Committing Voice: Interdisciplinary Art in a New Millennium
artistic practice
my artistic practice - this sounds like one of those containers that tries
to categorize my doing. i am an interdisciplinary artist as andreas kahre
defines:
...interdisciplinary practice is more like traversing a
landscape... even if part of that landscape is already 'owned' by others. It is
a condition of art-making in which the boundaries of established forms are not
so much broken as they are ignored.
as an artist, we are all loaded with desire of
self-expression, of others' expression, of connection, of healing - the past,
the present, the future. healing my / our wounds ... i am a
political-linguistico-mystic skeptic. as a french canadian immigrant, i feel as
though my linguistical obstacle has brought me to reflect on the concepts of
linguistics, and in elaborating my own theory of translation. from a place of
insecurity, i have grown to understand better the concepts of power, and found
a creative way to navigate between all these things... i define myself by the
pushing / pulling / negotiating of the boundaries [linguistic, physical, disciplinistic...]
project description
i have found that my artistic practice, and my emotional well-being - needed
the support of a community, of artists that could relate to my negotiation of
boundaries - which was the starting point for the principles of my practicum:
an interdisciplinary arts conference that would provide a safe space for
interdisciplinary artists to share, challenge [in the supportive sense] each
other. thus came the mission of the conference: Based on a participatory model of learning, this
event seeks to actively question the notion of "expert and audience"
by inviting all participants to engage in dialogue as both artists and as
citizens. Participants will be encouraged to share their unique perspective,
present and discuss their own work, and benefit from the feedback of a
supportive audience of peers.
this conference was somewhat experimental as it was designed to bring
together goddardites and other interdisciplinary artists together, in hopes
that they could all share and speak the same language regardless of their
different approaches to interdisciplinarity and the arts. the conference
consisted of three full days of workshops, with a total of 11 workshops /
presentations. we had received about eighteen proposals, of which we had to
select what we felt were the more diverse and stimulating ones. their forms
varied greatly, from formal presentations to hands-on workshops, from
performances to an interview of carol becker. they included titles such as:
"bringing voice - templates for activism," "the
complexity and ethics of community-based work," "tea garden - a
sanctuary [...]," "l'espace traversé," "quantum
gestures," "body sight/site" etc.
of course, the whole time, there was the doubt: what if no one came to my
great big party? - a risk that we all take in a practicum, but which is
really a mirror of our practices- isn't art-making a never ending risk? this
anxiety peaked three hours before the conference opening. "why did i have
to do this? couldn't i just make something simple once in my life? etc."
[in other words, stage fright!]
as i had chosen to design a conference in the form of a
"community-based art project,", it was important for me to receive
feedback - this would ensure the continuity of a satisfying event for
participants. the closing session of the conference brought me very positive
feedback, and enthusiasm at the idea of organizing another conference the
following year. i also distributed a survey and gathered comments:
- A very inspiring (and relaxing) week. [...] Although the
conference was worth every penny, it would be good to have some sort of
financial aid in the future.
- This was a very good event and I appreciate the effort
in bringing this group together. I think the format [...] has great potential.
- It would be great to have some space to share with
others personal work in a not so formal way.
what i learned
i am realizing more and more that sometimes, there
just aren't any words to encompass experience. but if i absolutely had to put a
word on the experience, i would have to say ... i've learned to...
trust-the-process-even-if-it's-painful [and goddardites will laugh here, ...
but it's really true. even in the most painful experiences - anxiety about
continuity, and letting go-, there is sometimes interesting insight to be found.
after thoughts
in times of doubt, i wondered if this conference would have
a continuity. and it will. i am currently working, with collaborators, on a
second conference, which will have the following as a theme: As interdisciplinary practitioners, we are nomads,
traversing the borders and boundaries of disciplines. As we travel, we
challenge the parameters of disciplines, creating new thresholds for dialogue.
We are often defined by the boundaries we break. How do we map ourselves as a
community of interdisciplinary practitioners and citizens within the new
territory we have created?
