A template for socially engaged practice?
This is an ongoing project in my local town, Aldershot, taking the methodology from my previous work Statements in Semaphore and tailoring it to fit the needs and desires of local organisations, local audiences and local Artists.
Currently applying for funding!
The project will present a possible template for working in a socially engaged way within towns that have low arts participation. In my practice I am interested in how we as Artists consider the voices that we do not hear, the audiences that we do not attract, or that don’t feel invited into the conversation (as well as those who do). I am also interested in how we place our work, where we get our research and what ‘bubbles’ of reality we consider. Through workshops, and conversations spaces with groups of people in the community the project provides research spaces and discussion spaces for participants, Artists, organisations and audiences. Considering local issues and often ‘hidden’ issues, the collaboration will consider whether we can make hidden voices visible, and if so, how?
The work will be the conversations, the spaces created and the issues uncovered. But it will also take shape as a collaboration with the town and the residents.
This project will hopefully start Summer 2020 subject to funding, but the Artist will continue to build on her performative investigations (to camera) of the town running up to this point.