Subscribe
Notify of

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

14 Comments
Oldest
Most recent
Inline Feedbacks
View Discussion
Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
20 March 2021 3:52pm

“Jeremy Deller- Battle of Ogreave, 2001- ” In: LIVING AS FORM: Socially Engaged Art from 1991-2011″, Creative Time Books/ MIT Press, New York/ Cambridge / London, 2012

... of Orgreave 2001 in Living as Form.pdf
Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
20 March 2021 3:54pm

“Cornerstone Theater Company: Los Illegals and Teatro Jornaleros sin frontiers (Day Laborers Theater Without Borders), 2007 ” In: LIVING AS FORM: Socially Engaged Art from 1991-2011″, Creative Time Books/ MIT Press, New York/ Cambridge / London, 2012

...rstone TC los illegals DayLaborers.pdf
Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
20 March 2021 3:58pm

Fort Greene – Brooklyn – Farmer’s Market – handmade socially-distanced device for payments and delivering the bread

Farmer's Market - paying - bread delivery device.JPG
Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
20 March 2021 4:30pm

Hi everyone,

Really great to hear about your projects and ideas. Really missed Tash in the conversation too.

We will still have an opportunity for all to meet in the video setting, and share our experiences. Before then, I look forward to meeting with Tash when she can.

We will also share some thoughts here before your project realization session.
Keep thinking about the elements of your Research, Concept, and your strategies of engagement of others.

OPTIONAL READINGS attached:

“Yves Klein: Truth Becomes reality// 1961”.

“Fred Tomaselli: Interview with Siri Hustvedt// 2007”

The 2 texts are
In: The Sublime, edited by Simon Morley; Documents of Contemporary Art, Whitechapel gallery/ MIT Press, Cambridge/ London, 2010.

Tomaselli interview Siri Hustvedt.pdf
Yves Klein Truth becomes reality.pdf
Last edited 3 years ago by Natalia de Campos
Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
20 March 2021 4:51pm

Last but not least, remember there are many possibilities for documentation -and it does not have to go to any social media, unless you want it to too (to continue a conversation?)– but minimally, think about this before you do the project:

>>> if you were presenting this interaction/ engagement to propose it elsewhere in a future date – to show an external collaborator — to simply put it on your archive — to talk about it to friends or family —- to talk to students at a future date —-even if you are not thinking about ever needing to use or show or archive now — what would/ could the documentation look like?<<

>can you delegate a part of that to strangers? could they write you, write on something, leave a card? You may want to have a memory of it, even if only to present it to your class collaborators. Do you keep a diary? <

I highly suggest you have alternative ways of documenting, meaning: if you delegate to strangers, have other ways to document too – so you are not dependent solely on their part if they don’t send it to you, and so on.

Later you will have a week just to organize the materials, not to worry about that now.

But it is important to collect something to show us in your process of realizing it, so we have an insight into your process.

Besides what we have seen like Hélio Oiticica Diary Entries, and his correspondence with Lygia Clark, the interview of Paulo Freire, the entire website (laughs!) of Thomas Hirschhorn , more examples of pieces of documentation are :

materials collected onsite/s
sounds/ images/ objects/ business cards/ merchandise
tools that you used
interviews
writings (yours or others’)
conversations recordings
video narratives (during or after the facts)
and so on-

1> Photo of Indigenous person in their land in the Amazon after a devastating fire to a whole region
2> Photo of the Defend Democracy in Brazil Committee participation (which I organized) in the climate march in September 2020 in New York City

WhatsApp+Image+2019-08-30+at+10.33.37+PM.jpeg
120012986_770659190432874_1504310817214347901_n.jpg
j o h n r o s
Prof
j o h n r o s
24 March 2021 11:09am
Reply to  Natalia de Campos

during our class session i talked about a reluctance to document for social media because of the draw to make everything hyper-produced on these platforms… to live perfect lives. i am interested in more authentic interactions. in addition, there is too much noise in the world, especially online, contributed in part by the corporately owned social media platforms. i am also more personally wanting to find more quiet space. more minimal space. finally, one aspect i forgot to mention is in the way of institutional critique. the need to always justify… to always produce… i am interested in what success of project might look like without the document. what might modern day lore look like? what might modern day oral tradition look like? so in addition to wanting less stuff… and electronic stockpiles of information because a heavy weight… how can i become more light spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, all in the studio space?

these are important questions i am asking myself… but all of this said i will be documenting these next steps for the sake of this course and my continued development in the performative and socially engaged space.

Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
24 March 2021 1:06pm
Reply to  j o h n r o s

This all sounds fine to me John — I don’t want you to feel obliged to document, but in the new comment below it looks like you already are finding very nice ways to have some sort of history, with residual information (like a storyboard and some media) to be able to tell us the story, and how it went or it is going.

I’d prefer that instead of having an obligation that you feel it is for the class only, that you go through a journey of having some residual documentation for yourself. And show us that. It does not have to be picture-perfect. You can fill in the details orally, too. But the filling in/ organizing of details is a later phase of the project. First is having an idea of some documentation, and do it. Be very present, as you mentioned.

Projects in Oral history come to mind as a way to help you with the lived experience, both in regards to the open ended questions that I mentioned you can ask in conversations in open spaces, if you decide to keep that part of the project (and the natural set up it requires)- and also to think that even Oral History uses some tools to document the lived experience of others (but it can also be applied to oneself – your own experience with the project, for instance).

