New Expressions
Hacking Captialism: Socially Engaged Art through Alternative Art Economies and Entrepreneurship
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kingsley Ng
Situated within the wider arena of public art, socially engaged art is defined as art-in-the-public-interest, as it foregrounds social issues, political activism and community collaborations. (Kwon 2002) Recognised globally as a major artistic practice, it nonetheless operates beyond the gallery–museum nexus. Because of this nature, and with its ambition to drive social impacts, the practice has a praxiologically problematic relationship with the art market system, which predominately favours household decorations. However, because of its site-orientedness, there is great potential of symbiosis between artistic work and the economic paradigm. Instead of critiquing the Capital system with straightforward antagonism, artists working along these lines adopt penetrative approaches to create possibilities within the system. The practice-based research aims to focus on this strand of socially engaged art, which situates itself in a symbiotic relationship with the market through creating alternative art economies.
Participatory Art Practice: What Does It Mean to Participate?
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andrew Lee Mount
Participation in art practice is not new but has gained the patina of novelty. There are some problems involved with this misapprehension related to the authenticity of a 'form' of art practice that runs parallel to municipal social programs, effectively revising the role, efficacy and ideological praxis of artists. In this paper, I examine a range of claims made for participation in art to assess their impact on art practice and it's ability to develop as a form. The paper also deals with the generation of a particular understanding of art, taking into account both those artists & works that laid the foundation for social intervention (in particular, Fluxus and Beuys) and counterarguments that have seen a return to the institution as preferable to the messy reality of interfacing with the public.
Embracing Climate Change through Art: The Algae Society Bio Art Design Lab
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session José Carlos Espinel Velasco, Jennifer Parker, Nadjejda Espinel-Velasco
Since 2018 The Algae Society has been working on several hybrid projects with the aim of warning and informing society of the importance of maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. This drive to support marine life also benefits humanity. As a co-dependent species of the oceans, we are feeling the effects of climate change. Effects that scientists have been warning us about for decades. Now the evidence and our first-hand experience of extreme weather patterns with unprecedented climate disasters have tipped the scales of our awareness. Species loss is occurring at an alarming rate. Human extinction is now fully on the table as a real possibility. As a working group of artists, scientists and scholars, we aim to communicate, collaborate, conceive, cooperate, and experiment with algae as a united society bound together in an interdependent system of organisms adapting to global warming. Our collaboration is a creative approach that seeks to benefit, support and educate the public of our symbiotic relationship. Projects to date have focused primarily on youth culture, to build empathy, love, curiosity, and passion as a cohabitating species of the planet. We have developed videogames, with different approaches to talk about the impact of ocean acidification and the importance of algae in our ecosystems, interactive installations, short animation films, and video installations - each project aimed at awakening our sense of responsibility and need to take action against the biggest challenge humanity has had to face in the 21st century.
