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How do you draw a line from opportunists activist from those fighting for the common good because some are used by others to fight for them?

By Narice Ninyesiga

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This week, we read an interesting article that basically argued the Occupy Wallstreet movement was more a performative/theatrical way to make people reflect on power structures in our society, rather than a protest with a strategy and  a goal.
The article even mentioned that it could even be a symbol to motivate other more concrete movements.....and compared this to how art transforms people's psyche and tries to make us reflect.
What do you personally think art's role is in activism? Or how would you most like to work intertwining these fields?

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I feel as though artivism rarely has clear immediate effects. While it can be effective in creating social change, the effect of it might not be immediately traced back to the the artwork (if that makes sense). First of all, would you agree with this statement, and secondly, do you think the fact that artivism doesn’t produce clear, immediate results prevents people from partaking in it? E.g. one might rather put one’s effort into something that will produce clear-cut results, rather than something vague along the lines of gradually changing people’s mindsets. I hope this question makes sense and look forward to hearing you talk on Monday!

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Is it possible to separate art and activism, as some central ideas of art is to challenge the status quo, see things from a different perspective, or expressing feelings (commonly negative, thus critiquing various issues)? How can art/artists become mainstream without having to cater to the music/movie industries or gallery curates that are controlled by the wealthy who's main interest is how well the art sells rather than the quality of the art?

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Could you please share some ideas on how civil society especially in non-democracies can better champion the alignment of cultural sectors to better support artivism.

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One of the problems with using art to try to make social change is that art is something that the primary consumers of art are the elite, while activism is something that needs to target the lower class as well. How can one address this when trying to undertake artivism?

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I am very glad to hear your story in the next lecture! I am ashamed to say but honestly this is the first time to hear the word ‘artivism.’ I am just wondering how did you first get into artivism although there must be other methods to convey one’s feeling. And also what do you think of the clearness of the message included in the art? I think people can interpret the art in a different way so they will receive different messages from it, which affects people both in positive and negative way.

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I like the idea of using ART for change. One question which is raised in my head is that to what extent should and could ART be made with an specific agenda for it to be remain ART with a message, rather than an idéa or a message conveyed through ART as a means of PR. Isn't modern marketing and ways of promoting products through ART? through media and magazines? I have for long thought about the need for the "Bernays" doctrine to be applied for Environmental Cause. To use the doctrine (or the fuel(PR) of Capitalism) which triggered the consumer society. Use the same fuel to drive the motto and message of sustainability.

(P.s. Edward Bernays was the nephew of S. Freud who is considered to be among the pioneers of marketing as shown in The Century of the Self:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s

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The Century of the Self (Full Adam Curtis Documentary)

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Artivism, like any tool, can be misused. Perhaps to spread hatred towards people of a certain religion/sexual orientation/skin colour through caricatures or other types of artistic ways of communicating a message. Another thing is the way some may use artivism to put their messages on display on public places, where people cannot avoid to see it. The similarity to marketing here should be discussed, in the sense that a message (of how to act, how to be etc.) is forced on people without their consent.

How do you reason around these ethical considerations of artivism? Do you believe there should be any limits to the freedom of expression in this sense, any "code of conduct" or something like that?

Thank you very much,
Josefine

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Really interesting subject, and I appreciate that you come talk to us.

What are your thoughts on the negative side effects that artivism can have? Like justifying terrible actions by calling them art?

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What do you think is the biggest success/ social change Artivism has created?

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Hi Lisa,

Thank you for joining us on Monday! I am curious what your suggestions are to people for making artivism more attainable? For me personally, as someone who is not an artist, it seems like a community whose goals may be similar but whose approach is so different that it can be difficult to understand each other and organize together.  Additionally, how do you feel you strike a balance in practicing art as activism without it becoming propaganda?
Looking forward to meeting you!

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My impression is that certain activist movements, or atleast activities connected to these movements, have tendency of hurting the cause rather than actually helping it. When some of the more passionate people on one side of an argument take action, this may result in activities that alienate people of differing views rather than conveying the importance of change.

Can you think of any artivist occurrences that may have been delegitimizing the actual cause? i feel like this may be extra prevalent in artivism as art as a standalone concept can be quite alienating. Add that to a controversial topic and I would presume that there can be occurences where artivists, although with good intentions, end up shooting themselves in the foot.

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"Freedom of expression remains under threat, and despite our most valiant efforts, artists and writers continue to be targeted for expressing their views in both democratic and totalitarian societies."

