final thought

I really enjoyed Social Relaions and Critical Spaces this semester. I think it was very valuable doing it 2nd year so that I can go into 3rd year next year with now trains of thought and knowledge of artists and artistic ways of thinking that I have never come accross before. It was really beneficial learning about Laibach, Bourriard, Miwon Kwon and it was really great reading Raunig Art and Revolution. I personally don't go to performance shows so studying art this semester with a strong performance/interective side was quite enlightening.

I do think Bourriard's arty parties are a little ridiculous... everyone getting together going for a walk to a pub and calling it art? no thank you. I'm a firm believer 'art' needs to involve some sort of trained or practiced skill. I disagree with quite a few ideas of 'art' we discussed in our classes.. arty parties... calling a garden art. I do think it is a great way to get people together to talk. I just don't consider this art!!

I can sympathise with other opinions of this that differ from my own.. but i don't think my opinion will change any time soon. This was definately a class more about 'people relating to people, and just calling it art' than art itself.

Theatre and Canvas

Art and Revolution is an investigation into the interlay bewtween of practices where art and revolution over lap for a limited time and how this effects the emerging practices.

It discusses how "when they approach their fails, traces of the overlap can still be recognised".

I think it is really interesting looking at creating and establishing links and connections between disconnected terrain (the machines) in order to inspire new trains of thought based on temporary overlapping. I belive this limited exchange will have concrete effects overtime. The effects might not necessrily be seen immediately but will definately show sometime in the future be it through art, relolution, politics of war, as all affect eachother and i believe will for hundreds of years to come.

HELLO BETTY!!

A great place to start for grasping a better understanding of 'Tending' was definately reading through http://www.tending.net.au/
After just thinking of it as a 'home grown garden art project' i realised more how it actually encompasses relational aesthetics. Bringing people together to talk and interact steming from an expereince with the garden is actually an interesting and wonderful idea. There is also the question of people being able to indulge in the produce from the garden or even add to the garden itself. Not being in a traditional gallery context, there is no set precident on interaction with the work.

I loved Betty's involvement with the project aswell.. It's great knowing how it can effect people who I normally wouldn't have considered to be commonly involved in traditional 'artistic projects' almost... taking them from their usual domain or context and bring them into a new one. I think Betty is a grat example of this, not because (well..I wouldn't know) she doesn't usually get involved in projects at SCA or in the 'art world' but I think this is project is great (esecialy the blog documentation) with providing ME with the information to know that Betty (who for those who don't know works in the SCA Cafe)is getting involved. I think this in particular relates to Relational Aesthetics becuase i always say a nice hello to betty in the cafe and now I know her name really is betty and I can ask her about Tending next time I see her.

I think this process of interaction is exactly what RA is all about.

NSK, KKK?

I find Laibach utterly fascinating. Their neo-noir approach to supporting the NSK through music and music videos flirts a very dangerous line post world war 2. Accused of being both far left and far right wing, it appears through my research that Laibach do not define who they are as a group albeit their involvement with the NSK.

The lecture abstract was the most succinct definition of the artistic practice:

The Slovenian art collective Laibach literally undermined political regimes in the
1980s and 1990s through the over identification with the regimes it sought to critique.

More totalitarian than their own state, Laibach’s arts practice does not rely on
institutional support, but rather uses popular music to gain access to a huge
audience base.


I find it so clever the way that Laibach have developed their technique of appropriating popular music to portray a message about politics across the world.

They way new social media enhances and expands their audience for example, using the world wide phenomenon that is You Tube. Laibach can reach an audience that, without this media transporter platform, an audience this diverse would only have existed in their fantasies. For when people search popular songs e.g Across the Universe by The Beatles, Laibach's Across the Universe also appears. With a simple click someone completely oblivious to the NSk or Laibach is instantly affected by their artwork and social/political agender.

Laibach appear to let their audience read into their work what they will. The more i try to research this, I am actually more interested in researching he NSK. I find myself believeing the word 'cult' is so fittingly associated with the NSK.


“In the globalisation process that’s occurring right now, every person is a global citizen… We as global citizens can communicate and interact with each other and the [NSK] passport is a medium or tool for us to re-imagine what we can do.” *



Created in 1992, the NSK State in Time has become a unique entity which now has several thousand citizens across numerous countries and all continents. In 2010 the state will examine itself through its citizens and discuss its past, present and future. At a time when national (market) state financial and political systems are tested as never before, the First NSK Citizens Congress will test the ambiguous realities and potentials of ‘the first global state of the universe’.

This unique event will bring together citizen delegates and NSK members to explore debate and develop the NSK State and how to negotiate the shared and contradictory interpretations and visions of its citizens.

http://congress.nskstate.com/index.html



In particular the NSK passport. This is an except i took from the FAQ's from Laibach's official website when trying to find out what this NSK passport was. And if it is more than a money making scheme.



