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This session was very enjoyable and fun as I think Francesca carried out all the tasks and activities very well. Although we didn’t get to meet all the participants in this session, the way Francesca explained and introduced them made me feel like I already knew what to expect if I did end up picking this project. The movement activities that we did was also very helpful and therapeutic in a way. Most of the movement was not a style I was used to but they felt very grounding and calming. We also did some ice breaking movement ‘games’ which were extremely helpful in my opinion. She also explained to us in detail what kind of working environment to expect and also how to deal with difficult situations should we face any. I think that this session with Francesca was fun and definitely very informative.

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This week you can do either of the required posts: 1) Documentation of workshop plan (which you are required to do twice for two different workshops) or 2) Documenting learning (which you are required to do once but could do as many times as you wish). If you do not have a workshop this week so cannot do either then take a moment to read back through your posts until now, perhaps add some images and see where you could expand and deepen your reflections. Or you could pick a question which you have not yet answered and answer that? Or you could pick a question which you answered earlier and see if your answer has changed over time. You may want to delve deeper into a reading which your lead artist has given you.

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Summarise and analyse the work of your preferred three artists who gave you a taster workshop for Unit 6. Who does the artist work with and in what context? What are their goals in the work? What artistic processes do they use to reach those goals? What are the connections (similarities/differences) in these artists or communities? What potential impact will working with them have on you?

This will help you critically reflect on them and support your selection for Term 3

The artist and practices I have chosen to analyse are Molly and Luke, Lizzie Fort and Francesca Matthys. Molly and Luke work with an older group of over 60s participants while Lizzie Fort work with a group of Vietnamese ladies who are living in London and Francesca works with a special needs community. All 3 of these artists have inspired me and made me rethink my perception of community work as they all talk about working hand in hand with the community rather than being in charge and leading it. I think this idea of community work makes a lot more sense as it really suggests that we are involving the community instead of just segregating ourselves into the ‘artist’ and ‘participant’. They all also did mention that they tend to listen to more of what the participants want and letting them take the lead more in terms of what they would like to do in that session. I think this idea of letting the participants have more authority over what they want to do but still not totally overruling the ‘professional’ in the setting was the most common thing I noticed in these 3 artists. Even though they let the community take charge of what they wanted to do, they still had an influence in deciding how these ideas would be carried out and how it would involve us as students. The main differences are mostly the way they interact with the community as they were dealing with very different individuals anyways. However, there wasn’t a very obvious difference in the way they handled situations as they all did mention to us that although they were facilitating the space, the community sometimes liked to settle their problems on their own instead of having someone constantly over their shoulder being ‘over’ helpful. I think all these projects would definitely have a huge impact on me but if I had to break them down, I think Molly and Lukes would be the most impactful as I really enjoy working with with older people and elderly. As I am very close to my grandparents, I do see how movement has very positively affected them. This project will also help me understand better how the older generation wishes to be heard or seen by the young generation. I also believe that this project will also help the gap between the 2 generations slowly close.

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Although this session was not my favorite, I think it was very therapeutic in a way it was very calming and the way Lucinda led it was also very slow and easy. She shared with us that the participants that we would be working with were stroke patient survivors and that they did not necessarily have a dance background but found that dance helped with their mental health in a way. I didn’t really understan

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This week you can do either of the required posts: 1) Documentation of workshop plan (which you are required to do twice for two different workshops) or 2) Documenting learning (which you are required to do once but could do as many times as you wish).

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This week you can do either of the required posts: 1) Documentation of workshop plan (which you are required to do twice for two different workshops) or 2) Documenting learning (which you are required to do once but could do as many times as you wish).

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This week you can do either of the required posts: 1) Documentation of workshop plan (which you are required to do twice for two different workshops) or 2) Documenting learning (which you are required to do once but could do as many times as you wish). 

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Attached is a combined interview with Nehir Ozeke of our chat with Tammy, one of the participants in the project

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Upload your essay or presentation with resource list/bibliography in the final column of your Padlet.

Submit the Padlet link by 12 noon on Wednesday June 25th.

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What experiences have you had of community or participatory dance before coming to LCDS?

Before joining LCDS i did have some experience working on community and participatory dance at my previous school where we had to work with special needs children to create a performance.

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Jo Parkes Introduction to Participation, Communities & Activism

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Jo Parkes Introduction to Participation, Communities & Activism

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What discourses (texts, ideas, theories, words, concepts) did your lead artist introduce this week? Summarise the discourse(s) surrounding the practice which your lead artist brought in.

