UNDER THE SHADOW OF PARTICIPATION
PAIC PROJECT
24.11.2017 – 20.01.2018
Biel Barnils - Jordi Lafon - Juan Carlos Moreno | TELA PER FER, 2017
Domènec | MON UNITÉ MOBILE, 2008
BridA/Tom Kerševan, Sendi Mango, Jurij Pavlica | PROJECT DIY, 2005
Line Sandvad Mengers | ANSWER, 2016
Sonja Vuk | ZORRO PROJECT, 2006
IDENTITATS -VISIBILITAT. Results of the workshop by Jordi Lafon, Line Sandvad Mengers and Sonja Vuk and with the collaboration of Lucía Royo, and with the participation of ADFO (Associació de disminuïts Físics d’Osona), Aurora Gestió de Projectes Socials, Casal Mossèn Josep Guiteras, Centre Obert de Vic and Creu Roja.
Opening, Friday 24th November at 7 pm
[view the leaflet]
UNDER THE SHADOW OF PARTICIPATION
For some time now, a series of practices have been introduced into the field of art which incorporate methodologies and mechanisms of participation. These kinds of practices may be found halfway between the activation and motivation of new audiences, the development of collaborative dynamics, artistic experimentation in the construction of new social spaces, the democratisation of cultural practices, the search for new spheres to help in assembling projects, the dismantling of the artistic discipline, the necessity and the desire to work with people, the will to make an educational and socialising tool of the arts, the incorporation of playful and socially engaging elements, a socially committed art, the search for a justified utility, or other forms of citizen stimulus which, specific to each project, are defined and deployed, increasing the multiple definitions of art based upon participation. It is at this point that we wish to call to "the shadow of participation," as a shadow that at times protects us, welcomes us, protects us, cares for us or projects us ; but which at other times does not let us see the light, bureaucratises us, entangles us, limits us, conditions us, drag out us or enclose us. To overcome this tension, in which the dividing line is very faint, methodologies, forms, attitudes and the sincerity with which the tasks are deployed become very important. The works presented in the exhibition constitute different ways, and possible lines of work in which artistic practice and participation come together, crossing different shadows that stand between them.
Sota l'ombra de a participació is an exhibition connected to the PAIC Participatory Art for Invisible Communities project. Participating artists have taken part in certain processes, although part of the works presented have been realised previously in other contexts.
PAIC is a crossdisciplinary European project founded upon methodologies combining artistic practices with the collective participation of those who live in each location in which the project operates. Its mission is to promote the awareness-raising of cultural identities in isolated contexts, and contexts which have been rendered invisible.
PAIC combines research and the activation of processes with short and medium-term actions, with the participation of local agents (various individuals or bodies), artists (who form part of the local context, as well as those invited from outside), the directive partnership (from the four involved countries) and collaborating institutions (local).
PAIC’s directors are Irena Sertic of Omnimedia (Croatia), Kristina Elisabeth Steinbock of Søro Kunstmuseum (Denmark), Peter Purg of University of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Ramon Parramon of ACVic Centre d’Arts Contemporànies, and it is co-financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
Biel Barnils - Jordi Lafon - Juan Carlos Moreno
TELA PER FER, 2017
This project by Biel Barnils, Jordi Lafon and Juan Carlos Moreno consists of inviting different people to make use of “estelades” (Catalan independence flags with a blue traingle and a star). Worn by the wind and rain after waving on the balconies of private houses, the Assemblea Nacional Catalana de Vic (Catalan National Assembly of Vic) picked them up to exchange them for new ones. Biel Barnils, Jordi Lafon and Juan Carlos Moreno took an interest in them, and started the project by distributing them to different people, in order to return them transformed into another object, another symbol or also as an artistic work. The idea is to generate a participatory and open narrative, one which contributes to, and diversifies the perspective upon, a symbolically charged item, a political icon which has gained intensity and presence in recent years.