NSK State & PASSPORT

Q: What is NSK State and when was it founded?

A: NSK State is a concept State.It was founded in 1992 by members of the Neue Slowenische Kunst, an art movement from Slovenia, Europe.

Q: What is the territory of the NSK State?

A: NSK State does not exist in real, three-dimensional space and has no physical territory; it only exists as a state of mind, a social sculpture in a virtual space and its only territory is the dimension of Time.

Q: Why did you create the NSK state?

A: Because we needed our own state, which is not based on the national paradigm, on physical territory and it is not limited by the borders. We believe that traditional states should disappear.

Q: Is the NSK state a work of art?

A: It can also be understood as a work of art. It is up to each and every individual how does he understand or he wants to understand the idea and the content of the NSK State. It can have many meanings for some people or absolutely no meaning to the others.

Q: Who is and who can become a citizen of NSK State?

A: NSK citizenship is open to everybody all over the world, people of different religion, races, nationalities, sexes and beliefs.

Q: How can one require the citizenship of the NSK State?

A: The right to citizenship is acquired through the ownership of the NSK State passport.

Q: What are the fundamental acts of NSK state?

A: In its fundamental acts NSK state denies the categories of fixed territory, the principle of national borders, and advocates the law of transnationality.

Q: Does NSK state have a government or any other form of central political power?

A: The NSK state has no formal government and no Central committee. It only has citizens, bureaucrats and executioners. Its organizational principle is collective absolutism; the “head of state” is Immanent-transcendent spirit. The NSK State government is the government of consciousness – which reigns but does not govern.

Q: What do I gain from becoming a citizen of the NSK state if it doesn’t really exist?

A: Like any other state NSK State exists only as much you believe in it and you can gain from it only as much as you want.

Q: If I become a citizen of the NSK-state which faith do I have to believe in?

A: You only have to believe in your own faith and you have to have faith in your own belief.

Q: Do I have to pay any taxes or membership fee if I become a citizen of NSK state?

A: You pay no taxes and no membership fee. You are only charged for the passport.

Q: What is the NSK State passport?

A: NSK state passport is a unique document issued by NSK Information Centre. The bearer of the NSK passport becomes a citizen of NSK State. Vital statistics of the bearer are logged in the NSK State citizenship register. The passport is numbered and it is not transferable; its validity is limited and renewable. By signing the adjoining statement the bearer pledges to participate on a best-effort basis to support the integrity of the NSK state. This passport may not be misused for criminal, ideological, religious or political purposes conflicting with the contents of NSK and/or jeopardizing the reputation of NSK. Citizenship ceases with the expiration, return, cancellation or confiscation of the passport.

Q: Is NSK State internationally officially recognized country?

A: NSK State is not an internationally officially recognized country and owning the NSK passport does not automatically grant citizenship of any other country of the world.

Q: How can I use NSK State passport?

A: The NSK State passport is a document of a subversive nature and unique value. You can use it as a piece of art or you use it to fill in data and collect stamps, signatures, etc., at NSK events and similar campaigns. The applicability of the passport is unlimited and subject to the responsibility of its holder.

Q: Can I also use NSK passport for travelling?

A: NSK passport is not a legally valid document. You cannot legally cross any official international border with it. The NSK passport is only a symbolic document and you use it to cross borders at your own risk: NSK Information Centre cannot accept any responsibility for the consequences if you attempt to cross borders using this passport.

Q: Has anybody used NSK passport for travelling across borders already?

A: Many people did, some were successful and some not.

Q: What kind of photos are acceptable when apllying for NSK State Passport?

A: Dimenzije, položaj glave etc (glej podatke za Schengen)

Important message to applicants for NSK State passports:

NSK State is not an internationally officially recognized country and NSK State passport is not a legally valid document. Owning the NSK passport does not grant citizenship of the republic of Slovenia or any other country of the world. You cannot legally cross any official international border with it. The NSK passport is only a symbolic document and you use it to cross borders at your own risk: NSK Information Centre cannot accept any responsibility for the consequences if you attempt to cross borders using this passport.

http://wtc.laibach.org/help.cp2

I thought this was really interesting

Miwon Kwon

Miwon Kwon disputes the common definitions of public art which imply or assume that, in contrast to other forms of art, public art is more direct or establishes a more immediate relationship with its audience. Kwon contends that public art is fully mediated, perhaps even more than art in an art museum or gallery setting. She discussed evolving public art politics concerning the use of the site as evident in NEA guidelines for site specificity when awarding public art grants.

Kwon scrutinized underlying assumptions of community by examining these guidelines alongside individual artists rhetoric, such as Suzanne Lacy's naming of "New Genre Public Art." Kwon claims "New Genre Public Art's" self description is predicated on a major rethinking of site specificity, in both aesthetic and political terms.

