The Real World

I think that this text, although important, has been superceded by what has happened after, or perhaps even during, the publication of Relational Aesthetics by Bourriaud. The reading seems to specifically examine the concerns of the consumption and production of art in a gallery, and I think that we have moved past those concerns. Art is no longer limited to a gallery to be justified as a piece of art. The most important idea for me that I take away from this reading is the idea of the production of an artwork in terms of collaboration, collectivism and participation, which forces us as producers and consumers of art, to examine the various aspects of cultural production that is happening not just in the gallery, but in the greater world. Art has gone beyond the limitations of the 'white cube' to exist out in the 'real' world.


An example of this changing nature of art can be seen in the recent Tiny Stadiums festival that was held in Erskineville earlier this year. Most artworks that were exhibited during the festival involved some form of audience participation. Sexy New Urban Design Team by artist collective Applespiel was a work that invited suggestions from the local inhabitants of Erskineville to have their say on what they would physically change or add to the local area. The suggestions were then made in to a model of the small sydney suburb, crafted from sticky tape, pipe cleaners and cardboard, to create the "ultimate Erskineville. Sexy new Erskineville" (http://quarterbred.blogspot.com/). At the completion of the model of Erskineville's construction a debate was staged to argue the pros and cons of the changes proposed in Applespiels new grand design.

Another work, Nature League by Tiger Two Times saw people welcomed into a tall box. Attached to this ran an insulation tube from a second box, which housed the four artists that make up the collective Tiger Two Times. The participant would choose a box from the five that sat on a bench in before them, and then follow the instructions listed inside. The artists would stike up a song after the participant chose their box, each box having its own soundtrack when opened. This intervention saw me singing "life after love." This work is activated only by audience particpation. I highly recommend having a look at what went on at this festival. If only Sydney's Biennale was anything like this.

What these forms of collectivism achieves is the freedom for art to exist without the barriers of a gallery system. These forms of production ultimately lead to an exchange of sorts, where the audience member is enrichened through knowledge or the experience of the work, and the artist works together with their audience to create the work that is experienced. Just like the works listed by Bourriaud, such as Rirkrits which invites visitors in the gallery space to eat noodles, these works at Tiny Stadiums were created through some form of connection between both artist and participant. But I can't help but feel that this interaction that happens within the gallery is somewhat false. The artist is dealing with the context of the gallery, and uses the audience as a way of rallying against the conventions of how a gallery operates and what the actual artwork is. The works of Tiny Stadiums didn't deal with this system, and had only the interaction of the audience to work with. Tiny Stadiums gave me a feeling of enrichment and something to cherish. It was tangible. And most of all, 'real'.