Table Discussion Notes: Interactions, Leeds. 8th October 2014
How does socially engaged practice affect / enact change in the working technique of the artist? (collated discussion and thinking from all the participants in dialogue with and written up by Gillian Dyson)
It challenges assumptions
‘Disturbance’ can make it challenging for people to react to – the rules have changed
Learning to ‘go with’ action/ reaction of audience/ participants
Enquiring into what a process is – process becomes a priority – ethics of process in therapeutic context
Social responsibility for effect / affect
> voice / power > activist?
VOCABULARY?
Whose language? Does artist’s language adapt/ become sensitive to participants’ and vice versa?
Assumptions
Invitations
Emotional
Unexpected
Inspiring
Privileged
INVITATION
The intention of the ‘unintentional’
Safe space
OR
Challenging or disturbing

Dialogical practice
Finding things out and giving out – trading
> Generosity
> But you create a safe place and / or a repository for …
People can deal with difficult concepts
> Learning about yourself …
> The experience constantly feeds back
… How you choose to learn from the first situation
> Surprising
Inspiring
Sense of privilege – to facilitate others
… It’s exhausting
> Duty of care
> Lots of effort
People can give themselves freely
> Can reveal a lot – deep impact on individual / group
‘Craft’ > value the process, social interaction not ‘technique’
> But – not diluting the ‘art’ skill
< Dialogue with ‘non expert’ participants
Responsibility – they enjoy / and or take away
> Where does the ‘need’ come from?
> Love people or ordinary human curiosity …
..What is your heart’s desire?
Going with it …
Staying open
> Dialogue can be with yourself, – or the objects / work …
> But – dialogue with others would inform my solo practice
We can also be immersed in our own self practice – NOT be socially engaged.
Affects policy makers?
“ACE – “great art for everyone”
A democratisation in public spending
(Jeremy Deller, Grayson Perry, Bon & Roberts Smith.. et al)
Rosemary Lee working with inter-generational participants
Allows / insists that you consider other generations in your process or making …
Art therapy – therapeutic process
> Facilitation
> Revealing
> Expression – forms of voicing- as lightening rod…
SPACE OF ART
> Responsibility – ethic / weight of engagement
Narrative/ other voices …
‘ Where does it go?’

Image credit: Sarah Spanton