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Please complete the Reading and writing your reflections:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pikrFPWfKTwD2nKW58RK1eBTxNrtuili/view?usp=c

lassroom_web&authuser=0

Jill Green (2000) Power, Service, and Reflexivity in a Community Dance

Project, Research in Dance Education, 1:1, 53-67, DOI:

10.1080/14647890050006587

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What approaches to co-creating dance with communities have have you experienced in your preparatory workshop?  How do the approaches introduced by your lead artist invite others to co-create with you?

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This week you finish your preparatory workshop with the lead artists.

What has helped you to feel prepared for starting work on your commission? Do you enter the commission with any questions or concerns?

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Summarise and reflect on the content of the below reading:

10 THINGS YOU NEED TO CONSIDER IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST – NOT OF THE REFUGEE AND ASYLUM SEEKER COMMUNITY- LOOKING TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY. By Tania Canas, RISE Arts Director / Member

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To be very blunt, this was my least favorite session and I really did struggle through it. Although I have worked with a disabled community before, I personally feel like the space was not facilitated very well. All the participants were lovely and very friendly but I do think that the session was abit too overwhelming for me personally. Ingrid was very polite and kind but it felt like the entire hour and a half was not very well planned and organised as there was one particular participant who was very touchy and hands on with a lot of us as that was just how he was but as none of us were prepared for it, it did end up becoming quite invasive of personal space for me. The fact that we also were not given any heads up or warnings and information about the participants beforehand was maybe partly part of the reasons I felt very unprepared for this session.

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Not being a big fan of nature, this was also quite a difficult session to be in. I did end up leaving early due to previous commitments but I think the garden was very cool and interesting but I just didn’t really understand the connection between it and community. Having said so, this was a very interesting short experience.

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I really enjoyed this session and it was also the one which touched me the most. As we have already worked very closely with Luke before, this session did give me a sense of familiarity. We also got the privilege of meeting some of the participants which would be involved in the project which was really fun and enjoyable. From the introduction of the group to the fun warmup and then to the short tasks we were given to do, everything was very well though and executed. Molly was also very enthusiastic about the project and did tell us that we were aiming for an actual performance by the end of it. They also showed us a film which they had created beforehand which showcased the way they work and I thought the video was very touching and informative.

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https://arestlessart.com/2017/03/09/co-creation/

Summarise this article by answering the following questions:

What does the author think the "self-interest" of cultural organisations is when they choose to engage in co-creation?

Phrased differently: Why might cultural organisations want to do this for their OWN interests?

I think that cultural organisations are actively involved in co-creation performances in to present a ‘good’ front to the public eye as they want to be seen as an inclusive and all

-embracing company. These projects would also set them apart from other companies and possibly help them in the future when competing with others.

Mataram so writes: ‘One reason for making a distinction between participatory and community art is that they have different concepts of power-sharing.’ Summarise what these differences of power-sharing are.

Some differences of power-sharing that can be identified in these 2 concepts are that in participatory art, its like a one sided relationship more where there is mainly only one person holding authority like in the project ‘Sea of Hull’, the participants who signed up were kind of used as ‘props’ and just had to move and pose as directed by the artist in charge. This project proved that there was barely any involvement of opinion from the participants and it was purely choreographed and directed. In community art, there is no one specific person of authority as it is a co-created project. This can be seen in the ‘Bed, Entelechy Arts’ project where the piece came to life after lots of shared conversations and ideas from both people with artistic background and those without any professional knowledge of art. The power-sharing here is much more community based as the artist or the ‘professional’ in the project does not try to take over and hold authority over the entire process of creation rather, they are enjoying the entire interaction and discussion with others to help shape the final item.

In the final paragraph, Matarasso argues that co-creation might, indeed should, lead to a degree of shared ownership over the artistic products that takes it in directions which the artist leading the project thinks weakens the art. Why might the artist think this is a desirable outcome? What other goals might the artist be considering? Who defines what is “quality” in an art work in a co-creation process?

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Changing relationships in the networked age

What is co-creation? The term has come into participatory art discourse recently, but I've not been able to find a clear explanation of what it describes. At face value, it seems to make sense. Participatory art is the practice of involving others in an artist's creative process. According to Wikipedia, this allows them 'to become co-authors, editors, and observers of the work'. Fair enough: that sounds like something you might call co-creation. But what is the nature and degree of creative input people are actually being invited to contribute?

