Processes /Thesaurus /References of Participative Art Practices

Processes /Thesaurus /References of Participative Art Practices
Research Proposal for any site in the Asian region:

To investigate the methodology of participative art practices in a seminar and over the next few years create a web platform for peer inputs. These inputs are to be generated by interested artists, cultural activists, researchers and related interest groups (art and non-art groups and institutions collaborating in participative projects). After collecting data over a 5-year period, the collected materials will be realised into a publication. An editorial committee will be formed to scrutinise the collected materials, at the earliest point of 2 years after the start of the project. Each regional research group can determine and define their criteria for the project and have ownership of their collected materials.

Tentative Conceptual framework:
This project will not only investigate the concepts, terminology (language) and processes being employed in participative art practices but also to collect references of artistic practices that are considered participative (through documentation). Residencies, public engaged art, community art and cross cultural artistic activities are all part of art and cultural efforts moving towards being more inclusive and participative. However, critical assessment and evaluation of these activities using an appropriate metric (to be identified in each context and locality) will reveal the different forms of participative directions, priorities and interests. Explorations and challenges to terminology and the process of recognition, to be carried out by parties from different disciplinary and professional backgrounds, will widen the understanding of what is considered ‘participative’ in each local context.

This proposal is for artists, intellectuals and cultural workers involved in participative practices to examine their practice and define their methodology, concepts and provide references in the area of participative art practices. It hopes to draw out the different understandings and experiences of persons working in different forms of participatory practices, from different disciplines, in different local contexts, and to encourage and develop dialogue and discourse to examine/ imagine models of practice and exchange learning. It aims to bring attention to common and yet contestable terms employed across disciplines and to bring these into an open and common dialogue platform, so as to make visible differences that could be factors impeding productive collaborations between disciplines

Working Process:
IFIMA has been given a small grant by CityArts, Dublin to hold a research seminar in Dublin for the art communities in Ireland, in collaboration with the National College of Arts and Design, Dublin. This seminar, the first of a series of seminars to be held in different localities, will take place in November 2006, and will investigate the structure and frameworks that are most appropriate for the project, and work towards setting up a platform for peer input and discussion. This peer platform will be a reservoir for knowledge for participative art practices operating in different cultural systems and conditions and hope to function as a point of reference for future artistic practices and research.

IFIMA (International Forum for InterMedia Art) is working as a facilitator for any Independent organisations, researchers, artists and non-artist collaborators in Asia who is interested to initiate a research site and perhaps host and participate in subsequent seminars and discussions. Please write to jay koh (ifima@gmx.net) if you are interested to participate in this project. Thank you.