Relational Aesthetics

I really appreciated the reading by Nicolas Bourriaud on Relational Aesthetics.

The reading made me think a lot about the kinds of unacknowledged social interactions which occur around art generally and influence the work, everything from; the discussions whilst in researching/ making/ developing with other artists/ mentors/ friends and lovers about the work, discussions with people whom you contract to do specialist work for art work, discussions with models/ actors you use to see the work come to fruition etc.. and the way in which these interactions aren’t usually considered. And what about the relationships that evolve through creating art which were never seen to be about the art work? It was an interesting thought for me to think about the community surrounding art before ‘art’ is even ‘made’/ the relationships that are ‘made’ as a result of the art. Isn’t this work and these relationships just as important? yet we often value the object or the outcome.

Whilst reading this piece I was considering the work by Christian Janowski for this years Biennale at the MCA ‘Live from the Inside’. I really liked this work and have thought about it a bit. This work is very evidently a comedic send up of the media spectacle that is the Biennale. However in relation to this reading it made me consider the works exploration of some of those fringe relationships which assist work to evolve, the relationships and unacknowledged work which occurs outside of the gallery walls and the importance of these not just for making work but for the sense of community they create.