present day, spectacle becomes even more The field of “Festival studies” has central to culture due to the increasing frequently analyzed how spectacle has the power importance of the mass media. Yet, spectacle to engage citizens in their communities while rejects any a priori ethical alignment; namely, it countering social isolation.3 In the belief that it can possess a bright or a dark character. Because would
    [Show full text]
  • PRESS Releaseана16th AUGUST St Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern
    PRESS RELEASE ­ 16TH AUGUST St Paul’s Cathedral, Tate Modern and the National Theatre join line­up of landmark locations and events for London’s Burning ​ Artichoke’s contemporary art and ideas festival marking 350th anniversary of Great Fire of th th London 30 August ­ 4​ September 2016​ ​ ​ ​ Three more London landmarks, a live digital broadcast presented by Lauren Laverne and a ​ talks programme inspired by major themes across the festival have been announced as part ​ of LONDON’S BURNING, Artichoke’s contemporary art and ideas festival marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. The series of spectacular art events, which are all free to the public, will take place in key th th sites across the City, Southbank and Bankside from 30 August ­ 4​ September 2016,​ ​ ​ marking this momentous event in London’s history and addressing its contemporary resonance with themes including displacement, disaster and the resilience of the urban metropolis. Artist Martin Firrell presents Fires of London, two new commissions either side of the River ​ ​ ​ Thames. Fires Ancient will light up the south and east sides of the dome of St Paul’s ​ ​ Cathedral with a fiery projection echoing both the catastrophic impact of the Great Fire of London on the Cathedral itself and the birth of the building designed by Christopher Wren that emerged, phoenix­like from the ashes. The projection will be visible from across the river and ​ with a unique view from the terrace of One New Change. (Supported by Cheapside Business Alliance, RSA Insurance and Land Securities) On the other side of the river, Firrell’s Fires Modern will be projected onto the flytower of the ​ ​ National Theatre’s (NT’s) iconic Grade II listed building.
    [Show full text]
  • Artistic File L'enfant
    L’ENFANT ©Christophe Loiseau [Animated materials, immersives installations] [Stage form, creation November 2018] [In situ form, creation February 2019] ©Christophe Loiseau L’Enfant (The Child) plunges us physically and substantially into the mystery at the heart of La mort de Tintagiles (The Death of Tintagiles), STATEMENT OF a play written by Maurice Maeterlinck in the late 19th century. Still very much engulfed in his immateriality, the «infant», from the Latin Infans, INTENT meaning «not having the faculty of speech», sits between worlds. He makes no distinction between the real and the imaginary, life and FOR death, and knows that the real is «merely one of the most transient ALL AGES aspects of infinite reality» as according to Artaud. OVER 14 The unexpected return of the infant, Tintagiles, to the devastated island strikes both joy and fear into the heart of his sister, Ygraine. Ygraine Duration 1h lives a life of subjection to an omnipresent yet invisible Queen, a figure who is preceded by a sense of imminent danger. Ygraine resolves to confront the dull and distant rumble (the dull and distant menace?) that destroys everything in its wake and threatens the child. In an act of rebellion, she upsets the established order, breaks down boundaries and enters that space impenetrable to the living, wherein she glimpses the infinite world of the shadow realm. « He is asleep in the other room. He was a little pale, he did not seem A funereal ode of cosmic proportions, the play is tantamount to well. The journey had tired him—he an act of regeneration, where the dynamic balance of existence is was a long time on the sea.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Cosmopolitanism: the Nation, Citizenship and Convivial Culture
    JNU/WARWICK Inaugural Conference Nadine Holdsworth, University of Warwick Title: Beyond Cosmopolitanism: The Nation, Citizenship and Convivial Culture As we proceed through the twenty-first century, it would seem that conceptions of cosmopolitanism have become a primary part of cultural and political discourse. A fact epitomised by Barack Obama’s inaugural speech in 2009 when he declared, We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself. As this quote demonstrates, at the heart of cosmopolitanism’s popularity is the sense that it acknowledges cultural, religious, national difference whilst recognising that simultaneously there is a layer of shared moral imperatives that unite people throughout the world. So, cosmopolitanism invites us to think of citizens of the world, of global citizens and ‘common humanity’ alongside identities more locally specific to geographical placement or individual subjectivities. Cosmopolitanism under threat However, there are some theorists who argue that cosmopolitanism has become a contested term hijacked by what the British sociologist and political theorist, Paul Gilroy calls a ‘brand of ethical imperialism’ in After Empire: Melancholia or Convivial Culture? (2004, p.69). He argues that attempts to form a coalition of willing national states to fight for the universal human rights associated with the spread of liberal democracy and capitalism smacks of neo-imperialism.
