Bursting the Bubble: connecting with communities making culture on their own terms (2014)

BURSTING THE BUBBLEConnecting with people making culture on their own terms

@timj0nesabout.me/timj0nes

Arts & Audiences Conference, Reykjavik, Oct 2014

innovation in“community

arts”

innovation in“community (using the)

arts”

‘communities’ and boxes

3 challenges: 3 projects

it’s all (post) digital now

CHALLENGE 1: COMMUNITY LED CREATIVITY

NODE.LONDONusing digital to build cultural

infrastructure

• a month long city-wide season of art & technology events

• networked, open, distributed, events• 90+ volunteer organisers (artists, producers,

venues, mavericks)• no centralised curation• volunteers worked only on aspects of the project

they were motivated to• no voting – consensus based approach• model adopted by NODE.Stockholm (2008)

SEASON OF MEDIA ARTS LONDON, March 2006

• 450 events• 40 venues, from major cultural institutions to

grassroots• print catalogue, ‘central’ website, publication• huge boost to networking and resource awareness• audiences ‘beyond the fold’?

CHALLENGE 2: USER CENTRED DESIGN

THE POTLUCKmixing food, art & creativity for intercultural placemaking

CHICAGO

urban geography, race/ethnicity

harnessing the potential of the

‘intercultural neighbourhood’

we think that to bring neighbourhoods together

FOOD JUST WORKS

it’s a fun and popular wayto explore themes of

CULTUREPLACE

IDENTITYMIGRATION

the ingredients

FOOD SHARING EVENTSinviting dialogue about neighbourhood futures

1

proactive inclusivity as a design principle

everyone is welcomed to the table

TRAININGin creative/artistic community activism

2

so forming local practitioner groups committed to

inclusive neighbourhood development

we’ve worked with 35 artists/activists and our events have reached

thousands of local people

an interactive installation at the Smart Museum of Contemporary Art

Audience 80,0001,700 public contributions

A NETWORK OF PARTNERS

• Columbia College• The Jane Addams Hull House

Museum• The Inspiration Kitchen• Dorchester Projects• En Las Tablas Performing Arts

Center

Potluck: Chicago has been established as a sustainable collective

CHALLENGE 3: ENTERPRISE

MULTIWALKS www.multiwalks.com@multiwalks

inspired by global mass migration and urbanisation

• a free mobile app offering neighbourhood walks by migrant artists (Italy, Norway, UK)

• a workflow to create more walks

• a ‘@Diversity’ award from the European Commission

collaborating withBusiness Improvement Districts

(BIDs) to develop the Local Visitor Economy

revealing coexistent stories of place to encourage emergent forms of tourism

using a digital platform to invent socially engaged

street art

• street art murals reflecting historical figures from the history and politics of Reggio Emilia, Italy

• young people from migrant backgrounds interviewing local residents to provide media content for the app

BONUS CHALLENGE

persistent platforms and frameworksbeyond ‘pond to pond’ funding

SOME FOCUSSING QUESTIONS

how can we make more inclusive and representative the ways we bring together

communities, artists, producers, technologists?

how can we give communities ‘producer power’

as well as the benefits of participation?

what changes in our institutions do we want?aims: structure: make up: programme:

partnerships

what changes to financing structures

are needed for greater impactand to support greater social

change?

what ideas and approaches might engage artists

with the potential of social creativity

in new and important ways?

how can we routinely build digital ‘ladders of

participation’ into projects and

programmes?

thank you for taking part!

@timj0nesabout.me/timj0nes