I would like to discuss the freedom of expression. I read an interesting article in DN by Bengt Ohlsson where he wrote that today, you can't say anything without someone feeling attacked. Everything has to be 'politically correct'. What are your thought on this? Should artists be able to express themselves in any way they want? If not, who decides what's appropriate and what's not?

Thank you!

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"Understanding art’s efficacy as a driver for social change is undeniably complex and wrought with confounding variables, but that difficulty shouldn’t disrupt a useful, if not necessary, conversation."

The meaning of art pieces are commonly open to interpretation. in a movement like Artivism where the meaning is so important I would like to know if there are any instances where pieces have been misinterpreted and if so, the results of this.

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I felt that joining Artivism seemed tough for me. How do you increase your members?

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TEDx talk with Lisa talking about the capacity of art, especially within theatre, to create a platform to imagine/talk about reshaping democracy and sharing each others dreams/fears about the future and climate change.
Really inspiring!

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Who cares about democracy? | Dougald Hine & Lisa Farnström | TEDxUppsalaUniversity

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In all honesty I am a bit confused by the motivation behind Disobedience Live. After visiting their website, I am still having issues with the movement and the type of image it is trying to project. Perhaps, this has something to do with the way their videos are edited, but no clear arguments are put forward in order to justify their actions and their disobedience. I do no mean to undermine the issue, but it seems to me that the clips showcase young adults confronting authorities and then "bragging" about it in tents in the evening. I feel like this particular image of activism, where individuals confront authorities, is not beneficial for the movement since it reenforces a negative public image of it.

Thus, I would like to have clarifications about the agenda pushed forward by the Disobedience Live movement and its targeted audience.

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I was wondering if what way you think that art can compliment or be better than other tools for change? What can can  art give that is not possible when using other tools?

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I am curious about how you define democracy and how you would draw the line to be disobedient in relation to democracy.
Thank you!

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Im curious as to how much impact you believe artivism has on creating change in relation to other forms of activism.  Do you agree with the statement that 'Artivism is a formula that raises more questions than answers'?

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I was wondering about how powerful artivism is. Whether it can transform other people who is associated with art but not being an activism (ignore about the society), to change their mind and explore their relationship with the society.

Thank you

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This is more of a personal question, but I was wondering what your experience with artivism has been and whether or not it could be used as a tool to motivate younger populations? It seems like younger people in society now rely heavily on visual media, I'm thinking smartphones etc. In your opinion do you think this creates an opening for artivism to flourish as a way of generating social change?

Thanks

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I was thinking about art creating change, an idea I love, but one main issue came to mind; even if a wealth of art is made to engender activism and societal change, how can we direct people's attention to it? So much of art seems to have become a niche interest in the modern era, and many people have little interest or even awareness of it - how do we change that?

Thank you!

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Hi Lisa,
Artist has the oportunities to spread messages when they perform on their stage/scen as on the theater/opera house/shows, galleries/museums, musicians in their songs etc.

What other means, actions and role do dedicated Artivists take to spread messages.

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My question is somewhat related to Lilly's as I was wondering how art can become accessible to the whole of society. Art is often seen as something exclusive because of their visibility (in galleries or museums), price and allure. How do you make sure that art in general and in relation to this course the art which (potentially) triggers social movements and activism reaches a wider audience? Do you believe that social media, or public funding, or alternative exhibitions led by the artists could help? Would you then also support additional educatio on art in ground/high schools in order to get a better grasp on the meaning of art?

Looking forward to Monday!

Esmée

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Dear Lisa,
How do you think social media has impacted artivism? Do you think it has increased activism as art due to more people being able to showcase their work? Or does it just serve to distract people from the main issue at hand, and dilute the impact of activism as people feel satisfied with just giving someone a like/follow without acting further?

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Thanks for visiting us!
I assume all artists work with the idea that their art is being interpreted differently by different people. Can there be an element of interpretation in artivism or do you think it needs to be performed in a way that it send a very clear message?

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Hey Lisa,
I was wondering what you would consider as important features of art to become an influential element in social change.
Thank you!

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Dear Lisa,

How can artivism be incorporated into the wider society and be made visible/available to a greater audience. Perhaps the people that need most to see this form of activism are the least likely to see it it (if you consider that usually this artwork is confined to art galleries and exhibitions. How can artist become more widespread, without seeming like propaganda?

Thank you for your time!

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Thank you for taking your time to talk to us. i was wondering if you think Artivism alone can create social change or is it more of a passive and complementary tool? Thank you