P.ART Konferenz
P.ART
There are a few answers to the burning questions of our times, only few, but nevertheless:
The Micro-editing system, that got honoured with the Nobel price for Economics, the description
of our complex world via Public Authoring in Wikipedia, unerringly and achievable problem solving-
strategies enabled by Open Source Software. Like bright lights you can perceive sparkling at the
horizon, they are connotated with process like work situations, low hierarchies, and a togetherness
of a variety of individuals. Collaborations are more then en vogue, but needed, to avoid the total
collapse, that announces itself via uncontrollable financial markets, global warming, and collapsing
social- and educational structures and - systems.
Where is the contemporary artistic position located in this complex worldwide situation? It drifts
like an iceberg in the ocean, is self-indulgent, lives from it-s own corpus and idleness, uses it
self up slowly but steady, has quite some things shattered to smithereens, when colliding. Visible
as the top of the iceberg is the the Avanade, the art business with escalating prices and the ones
dabbing around, incorporating the basis, who perceive themselves recondite, but want to oscillate
finally to the surface to be seen. Freeze! No one moves.
UNFREEZE!
We meet the "hot" questions and topics of our times with the methods of bartering, collaborating and
the "FreiGabe" (to unfreeze something - to set free, to let go). The "FreiGabe", the let go of the
role of the artist, of the role of the observer, the letting go of works... The let go of the self
in our over individualized world. The old role-play between artist and audience was thematized
continuously since the late 60ies, nevertheless is not at all transcendent and radically dissolved
enough. The decentralist and pluriverse attitude of P.ART matches exactly this contemporary needs
and demands. It enables projects, where the cultural workers give creative inputs and impulses, which
are perceived, accepted and then self dependent developed further by an active "audiotorial" ((it
should be named and defined "facitorium" (Latin facere - to do) or "Creatorium" (creative legislating)).
Collaborators, creative co-designers - acting self dependent.
Latitudes turn into open spaces for actions and encounters.
Experimental Setting.
Is it possible, to embark in a boat with the recipients (contemplator), to explore unknown waters
and to consign the rudder to them, the co-travellers, the co-journeyists? A scenario, where the
producer initiates a defined first setting, but then lets go and leaves the deriving outcome completely
open, and co-joins a journey aiming at the unknown. An expedition, off the iceberg, journeying through
the ice floe (or should we say ice flow?) into the wide open seas. As everything else is the well-
behaved "Mitmachkunst" (participatory art forms) in a safe haven, where the artist installs the hamster
treadmill and the recipient may endlessly run in circles within.
Art without Artists?
Art is to be understood in this case as the setting for actions, far off the enigmatic work itself,
art, minted by the cult of geniuses. Joseph Beuys might have been a very prophet and mastermind with
his concepts and claims for a social plastic, but at the same time he was probably one of the last
representatives of a legendary artist personality in-corporporating his own spiritual universe.
An artist, said to own healing powers and who consciously exploited and advocated the cult around his
person and works.
Needless to say, alike, the "art" that we discuss here needs artists, needs producers, and illuminates
miraculous glances into our world, creates universes, and lets our world appear in a completely different
light. Only the artist as a wizard, that puts spells on his audience, and banns it with his art, is
disused, to be substituted by the "dienstleister" (service provider) the service stager. He is enabled
to inter-fuse humans and to handle the questions of our times. Encounters more then deeply humane are
sought for and necessary on all levels, to touch our world and our needs.
The "Über-Gabe".
And special experiences, little miniatures, that enrich our lives, experiments, that show new pathways
and make all failures transparent, to - in sense of socio-political model situations - pieces, without
any ideological claims (and not to want to know everything better at all (and on everybody else's) costs).
Art as a radical offer for the encounter on the same and equal level, without equalizing eye level,
art that demands the engagement of the individual. Hierarchies can be sabotaged or destroyed, art can
connect with the all day life and subversive accomplices come together. All in one boat. It-s the ultimate
need for self-organisation, the re-conquering of public spaces, the action (the "real action"), but at
least for a "hand-over", an "ÜberGabe" like a torch relay.
To actuate processes, instead of creating artworks.