    [Show full text]
  • Report ISACS Audience Research
    Report into audiences for Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle in Ireland between June and September 2014 Kath Gorman Independent Consultant and Adviser Contents Pages 1. Background to the project 3 2. Purpose of the research 4 3. Research methodology 4 - 5 4. ISACS audience research 2014 5 5. Key findings 5 - 7 6. Interpretation of the findings 8 - 11 7. Recommendations 11 8. Appendices 12 - 14 2 1. Background to the project 1.1 Very little specific recent research has been carried out into audiences in the Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle sector in Ireland. The last published figures for attendances into people attending Circus, Street Arts or Spectacle can be found in the Arts Council Ireland’s 2006 survey The Public and the Arts. 1 The CASCAS report – Experiment Diversity with the Street Arts and Circus: An Overview of Circus and Street Arts in the UK and ROI provides an in-depth overview of the sector, with some reference to audiences for specific festivals (St Patrick’s Festival). 2 1.2 In April 2014 ISACS received a grant from Arts Council Ireland to support research into audiences for Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle in Ireland. Throughout 2015 – 2016 ISACS intend to enhance this research through gathering additional qualitative data on audiences. 1.3 The grant has enabled ISACS to work with Arts Audiences Ireland and the Arts Agency UK, who provided support and guidance. Debbie Wright in association with the University of Limerick, with input from Lucy Medlycott created a Street Arts Handbook, Audience Aware. 3 Audience Aware is a guide for collecting, understanding and using audience information.
    [Show full text]
  • Fourth Plinth: Contemporary Monument Contemporary 5 Dec 2012— 20 Jan 2013 Fourth Plinth: Contemporary Monument Contemporary
    5 Dec 2012— 20 Jan 2013 Fourth Plinth: Contemporary Monument 5 Dec 2012— 20 Jan 2013 Fourth Plinth: Contemporary Monument Foreword The Mayor of London's Fourth Plinth has always been a space for experimentation in contemporary art. It is therefore extremely fitting for this exciting exhibition to be opening at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London – an institution with a like-minded vision that continues to champion radical and pioneering art. This innovative and thought-provoking programme has generated worldwide appeal. It has provided both the impetus and a platform for some of London’s most iconic artworks and has brought out the art critic in everyone – even our taxi drivers. Bringing together all twenty-one proposals for the first time, and exhibiting them in close proximity to Trafalgar Square, this exhibition presents an opportunity to see behind the scenes, not only of the Fourth Plinth but, more broadly, of the processes behind commissioning contemporary art. It has been a truly fascinating experience to view all the maquettes side-by-side in one space, to reflect on thirteen years’ worth of work and ideas, and to think of all the changes that have occurred over this period: changes in artistic practice, the city’s government, the growing heat of public debate surrounding national identity and how we are represented through the objects chosen to adorn our public spaces. The triumph of the Fourth Plinth is that it ignites discussion among those who would not usually find themselves considering the finer points of contemporary art. We very much hope this exhibition will continue to stimulate debate and we encourage you to tell us what you think at: www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth Justine Simons Head of Culture for the Mayor of London Gregor Muir Executive Director, ICA 2 3 5 Dec 2012— 20 Jan 2013 Fourth Plinth: Contemporary Monument One Thing Leads To Another… Michaela Crimmin Trafalgar Square holds interesting tensions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Practice of Art and AI
    Gerfried Stocker, Markus Jandl, Andreas J. Hirsch The Practice of Art and AI ARS ELECTRONICA Art, Technology & Society Contents Gerfried Stocker, Markus Jandl, Andreas J. Hirsch 8 Promises and Challenges in the Practice of Art and AI Andreas J. Hirsch 10 Five Preliminary Notes on the Practice of AI and Art 12 1. AI–Where a Smoke Screen Veils an Opaque Field 19 2. A Wide and Deep Problem Horizon– Massive Powers behind AI in Stealthy Advance 25 3. A Practice Challenging and Promising– Art and Science Encounters Put to the Test by AI 29 4. An Emerging New Relationship–AI and the Artist 34 5. A Distant Mirror Coming Closer– AI and the Human Condition Veronika Liebl 40 Starting the European ARTificial Intelligence Lab 44 Scientific Partners 46 Experiential AI@Edinburgh Futures Institute 48 Leiden Observatory 50 Museo de la Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero Centro de Arte y Ciencia 52 SETI Institute 54 Ars Electronica Futurelab 56 Scientific Institutions 59 Cultural Partners 61 Ars Electronica 66 Activities 69 Projects 91 Artists 101 CPN–Center for the Promotion of Science 106 Activities 108 Projects 119 Artists 125 The Culture Yard 130 Activities Contents Contents 132 Projects 139 Artists 143 Zaragoza City of Knowledge Foundation 148 Activities 149 Projects 155 Artists 159 GLUON 164 Activities 165 Projects 168 Artists 171 Hexagone Scène Nationale Arts Science 175 Activities 177 Projects 182 Artists 185 Kersnikova Institute / Kapelica Gallery 190 Activities 192 Projects 200 Artists 203 LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial 208 Activities
    [Show full text]