How lovely to revisit the beautiful campus at NIAS, with its cool arches and vibrant blossoms… It was, as always, such a pleasure to be there.
We got deep into the practicalities this morning, with occasional digressions to discuss questions such as –
Why is there often less emphasis on learning through artwork than teaching through it?
What are the effects of alerting people to the unexpected qualities of an area – does this tend to preserve or destroy it? Does art pave the way for gentrification, as some have suggested (here as well as elsewhere?)
How is local art entangled and engaged with politics on a wider scale? Is it possible to separate the local from the national? How do we engage with this in a non-threatening way?
How can the artworks empower the audience member, rather than making them vulnerable in public space?
And then back to more mundane issues in terms of timetabling, spaces, clarifications to be made and how many to invite.
Here we are, standing in a line, as is our custom at the end of a meeting…
Performing the Periphery 