A social praxis that enables individuals an active and self depending partaking and part-giving and that
demands a creative engagement. Everything rotates around the
fragile point, where the further devolution of a process is not defined by the imitator, but via the (con)
tributes. (Catchword: Open Source, Open Content)
By differments, (red shifting) relations, knowledge, places get accumulated and connotated with new
meanings and serve as sources for inspiration, to test the unknown and to evocate the options of encounters
with the stranger. New spaces for communication derive and originate, without being transfixed in any art-
context from the first moment on. One acts out of a (pre- or post-) cultural self-understanding and not
"In the Name of Art"; that can be defined as one of the main differences of former trials in field of
participatory art!
Two examples from "The Fabrikanten coop Nieslony - Production":
1997, Festival der Regionen, Oberösterreich. 56 households bartered their central tables due to our
initiative. At one of the main places for encounters, common meals shared, where communication takes place
- the households were suddenly confronted with a new table, where everyone had to find his/her place anew
and new orders originated.
The project "Tischtransaktion" enables alike the total stranger, namely the festival visitors, to call up
the tischtranferalists and to ask for a visitor's permit. This impossible the moment, where to completely
strangers face each other in a very private surrounding or better said, are seated in a very private habitat.
After a short introduction and a short Smalltalk about the guest present, about the scouting out the
address etc comes the very important point, whether someone is really interested in the one vis a vis or
whether one tries to vanish from the scenery and escapes from the situation as fast as possible. Various
other "Tischtransaktionen", communication and encounters are localized in the centre of our interest and
in our focus. The idea just prepares a setting in form of bartered tables, after that everything is in
the hands and responsibility of the transactionists, it-s their responsibility how they treat their guests.
They have to find their very own definition of hospitality. It-s in their hands, how the encounter(s) and
the projects evolves. We only hear about "the stories" when the tables are traded back. And there is alot,
we will never know.
2003, a haven scenario, a former haven cantina, Linz, Austria. We held an art workshop covering some days
with "art-related" groups at this lost and forgotten spot. LIQUID.COM was supposed to liquidate (eliminate)
the frontiers between the inviting and the invited. Announced beforehand concerning this setting was, that
a public event would take place on the third evening and many guests would arrive.
Over three days, intensive scenarios were created, developed and abjected, how the course of the evening
could be confronciered. Single ideas were developed and discarded. On the very evening, the numberless
guests were asked to reconstruct the "tathergang" the sequence of events, the developed ideas and the
discussions, and to help to find alternatives and solutions, that enfold at the same moment in space and
time there. The workshop-participants were asked to be available for any upcoming questions, and helped as
best as can, to come up with clear(ing) testimonies during this investigations. For 90 minutes, the space
was full of the highest impact of concentration. It was immediately clear, that this was no stitch-up,
but a mutual aiming and effort for (new?) insights.
What follows?
Are the "visitors" interested, to take an active and creating part? As soon as they are sure, that no games
are played on them, we were always surprised about the seriousness and the enthusiasm, how fast and reliable
responsibilities are taken; and that gives us alot of hope. And makes it easy to believe in the positive
qualities and outcomes of the Europe wide project P.ART, where we want to investigate this open questions
Europe wide with our "partners of events" in various cities simultaneously; as the Europe wide dimensions
holds even more qualities, while enlarging the term "collective/common" spatially and thus as well quantitative.
What will be the main topics of discussion at the "P.ART Konferenz"?
Your position respectively the position of your organisation according the texts mentioned above, pooled to
the following theme complexes:
- Art as a radical offer for encounters? Where the engagement of the individual is demanded and encouraged on
equal levels but not an equalizing eye level.
- The connec(x)tion of art with all day life, a subversive complicity? All in one boat. It-s the ultimate need
for self-organisation, the re-conquering of public spaces, the action (the "real action"), but at least for a
"hand-over", an "ÜberGabe" like a torch relay.
- To actuate processes, instead of creating artworks. A new social praxis? Everything rotates around the central
fragile point, where the further devolution of a process is not defined by the imitator, but via the (con)tributors.
(Catchword: Open Source, Open Content, Web 2.0)
- Where are YOU positioned (with) in the QUADRAT production - participation - expedition - encounter?
www.fabrikanten.at
translation: sibyll kalff, october 2008
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