One clue is that the term seems to have originated in industry rather than the arts. Since the 1990s, businesses have become interested in engaging customers directly in the creation of products and services. 'Harnessing customer competence' as it has been described, is possible because of the disruptive opportunities arising from new information and communication technology, including the Internet. Some theorists suggest that such open engagement between producer and consumer - difficult though it may be for large, conventionally structured businesses - will be critical to future competitive success.

Cultural institutions face complex change too and they are also rethinking their relationships with their audiences. Nina Simon is an American museum director who has written about these issues in The Participatory Museum. In a chapter on 'Co-creating with visitors', she suggests that ' Co-creative projects originate in partnership with participants rather than based solely on institutional goals '. The idea of shared decision-making would have been unthinkable to previous generations of curators (and to some today) but it is becoming accepted, at least on the margins of curatorial work. Nina Simon suggests three reasons for taking this approach:

To give voice and be responsive to the needs and interests of local community members

To provide a place for community engagement and dialogue

To help participants develop skills that will support their own individual and community goals

A similar rationale guides the outreach programmes of many British cultural institutions. It could also describe the reasoning behind Arts Council England's Creative People and Places programme. Although it is presented in social and cultural terms, this thinking is not without self-interest. Like industry, the public cultural sector is beginning to see that its future depends on developing a less hierarchical relationship with their customers. This is part of a historic realignment of culture power that has been gathering pace for decades, but it is not the issue today. What is important, in the context of co-creation, is how and how much power is ceded.

One reason for making a distinction between participatory and community art is that they have different concepts of power-sharing. That is partly a matter of degree. Participatory art usually offers people the opportunity to become involved in something that already exists, at least in the planning of the artist and/or the cultural institution. The starting point is an idea on whose value they are agreed. Only then are people invited to take part.

Three degrees of relationship

When the Ferens Art Gallery commissions Spencer Tunick to create , the extent of people's participation is to turn up, get undressed and be photographed as and where they are directed. Whether or not this results in 'good' art or an enriching experience for participants is not the issue here. It is simply that this model reflects the producer-consumer relationships of the industrial age. In offering customers his first cheap car, Henry Ford famously said that: ' any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black'. Or blue, in the case of Sea of Hull. The rules are set by the artist (producer). Taking part (consuming) means conforming to them. That is not in itself an unfair choice to offer people and thousands of people accepted it. But in what sense can it be described as co-creation?

Fevered Sleep also make a precise offer to participants in their piece Men & Girls Dance. It is a selective process and requires the chosen girls to commit to a demanding rehearsal schedule over two weeks or more, as well as a public performance. But those are practical, not artistic demands, and the young dancers who take part do have a real influence on the choreography of the performance. There is a structure, and some parts of the work do not change. But the company recognises that each girl who participates brings her own physical presence and personality to the piece. More than that, the professional artists welcome the children's contribution and the rehearsal period is used to explore how the new participants' individuality will be incorporated into the piece. As a result, audiences who see Men & Girls Dance in different places see different works of art, not just different performances. That is co-creation within some clear boundaries.

Even further towards the community art end of the spectrum is Entelechy Arts' Bed, a piece that has evolved slowly out of conversations, drama workshop activity, sharing of memories, testing with audiences, and further development. The people involved have included professional artists, non-professional artists and others who come to Meet Me at the Albany. There is no single author. is a genuinely collective piece shaped through the interaction of many people, none of whom knew what it was going to be before it existed. This certainly is co-creation, if the term is more than a fashionable label.

From hierarchy to network

What strikes me, in reflecting on these three examples, is how the complexity of the relationships changes. In Sea of Hull they are binary and unidirectional. The artist invites: the participants respond. The concept would have been understandable at the height of Romanticism even if the resulting artwork was not. The producer-consumer relationship belongs to the industrial age, not today's networked world.

In Men & Girls Dance, the relationships are more complicated and flow in both directions. There is a choreographer but each performer - professional and non-professional - puts their imprint on the choreographer's idea. How they move, the ideas they express physically or verbally can have a profound effect on the final work. Except that there isn't a final work in the Romantic sense. There is no definitive, authoritative text. Each version is different, and each is valid in itself, which is not to say they are equally successful for everyone.

