BRG / ONE DAY COLLECTIVE

Sunday 22nd March was a chilly day in Cardiff. It was also the day the BRG collective turned up at a coffee shop on Cathedral Road in the hope that some willing members of the public might brave the bitter cold to take part in ONE DAY COLLECTIVE (ODC). Luckily they did!

A brief introduction was made and goody bags were handed out. Each bag contained various items that might come in useful throughout the day. An apple, a limited edition ODC hig-vis vest, water, electrical tape, bulldog clips and a length of plastic tube to name a few. It should be noted that at no point were the participants told what would be happening throughout the day.

The first port of call was Bute Park, where team building exercises were carried out and the newly formed ODC faced their first test as a collaborative unit. They did particularly well in the group juggling task.

 

 

 

BRG then led the new collective to Queen Street where they were invited to explore their group identity through public participation. They proceeded to fill a 27 exposure disposable camera with group shots of themselves, all taken by members of the public. It became apparent to ODC very early on that their sky blue vests might be a hindrance. BRG lost them all together for about 30 minutes, and were relieved to see them appear in the distance with a full camera and smiles on their faces.

After a brief stop at the Hayes for a cuppa and some lunch, it was time to head to Callaghan square. Here ODC were surprised with 99 tennis balls, some buckets, rope and a large pink yoga ball. After a brief introduction to the notion of play, they were let loose for around 45 minutes. At this point, unfortunately, a member of ODC had to take their leave due to the cold.

 

 

A brisk walk to Atlantic Wharf got both groups warmed up enough for the next task. A form of Chinese whispers that involved shouting out ideas for a collective motto.

A quick coffee break to warm our cockles at the Wharf was shortly followed by a dash to Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff bay for a game dubbed 'be a word' where ODC took on BRG in a final showdown.

With everyone declared a winner they hopped on the Princess Catherine which took them on the 25 minute trip up the Taff back to where it all began that morning. ‘Y Mochyn Du’ was the final resting place of the ONE DAY COLLECTIVE where the day was rounded off with a pint and an in-depth evaluation of the day’s events. Some of the topics covered included the difference between public audiences in different areas of the city, the public art that was seen throughout the day, the importance of play in everyday life, and how the group functioned as a collective as the day progressed.

The ONE DAY COLLECTIVE were:
Rosie Benn-Squire
Georgia Hall
Sara Hexter
Leo Garcia
Jess Matthews
Elen Roberts

BRG would like to thank all involved, including Jacob Whittaker who documented the event. A film will be put together and presented at the forthcoming seminar 'I'm not sitting at the front' on 6th April.

Staged Performance: Audience Participation or Observation?

Emily Granozio examines performance, participation and audience in this theoretical text.

http://www.academia.edu/1485712/Staged_Performance_Audience_Participation_or_Observation


And here is a link to Ontroerend Goed, a Belgian theatre performance group based in Gent who's work puts some of Granozio's theories into context.

http://www.ontroerendgoed.be/projects.php

Good Intentions Frieze article, by Negar Azimi

Very interesting and relevant reading when considering the value and effect of participatory and political art...

http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/good-intentions/

I'm Not Sitting at the Front, Saturday 6th April

Please join us on Saturday 6th April for an event that discuss some of the topics and issues raised through the Intercourse project. More detailed information about the event will be posted shortly.

More from Freya Dooley

Improv Everywhere - New York City based prank collective

Since 2001 Improv Everywhere have been causing public scenes of chaos and joy. Check out their website here http://improveverywhere.com/missions/

Claire Prosser, artist and volunteer for the Intercourse project, has written the following in response to their work.

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Wish you were here?

 
Improveverywhere are a 'prank' collective that make scenes that they label as 'Missions.' These scenes are flash mob-esque but are not far from Art Happenings and participation events. The sheer size of some of their creations is incredible. You can tell by the website the extent of people they reach, with sign up sheets for participants (Undercover Agents), tour dates and live shows. They also offer merchandise and offer business events which provides a  large fraction of their funding. Part of me begins to question and think negatively about the hype they give themselves, the other part of me gets goosebumps watching and thinking about creating something like they have.

Can the integrity of their projects be maintained when so many people start to join the band wagon even if they weren't the original participants? Does the involvement of more people mean more power? Does more people mean less power?

How much control do they have over the participants? Is there any? Where do artists/creators step back and let the people nurture the event? Is that their aim from the very beginning? To set the idea then let it free?

Looking at No Pants Subway Ride, are these events any different to Children in Need day/ Comic Relief days when members of the public do something extraordinary for charitable causes? In Improveverywhere's case it becomes part of daily routine, without the fund raising. It interests me how humans have a safety mechanism, if they see that more people are taking part, they feel it is then okay for them to participate. The humiliation factor and individual confidence levels are certainly challenged in the Missions set up by this collective and in any participatory art event. Is it okay for me to take part? Will I look stupid? How do I behave? Where do I stand? What are they doing? What am I doing?