Piece by Toni Garcia | Piece by Sió Pardo
Domènec
MON UNITÉ MOBILE, 2008
A project by Domènec realised at the pediatrics wing of the Hospital de Perpinyà, as part of the public programme "Art a l'Hopital (Art in the Hospital)", with the collaboration of Michaël Barnabé, Séverine Perón, Nicolas Daubanes and Elric Dufau, teacher and students at the Haute École d'Art in Perpignan. It is made up of three mobile devices that contain a library and a puppet theatre. Each one of them is in one of the hospital's dependencies, the pediatrics wing, the nursery for the children of the staff working there, and the residence for parents of hospitalised children. The devices are designed to interact with children, families and service personnel. As an inaugural act, a series of workshops was prepared along with the medical team, and was realised in-house with the pediatrics hospitalisation service and the nursery.
Mon Unité Mobile, Perpinyà 2008
BridA/Tom Kerševan, Sendi Mango, Jurij Pavlica
PROJECT DIY, 2005
The project of the group BridA, formed by Tom Kerševan, Sendi Mango, Jurij Pavlica is a performance open to the public, where people may directly experience the process of creating a painting, through a random process. Participants painted on a canvas of about 6x6 metres on the floor, following instructions dictated by orders issued by a programmed computer application. The software uses an algorithm to transform the composition of the painting in real time, using different previously recorded audio clips, randomly issued. The final result of the session is a great painting of coloured pixels. The performance may take place in different sessions, and each session gives rise to a unique and different pictorial work. In this case, it was realised in collaboration with Casal Mossèn Josep Guiteras and the Centre Obert of Vic.
Project DIY, Maine USA | Project DIY, Tate Gallery St Ives
Line Sandvad Mengers
THE ANSWER, 2016
The work of Line Sandvad Mengers makes reference to the concept of truth and the construction of the awareness of reality. How individuals, organisations and states are represented through the media, and how readers, viewers or individuals interpret or articulate their self-knowledge in relation to the facts that they communicate. A piece that speaks of participation through the interpretation, awareness and activation of people, from information or representation of reality, in a context clearly marked by post-truth or the media as an instrument of collective awareness. Newspapers from nine different countries are presented: Greenland, Great Britain, Israel, Korea, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine and the United States, selected for having recently experienced events of social conflict. On each newspaper page, a letter has been cut, which together form the word (or the absence of): The answer.
The project is supported by Aarhus Municipality, Aarhus Center for Visual Art and Godsbanen. The following participated in collecting newspapers: the Honorary Consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Hans Erik Steffensen, Nuka Alice Lund, Katuaq, Grete Aagaard, Natalia Barberia Santamaria, Tabakalera, Kirstine Skov Hansen, Vibeke Skov, Banu Cennetoglu, Kgomotso le Roux, VANSA - Visual Arts Network of South Africa, Chen Tamir, CCA. The project forms part of the Danish Arts Foundation collection.
The Answer
Sonja Vuk
ZORRO PROJECT, 2006
A project by Sonja Vuk which was carried out with a group of elderly in Zagreb’s VN Gallery / Library. All the participants were regular visitors to the library. The title refers to the famous romantic character, since the actions that were carried out were utopian, but also generous. The overall objective was to tackle the issue of the social status and marginalisation of older people in Croatia, and to bring word of their living conditions to the public political stage. The specific objective of the project was to increase mutual communication and self-esteem. During 6 days, the activities focused on the most immediate needs; health, the organisation of social life, the participation in political life and the economic status of this collective. The daily report upon the project, and the warnings about the social situation of the people, were made public by email, press, and were also delivered to various workers and social and cultural institutions, with the intention of encouraging those who have some real power to act. A valuable indicator of the success of the project was the support and gratitude of the project’s constituent group, and the concrete solutions after the city council gave its support. What is presented is an experimental documentary about the activities which were carried out.
Sonja Vuk & Jasenko Rasol