|
|
Re: What kind of support is needed for temporary/public projects?
Posted:
Jun 14, 2003 8:57 PM
|
|
Hi Helena,
I like this topic. Where does art exist? What does it need to thrive in non-traditional venues? In the dance world, people who present work in theaters get more support and respect than those who don't. But, as the form grapples with the question of relevance in today's world, most of the important venues for dancing are not theaters. If the purpose of these discussions is to find ways to make the arts healthier in our communities, the infrastructure piece is essential.
Two big concerns are having a consistent presence and focussing energy. People need to know when, where, and how to engage with the work. Web sites can go a long way to helping get people oriented, i.e. getting them to the right place and at the right time, for projects that move around spatially. The consolidating energy piece is more complex. I think we've all had the experience of going to concerts in small venues and big venues. 40 people can make some spaces feel totally charge. 40 people in a large space like Target Center feels empty. The experiences are completely different. That type of energy is important for most performance work. It raises the question of not only getting someone's attention, but how you get that attention. Then, once you have the attention, how do you direct it.
In the last year, I've started thinking about my work as situation specific performance. The language around site specific work or temporary or public art doesn't take into account for all of the variables involved. It also misses the point that, as artists in general, we are facilitators of experiences, not just the creators of things. When we look at how to develop infrastructure for work that lives outside traditional venues, I think we would be prudent to consider what supports and nourishes work that concerns itself with situations.
Colin
|
|