Some resources –
This one, but not so much in the way of method (recording or archiving) – but more on ideas around Memories- for conversations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk3gb9xCTFo
An account on the 1918 flu pandemic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTJX4I4eMnw
Open questions are how, why, what, who, when
Yes or No questions are did/do/ would/ could…

I believe it would be helpful to you, both to reflect and to archive, (and for the class, to show us). Better to have and perhaps later throw it away (if you feel inclined), than not have and perhaps regret it?

j o h n r o s
Prof
j o h n r o s
26 March 2021 8:48am
Reply to  Natalia de Campos

i am very interested in oral tradition and will continue to pursue research… but for now, i will likely be documenting with a combination sketches, rough images, videos, audio, etc.

j o h n r o s
Prof
j o h n r o s
24 March 2021 11:09am

i have decided to start the first phase of this project as a performative interaction with specific people. the goal is to learn more about interacting with others in a more traditional art-space while playing with ideas of performance within the scope of rituals and routines. i will ask members to provide descriptions of their rituals/routines and they will be enacted. members may provide these details as text, image, audio, video, etc. i will attempt to channel each individual through my own meditative process and enact selected rituals as them. these enactments may be audio or video recorded. a compilation will accumulate. i will aim to not only build confidence in public performance, but also gain a better sense of my performative body in the hopes of taking this project outdoors and into public spaces — parks, street, etc. 
 
i will directly use materials provided by catherine to start this process. i may end up story-boarding, or layout our scenes, but i may also attempt more spontaneous and improvisational techniques. this phase must be about learning steps of the performative and socially engaging while building off of my own confidence in the studio. 
 
i plan on doing a combination of photographic, video and audio documentation for this initial series of enactments. i may also decide to write a small series of poems as document. to implement, i plan on setting up a meditative space, outlining ritualistic moves from the participant (in this case catherine), then enact the movements. at this time i imagine that all objects will be imagined/mimed… i want the movement/choreography to really portray the  ritual/routine. i will not rely on outside objects/materials. 
at this time i am not sure if the event/s will be live streamed… but i will provide all documented materials. i am planning on implementing this project sometime between monday (29 mar) and tuesday (29 mar) morning… 8a-12p. 

Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
24 March 2021 1:13pm
Reply to  j o h n r o s

Great!
After you do it as a ritual indoors:
If you decide to try on a public space, could I come and watch?

If you decide to add conversation, see my notes above in the other section.

I am very interested in what you find out about the routine, yourself, what it does to you reenacting it, and how you interact with space (both indoors/ privately, and potentially outdoors, if you get to this stage ) – besides anything you would like to share

Remember that if outdoors feels very intimidating, you can choose a more “closed corner” – not a wide open space. It may be a good idea to bring someone with you to observe/ document/ or just watch for safety. I can be that person if you need someone to join.
(not available on Monday morning , but I am available after 9am on Tuesday March 30)

j o h n r o s
Prof
j o h n r o s
26 March 2021 8:51am
Reply to  Natalia de Campos

i think for now, considering timing and schedule constraints, i will be doing these first iterations indoors and asynchronously. i need time to mull over the possibilities here and truly understand any aims/goals of being a more public performance. less for feelings of intimidation and more for uncovering next steps/layers at what might be… what could be… what SHOULD be…

i am also very interested in what routines of others teaches me about my own routines and spaces. this is in part why i want to enact these in a more controlled environment. less for the control, but more for being able to pinpoint output/outcome and learn from these for next steps.

Catherine Harrington
Artist
Catherine Harrington
24 March 2021 4:33pm

The project is based at London Fields observing the ongoing activities of the trees, the memorial, the new CCTV cameras. Re: the research into Trees, I have been collecting the bark that falls from the plane trees in London Fields (bark absorbs air pollution and then falls off). At the park’s memorial of Sarah Everard – I have been taking photographs, new flowers are being added. I continue with the interviews (I interviewed an older, British woman about her habits – does she feel safe? how does she behave to be safe?). Every time I go to the park, I watch the CCTV camera’s head with “eyes” swivel 90degrees every 7 seconds. I am not sure how best to compile the material I am collecting. A film of stills with a voiceover is one thought. I see the documentation as being for myself at this stage, not to “post” anywhere.
I am considering moving at least one of the performances based on CCTV to this location – it could take place in the forecourt of the Swimming Pool facing the memorial and respond the moving head of the CCTV camera.

Catherine Harrington
Artist
Catherine Harrington
24 March 2021 4:53pm
Reply to  Catherine Harrington

Just saw the short film on oral history – a good reminder of the purpose of hearing about people’s lived experience.

Natalia de Campos
Prof
Natalia de Campos
25 March 2021 10:46am
Reply to  Catherine Harrington

Hi Catherine,
it was great to do the one-on-one consultation to discuss the memorial ideas. I start to see your path, and even if your realization now is only a small portion of it, because of the setting, and at the same time what is required for plants to grow too – it is perfect that it is in early Spring.

If you decide to go with the flower planting for Sarah Everard now: by the time the Festival starts, it may have become even bigger or more rooted. A perfect connection with the Trees Talk project, perhaps? An even more “rooted” (figuratively and literally) base for the next project?

One aspect that I forgot to mention —

  • what do you know of Sarah Everard and of her community?
  • is it important to find out? (may or may not be – on you)
  • is the timeline of events important? Dates seemed to be crucial, as things progressed so quickly — I was seeing that from her disapeareance on March 3 to the protest repressed by the police March 13
  • the connection between different Memorial sites?

Her assassination is so sad — and its memorial is a beautiful expression of people’s solidarity. It comes to mind that it is also so important in what it reveals to all of us at this moment of pandemic and climate disaster – the need for reconnection between people, and the earth.

Look forward to knowing when you schedule your first iteration (although I think it already started, it would be good to have a scheduled moment – for you and your collaborators, including us, to know about it)