In Bed the producer-consumer distinction is erased. Everyone involved is both. There is no meaningful sense in which these relationships are hierarchical but like a network in which each node is directly connected to all the others. Some are more central or more powerful than others. But at various times and for different reasons, any person in the group may have authority and a decisive influence over the creative process. Everyone can be a teacher and a learner, according to what is needed.

One reason for describing this kind of work as community art is because it creates community as it progresses. That community should not be idealised: it might be temporary, fractious and contested, but it is jointly owned by its members. In such a group, the artist has a specialist role, but not a dominant one. Agreements stand when most people are convinced, not because the artist instructs.

An artist intending to co-create in this way has to find ways to disperse the power associated with their skill, knowledge, experience and position. There are various ways of doing that but they only work if the artist is genuinely committed to empowering others. One test of whether that is happening - and whether the work is really a co-creation - is whether the art takes directions that the artist doesn't like. Are they then willing to cede power, even if the art that results is less good in their view that it might have been? Only then can the process really be empowering. It may be less successful in some ways than if the artist imposed their cultural authority but only in the same way that a parent can 'improve' a child's picture. A superficial success masks a more important denial of another person's autonomy and their right to follow their vision discover its qualities and limits, and build on its failures and successes. Co-creation - real co-creation - attempts to make that process possible.

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Changing relationships in the networked age What is co-creation? The term has come into participatory art discourse recently, but I've not been able to find a clear explanation of what it describes. At face value, it seems to make sense. Participatory art is the practice of involving others in an artist's creative process.

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Please complete the two Diane Aman's Readings. Make notes and critically reflect on how these two sections will help you in planning and preparing for your community commissions.

Project Co-ordination

Risk Assessment

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This was actually my least favourite session and I did not enjoy it at all. I think that although the participants were extremely friendly and open, it did feel a little overwhelming at a certain point as there was a particular participant who was quite touchy in nature and I was not very comfortable with that. I felt like we were not very well prepped for this session in particular as we did not have any information prior to the participants we would be directly dealing with and Ingrid was also not very hands on and took no initiative to organise the space. Although I have worked with a special needs community before, I think that this was rather different in a sense the space was not facilitated in a way that was comfortable for me personally. However, I do think that everyone was trying their best despite the circumstances.

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DAMN FINE DANCE WORKSHOP DOCUMENTATION (2)

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DAMN FINE DANCE WORKSHOP DOCUMENTATION (2)

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ENDINGS

This is your final week of entries on your self-evaluation log.

How did your lead artist end the encounter?

What rituals did they use?

Did you feel the project "ended well" for both you and the other dancers?

Was there anything missing from this ending?

How is the ending planned?

A gentle reminder:

Part of ending well is about not raising unrealistic expectations: you may find participants wanting, for example, to meet for coffee or perhaps asking you to dance with them in the future. Try not to raise expectations which you may find afterwards you are unable to keep. You are in this project in a capacity as a student at The Place and it is held by your lead artist, so I ask you not to make independent arrangements with participants which are not communicated, and if necessary negotiated, with both me and your lead artist. We have a duty of care towards you and the participants and complex relationships between partner organisations within which your encounter sits.

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COMMUNITY COMMISSIONS FESTIVAL REFLECTION 

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COMMUNITY COMMISSIONS FESTIVAL REFLECTION 

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REFERENCES, BIBLIOGRAPHY

Making sense of collective events : The co-creation of a research based dance. (FORUM QUALITATIVE SOZIALFORSCHUNG SOCIAL RESEARCH)

https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1525/3143

What is Co-creation? (CREATIVE COMMUNITIES UK)

https://creativecommunities.uk/what-is-co-creation/

Jo Parkes : Introduction to Participation, Communities and Activism

https://theplace.org.uk/study-redirect/post-graduate-courses/ma-dance-participation-communities-activism

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REFERENCES, BIBLIOGRAPHY

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This session was quite fun and interesting to me as it was working with the Vietnamese ladies who have been based in London for awhile. I think that this project would be more of a co-creation project where the participants would be quite active in giving their opinions about what they would like to do. The whole session was really eye opening as I managed to see how Lizzie, the main artist was able to easily understand and communicate with the ladies although there was a language barrier. It was interesting to see how she used other communicative ways like sign language and gestures to explain things to each other. Overall, it was a cool session where I got to learn that you do not need to necessarily be speaking the same language to have a successful collaboration.