codex_urbanite socially engaged art karen profilio unsw 20/6/2014
TRANSCRIPT
what is socially engaged art?
• projects that are designed to intervene in life, not just to imitate it
• projects that are designed to develop creativity and collaboration in and beyond the classroom often involving geographic and/or cultural distances
• a way to build artistic networks in recognition of our increasingly connected world
what is socially engaged art?
• projects deemed innovative because they broaden the concept of ‘creative practice’
• projects that transport students in their artmaking, beyond their experience in the classroom
• projects where students conduct public interventions to explore the power of their learning to communicate meaning
what is socially engaged art?
• projects that extend conventional understanding of the artists’ practices and relationships within the agencies of the artworld
• projects that focus on collaborative and real world practices
• projects that utilise social and digital networks as part of students’ artistic practice
>>codex_timeline
• Google 1998• New syllabus 2001 > conceptual framework
• NSGHS 2001 > new ideas/clientele
• Book Crossing 2001• Facebook 2004• Blogging 2005• You Tube 2005• PostSecret 2005• Live Journal 2005• NAEA (joined) 2006• Twitter 2006• Tumblr 2007• Instagram 2010• Pinterest 2010
influences & projects
• NAEA Chicago 2006
• Slices of 7 2006
• NAEA NYC 2007
• NAEA NYC 2012
• Dandelion Deeds 2013
• ESA Turin 2013
• codex_urbanite 2014
Slices of 7Mail Art for the 21stCentury
• Postcards were assembled from student works
• Students were asked to post them overseas to family and friends, to gather material for their art works
• These cards were also distributed at the NAEA conference in Chicago and at Columbia University NYC in 2006
• A variety of material was collected and each student was required to use some of the posted material in their art works
Slices of 7Mail Art for the 21stCentury
• Students had to present a series of 7 works that represented a journey. Material from overseas contributions must be included in the works
• All “slices” were the same size (21x14.5 cm) and were presented in landscape format
• Students had to “justify” their works and their decisions in an artist’s statement
• Works were photographed and the website was constructed by one of the students
Ways forward..
• I extended this initial project in a number of ways:– Students made Artist’s Trading Cards and swapped
them locally and internationally
– We participated in a mail art exhibition in Manchester, England. We contributed works themed “I LOVE MY CITY: urban identities ” and they were displayed online and in the University gallery
– I have become a member of many Mail Art websites and forums, they are many opportunities here for extension of the project
– Participated in The Interdependence Hexagon Project in the USA; a Regeneration project post 9/11
why
• to encourage communication through chance exchanges in urban settings
• to raise awareness of how technology + traditional communication = rich[er] contact
• to reawaken an appreciation for our natural environment, encouraging sustainability
• to map interpersonal interactions
how – artmaking
1.drawing + hybrids
2.postcards + truisms + QR codes
3.interventions – 3 city locations
4.ecology boxes – return summary
TRUE BEAUTY IS FROM WITHIN
Carnation - Distinction
Gladiolus – Strength of character
Hibiscus – Rare and delicate beauty
Orchid – Refined beauty
reference
• Watch Hannah Gadsby’s Oz Ep 1
• On ivew
• Pay particular attention to her ideas about identity and the links to place
• Think about your personal links to place –here and possibly overseas
your task
• You are to make a postcard
• This will be multi layered
• The order of layering is your decision
• It will include text/story about a “secret” place either in Sydney or a place that you have a direct link to e.g. the town your grandparents reside in China/Japan/Korea/India etc
• The text will be written in more than one language and will be “coded”
your task
• You will develop the code
• The message may be rendered as a symbol
• It will include a map
• It will include cut out and/or torn sections to reveal the message/s
• A QR code will de-code your text and alphabet
• It will be completed in full colour
many more references…• http://www.theloop.com.au/mrseaves/project/162075 PURE font
• http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/01/new-portraits-drawn-on-maps-by-ed-fairburn/ Ed Fairburn
• https://maptia.com/ Maps and stories online
• http://www.debutart.com/illustration/alan-kitching/13347#/illustration-portfolioFont shapes
• http://www.sydneyspiritstalkers.com/haunted-areas.html Place with spirit stories
• http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories-histories Sydney Historic stories
• http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ World Heritage sites
• http://www.buzzfeed.com/emmyf/10-secret-sites-of-new-york-city Secret sites of NYC
• http://www.sydney.com/things-to-do/arts-and-culture/history-of-sydney/heritage-buildings-and-architecture Historic spaces in Sydney
• http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/facts.htm Unusual facts about Sydney
• PINTEREST http://www.pinterest.com/karenprofilio/art-references/
• http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-street-scribbles-tell-a-secret-story-20131120-2xvci.html Street Scribbles article
• http://m-i-s-o.com/work/2013-bright-night-sky/ m_i_s_o
Portrait in Words grows up…
• Reference Xu Bing’s calligraphy
• Reference Rosalie Gascoigne’s deconstructed text
website
• We decided that rather than just use a text message through the QR code we would link to personal pages on a purpose built website
• Each postcard has a QR code that will direct users to the ‘explanation’ page
• QR codes created from free QR generator websites and saved as jpegs
the results
• http://codex-urbanite.weebly.com/
the results
in conclusion student quotes
• “Socially engaged art” enables interaction with the audience intellectually and emotionally
• It asks the audience to do more than observe but to engage with the work
• I think it was useful, I’ve never done anything like it before and think my unfamiliar experience is enriching
• I particularly enjoyed talking with our audience and observing them as they reacted to our art
• It’s a different level of engagement, a connection to your work….to share a close personal experience with a large audience
in conclusion student quotes
• It was useful as we could engage with a wider audience outside school, about our ideas
• Different and really taught us about interacting with the public to express concepts and ideas
• …it allowed us as the artist, to engage ourselves with the audience
• …it forced you to really understand your concept and then express it to the audience
• Participating in the intervention pushes you to improve!
in conclusion
• Ideas come from many and strange places
• They develop on a continuum which may not be linear but piecemeal
• It is up to you to be ‘open’ to influences and opportunities
• Use all your experiences and interests to inform your projects
• Try new things move forward and grow!
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codex_urbanite
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• Visit our websites codex_urbanite
http://codex-urbanite.weebly.com/
Slices of 7 http://web2.northsydgi-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/public/custom/Slicesof7/about.html
Dandelion Deeds
http://dandeliondeeds.blogspot.com.au/
contact
Karen Profilio
North Sydney Girls High School
365 Pacific Highway
Crows Nest, NSW, 2065
9922 6666