I am in awe of how widespread and accepted the creators of Improveverywhere have become, how fun, carefree scenes are becoming more and more accepted and encouraged. The effect the missions have on 'non-participants' is also astounding. They too begin to perform in response to the energies created from the scene. How far does the energy go? Where does the art form end? Where does participation begin and end?

 

“All the world's a stage

And all the men and women merely players

They have their exits and their entrances”

William Shakespeare

 

In Improveverywhere, Who is performing? Who is not performing? Are people performing even if they weren't on the agent list?

At some point, everyone in the vicinity of the scene will all have performed. They will all have been a participant. Will everyone be the artist?

 

Ania Bas project documentation

Rosie Benn-Squire produced these beautiful illustrations to document Ania Bas' Co-writing group and reading group last week. You can contact her at rosiebennsquire@ymail.com

How can you document an experience?

Through speaking to artists who make participatory work, one of the main challenges/concerns/problems that comes up everytime is how best, and if, to document. How can you document an experience? From who's perspective would you document? Will it impact on the work? Will it create a false representation? Who is the documentation for?

As part of the Intercourse project, artist Freya Dooley has been commissioned to explore this idea through her practice. She is currently making a body of work that investigates how documentation commemorates, impacts, changes or creates experience, with particular interest in first and second hand information.

Various 'snippets' of her thinking and investigations will be posted here as and when they emerge, and there will be a chance to see some of the works at the Intercourse seminar at the culmination of this phase of the project.

For now Freya leaves us with a quote that relates to a series of paintings she is working on:

“To suffer is one thing; another thing is living with the photographed images of suffering, which does not necessarily strengthen conscience and the ability to be compassionate. It can also corrupt them. Once one has seen such images; one has started down the road of seeing more- and more. Images transfix. Images anesthetize. An event known through photographs certainly becomes more real than it would have been if one had never seen the photographs- think of the Vietnam War. (For a counter example, think of the Gulag Archipelago, of which we have no photographs.) But after repeated exposure to images it also becomes less real.”

 

Susan Sontag (from On Photography)

Decontrolism Exhibition, at Arcade Cardiff

Details surrounding the Decontrolism movement are vague at best; all that is known is that they are operating out of an oppressed region of the world, where the creation and distribution of unsanctioned art is strictly prohibited, and those who do not comply face substantial penalties.

The movement issue a set of instructions to the curators of exhibitions, through an intermediary who is in better contact with the outside world, as to what is to be displayed. All parties, of course, remain anonymous in order to protect themselves from any punitive measures they may face as a result of their actions.

The pieces displayed within the exhibition will revolve around the suggestion that control is taken away from these artists; as such, the creation of the work is taken entirely out of their hands. The exhibit will centre around a game of chess, which visitors will be able to participate in; but only for a single move. Control is held by the player only momentarily, and is removed as soon as the move is made. The progression and outcome of this game is all that is relayed back to the Decontrolists, to show that their wishes have been carried out and that the outside world is aware of their existence.

26 - 29 March 2013
Unit 17 Queens Arcade St David's Shopping Centre Cardiff CF10 2BY
Daily:10.00-18.00; Opening & Closing Events:18.00-20.00

www.arcadecardiff.co.uk/

Last change to take part in Ania's Co-writing club

Email us on info@elbowroom.org.uk if you'd like to attend.

A little hint to what Freya Dooley is working on...

Ania Bas Co-writing club this Saturday

If you would like to  take part in Ania Bas' Co-writing club this saturday please email info@elbowroom.org.uk. This week's session will take place in the Chapter bar cwtch area starting at 11am. See the beautiful flyer below designed by Lucy Parker.

 

 

And here's a little something produced last time....

 

 

 

 

ONEDAY Collective

The ethics of involving others in your art practice

Here are some links to relevant artworks and artists that may inform discussions emerging from Ania Bas' reading group, and reactions to Tiff Oben's public experiments.

Navigating the ethics of involving others in your practice - Does it only come down to getting the permission and consent of the participant or can worthwhile and important work be made while potentially 'exploiting' others, or highlighting already existing exploitation by doing the same yourself to knowing but powerless participants? 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/23/sophie-calle

http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/performance-santiago-sierra

http://www.willempopelier.nl/essayjensen.html
http://depesha.com/arts-culture/arts/boris-mikhailov-case-history

Ania Bas Co-writing club

Ania Bas' Co-Writing Club will take place another two times in March - next Saturday 9th (in Chapter bar) and the following Saturday 16th (upstairs in St David's Hall), both at 11am.

Using a number of devised exercises during the sessions, Bas is seeking to explore and question notions of authorship and automony in creative projects that seek or need others to engage in the creative process. Is it possible to remove authorship altogether, and if so where does the artists role fit within this structure?

If you would like to take part please email info@elbowroom.org.uk