THE COMMISSIONING PROGRAMME 57
‘SOCIAL WORKS? LIVE’
In addition to the Workshops and Get Togethers, a festival of
social art was held in April 2019 at Manchester School of Art.
It attracted approximately 100 participants including artists,
arts organisation representatives, academics and members
of the public and involved 11 new commissions. Its aim was to
facilitate open discussion amongst social practitioners and to
share difficulties and ideas about best practice, while simultaneously
showcasing some of the possibilities presented by
working socially.
We commissioned 11 artists to be ‘stallholders’ at the event,
each showcasing ideas and practice through performances and
interactive sessions. Together we explored the ways in which
— by working in the open — we can share and shape new possibilities
previously unseen or imagined. The artists were Eva
He, gobscure, Harald Smykla, Jaron Hill, Lady Kitt & Louise
Brown, Leslie Thompson, Mark Prest, Rabab Ghazoul, Rosalie
Schweiker, Sharon Bennett & Sarah Dixon (The Women’s Art
Activation System) and Social Art Network. Jody Wood (A Blade
of Grass, U.S.) made a live contribution via the instant messaging
platform, Slack.
I didn’t know what to expect but I went with it and
got lost in lots of interesting and varied actions
and discussions. A great mix!
Participant: ‘Social Works? Live’
Eva He
Eva presented the receipt printer chatroom
analog, ‘LOOO’ — a computer keyboard of
limited word-keys connected to a thermal
printer that instantly prints out user-generated
messages, offering commentary on the
current chaos of the socio-political climate.
https://madeinartslondon.com/pages/eva-he
gobscure
gobscure came in the guise of Mary
Wollstonecraft, the feminist, internationalist
and pamphleteer who was written off
200 years ago as a hyena in petticoats for
being mad, bad, rad and bi. Participants were
invited to sketch a map depicting a personal
journey onto Mary’s petticoat.
https://www.nudgingmeteors.space
Harald Smykla
Harald presented the temporary bureau
for C.R.E.H.A (Centre for Research into
Emotional Hygiene through Art), a performative
research project investigating the
emotional impact of art. Participants were
invited to recreate and process their memories
of significant, emotionally charged art
experiences in any kind in order to answer
the question — can art move you?
http://www.creativebd.org.uk/artistcommissions/harald-smykla/
Jaron Hill
Jaron collected ideas and submissions for the
second issue of HERM, the zine for a queer
arts collective based between West Yorkshire
and London. The aim of Jaron’s stall was
to interrogate and deconstruct the notion
that London represents the creative epicentre
for the UK, by providing space for creative
and open discussion that validates and
empowers people from diverse backgrounds,
including those who do not identify as artists
or designers.
https://www.jesson-hill.com