Kwon provided an extensive and detailed historical analysis of public art's evolution over the last thirty years. This analysis outlined the following three paradigms of public art since the mid-1960s: "art in public places", "art as public spaces" and "art in the public interest". The politics, practices and premises of these three public art paradigms were measured against the example of "Culture in Action: New Public Art In Chicago." "Culture in Action," representing New Genre Public Art, or art in the public interest, explaining public art's explicit move from aesthetic function to social function. I found her discussion on Culture in Action most interesting.

Proposing a major break from previous models of public art, Culture in Action not only took the entire city of Chicago as its stage, it "focused on the active participation of residents in diverse communities in the creation of the artworks in order to provide a new vision of public art."

making a REAL difference

“Larner employs the term littoral art to evoke the hybrid or in-between nature of these practices. French critic Nicolas Bourriaud has coined the term relational aesthetic to describe works based around communication and exchange. Homi K. Bhabha, in an essay from the Conversations at the Castle project in Atlanta, writes of “conversational art,” and Tom Finkelpearl refers to “dialogue-based public art.””
Conversation pieces: community and communication in modern art By Grant H. Kester. pg.10

I found Kesters introduction a really interesting read. I thought all the examples given of these ‘conversation’ projects were really intriguing in particular the boat cruises brought about by the Austrian arts collective WochenKlausur as part of an “intervention” in drug policy. The way that Kester writes how the gathering of politicians, journalists, activists and sex workers “With their statements insulated from direct media scrutiny, they were able to communicate outside the rhetorical demands of their official status” p.g 2. I think the success of this meeting had a lot to do with commng under the impression of an ‘art event’ rather than a political or government funded event. Kester writes about the sex workers feeling threatened and facing abuse form the government and police force and even their clients. I think it’s really comforting to hear about times when art truely brings community together for the greater good. Sometimes you just need a mediating environment and I can see that amidst political turmoil sometimes art can be that mediator.

On the whole I though these ‘conversation’ artworks were a bit floozy. ESPECIALLY in regards to Derive’s... So I found comfort in actually reading this and finding that sometimes these ‘conversation’ artworks can make a difference in society. And aren’t just about getting together for a drink.

September 11

Bourriaud argues that art of the 1990s takes as its theoretical

horizon “the realm of human interactions and its social context, rather than the

assertion of an independent and private symbolic space” (RA, p. 14). In other

words, relational art works seek to establish intersubjective encounters (be these

literal or potential) in which meaning is elaborated collectively (RA, p. 18) rather

than in the privatized space of individual consumption. The implication is that

this work inverses the goals of Greenbergian modernism.9 Rather than a discrete,

portable, autonomous work of art that transcends its context, relational art is

entirely beholden to the contingencies of its environment and audience.

Clair Bishop, “Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics,” October, No. 110, 2004 (pg 53-54)

Referring to the bold section; in the first few pages of Bishops article, this recent memory wedged itself in my frontal lobe. It was while visiting Olafur Eliasson’s Take Your Time 2010 exhibition at the MCA a few months ago when my friend Ana and I first walked up the stairs we were excitedly confronted by a sea of Lego- half finished Lego sculptures surrounded by thousands upon thousands of little Lego pieces sprawled across a table with finished masterpieces (and not so masterpieces) sitting on the floor around the edges of the open exhibition space.

An interactive piece of the exhibition, Ana got to work adding to two half-finished sky scrapers sitting on the table and I set myself the challenge of a plane. About 30minutes later, with our finished pieces in hand, we realised we could actually collaborate to remake one of the worlds most publicised terrorist attacks- September 11.

We lit up with excitement talking about the scene we could create and the fun destruction of a tower shortly ahead of us, only to be hastily frozen with the confronting idea that leaped from Ana’s mouth “hold on, are we gonna’ offend people if we do this?”

We made our decision but I’m sure others over the five months the exhibition ran for decided differently.

Wk 2

'With out a doubt I completely agree with Delacroix's idea that 'a successful picture temporarily 'condensed' an emotion and that it was the duty of the beholder's eye to bring it to life and develop.' Unless it is inherent to the purpose of the artwork, I don't believe an artist should be relied upon to create a 360 degree experience for their audience every time. The respondent needs to react to the artwork and that reaction forms the experience, not the artwork itself. It's the audience’s reaction to Fluxus happenings and performances that form the experience (this reminded me of performing Fluxus in the middle of the city in wk 2 foundation!!). Without an audience, there is no artwork; there is no recognition or reaction.

On another note, I thought this was very interesting in pg 30
'A work may operate like a relational device containing certain degrees of randomness, or a machine provoking and managing individual and group encounters... In the early 1970s, Stephen Willats painstakingly mapped the relationships existing between the inhabitants of an apartment block.'

I personally find it hard to understand how Willats work relates to art? I can understand how it relates so social relations and interactions and would love to see the findings; I just don't see how it relates to art?'