Art as Social Practice is a programme for artists of all disciplines who want to situate and expand their practice within social fields. How can artistic practices connect with the concerns of cultural, socio-cultural and political education and their existing pedagogical and systemic dimensions? How can we generate and weave alternative knowledge in collective artistic processes?
The programme invites participants to discuss the hopes and challenges of artistic processes in social practices together with other practitioners and guest lecturers, and to imagine future forms of working and relating across different groups of knowledge.
Art as social practice takes place in a variety of constellations and moves within different political and social contexts and their specific conditions. Exemplary fields of work are collaborations with schools and daycare centres, neighbourhood work, artistic work with different age and interest groups, actionist interventions and many more. Initiating and moderating participation and collaboration as artistic processes in these different contexts requires not only a high degree of sensitivity and interprofessional understanding from artists, but also a great deal of inventiveness in order to encounter different settings and groups of knowledge.
The programme invites artists who already have some initial experience working artistically in social fields or cultural education. In the framework of five dialogue-oriented modules, the programme offers the opportunity to learn from and with guest lecturers from different contexts of cultural, socio-cultural and socio-political work and to exchange ideas about their own practices and disciplines. In addition to studying transferable skills and teaching tools and strategies, the programme aims to stimulate exchange and networking between arts practitioners and (para-)institutional structure and to create a platform for collaboration. As a complement to an artistic Master's degree or an artistic practice recognised as equivalent, Art as Social Practice imparts knowledge and (self-)awareness to enable artists to cooperate on an equal footing and responsibly with actors and institutions of societal and social contexts as well as within fields of cultural education.
Art as Social Practice is being initiated and supported by Crespo Foundation and offered by the Hessian Theatre Academy and the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts in dialogue with the Hessian art academies and is aimed at artists of all disciplines. In distinction to a formal degree, the programme serves as a platform for exchange and networking in an experimental sense, enabling free discourse with experts and colleagues and equipping artists with more self-confidence and ability to act in cooperation with educational and art institutions.
Art as Social Practice will be launched for the first time in October 2023 as a pilot programme. Between October 2023 and March 2024 participants will meet in the context of five modules lasting several days (see below for dates) at various locations in Frankfurt, Hesse and the surrounding area. Suitable accommodation will be provided and travel expenses will be reimbursed as part of a lump sum. Between the modules there will be a series of awareness-raising trainings (online) as well as independent work on artistic project designs.
Dates:
MODULE 1 (LISTENING) 27. - 29.10.2023 / GEBHARDSHÜTTE, ODENWALD
with Anna Lublina, Jia Jia Chen & Scott McCulloch
Any collective practice requires the willingness and ability to actively listen. How can we learn to listen to each other better? Besides getting to know each other, part of the first module will be the deepening into listening as an artistic practice. Also a community agreement will be written together, which will be the basis of the joint work within the program.
MODULE 2 (CONTEXTS) 16 - 19.11.2023 / FRANKFURT AM MAIN
with Jelena Fužinato, Boiling Room & Guests from the Frankfurt-Context
Module 2 is dedicated to the examination of different fields where art as social practice can take place. What does it mean to work in different contexts and with different groups of knowledge? How do I position myself, and what do I have to consider from this position, what is helpful to know? With the help of the invited guest speakers, a deeper understanding of some contexts will be developed.
MODULE 3 (STRATEGIES) 14 - 17.12.2023 / FRANKFURT AM MAIN
with Sarah Parolin & Maria F. Scaroni
The third module explores the logistics of artistic practice in social contexts and introduces solidarity-based strategies, alliances and actors that enable freelance artistic work across disciplines, borders, and social groups. What practices can grow under which conditions? What do we need to meet the needs that arise from these conditions? And in turn, how can we create other conditions with the practices we establish?
MODULE 4 (IN-DEPTH STUDIES) 17-21.1.2024 / PERFORMING ARTS FORUM ST. ERME, FRANCE
with Alessandra Pomarico
Artistic practice in the social is not a self-sufficient exercise, but takes place in a number of political and social contexts and their respective specific conditions. Working with different contexts entails contact with unfamiliar routines and systematics. Therefore, artists who want to share their practice with others are required to be sensitive to worlds of experience outside their own. In module 4 we take a closer look at methodologies and how to check one's own practice to prevent the reproduction of harmful systems of appropriation and exploitation.
MODULE 5 (CONCLUSION) 8 - 10.3.2024 / KUNSTHOCHSCHULE KASSEL
with Marilú Mapengo Námoda
What do we wish for our future ways of working and relating? In the last module we take a look into the future. This gives participants the opportunity to discuss their ideas and visions once again in the safer space of the program and to connect to the program's growing networks.
1/ 08.11.2023 17.00/ EASY LANGUAGE (DE)
with Wanda Dubrau in German
Easy language is a simplification of language defined by a set of rules. It is intended to enable better comprehensibility for people with cognitive impairment or a learning disability, but also for people who are in the process of learning a language. Wanda will give an insight into the rules of easy language and participants will write their own short texts.
2/ 22.11.2023 17.00/ IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS AND ALT TEXTS (DE)
with Fabian Korner and Wanda Dubrau in German
Image descriptions allow blind and visually impaired people to access pictorial representations (such as photos or graphics) through descriptions. These descriptions follow a certain logic, which we will present in the workshop. We will create image descriptions ourselves and enter into a dialogue about them.
3/ 29.11.2023 18.00/ TRANSAWARENESS (EN)
with Gendered Intelligence in English
How can we raise awareness about trans* issues and improve best practices for inclusion of trans* people? In this session, Gendered Intelligence will explain what "trans" means and describe the diversity of those who use the term, introduce key concepts critical to understanding trans people, and identify ways we can work toward being inclusive of trans people.
4/ 20.12.2023 17.00/ CLASSISMS (DE)
with Francis Seeck in German
Discrimination based on class origin and class membership fundamentally defines our society. Classism limits access to housing, educational attainment, health care, power, participation, recognition, and money. The workshop will introduce this often forgotten form of discrimination. It will also address the question: How does classism manifest itself in the cultural sphere, and what can we do about it?
5/ 24.01.2024 13:00/ AWARENESS-RAISING WORKSHOP ON RACISM (EN)
with Nava Zarabian und Sarah Wiederhold (Bildungsstätte Anne Frank) in English
6/ 31.01.2024 13:00/AWARENESS-RAISING WORKSHOP ON ANTISEMITISM (EN)
with Bijan Razavi und Sebastian Nebel (Bildungsstätte Anne Frank) in English
To participate, please apply with the following documents:
The application can be submitted in writing (as one pdf document not exceeding 10 MB) or as an audio or video message. If you are submitting videos or audios, upload them to Vimeo or YouTube or SoundCloud and send us the respective links. Please send your application documents to bewerbung_at_kunstalssozialepraxis.de.
The next round of applications is expected to begin in May 2024.
Where possible and necessary, suitable accommodation will be provided and travel costs to attend the modules will be reimbursed. The programme will take place in German and English spoken language as agreed. The venues are still being planned and will be wheelchair accessible if possible. Unlearning ableist and discriminatory structures is part of the curriculum; nevertheless, the programme still acts in a world that continues to dis-able. We rely on feedback to break down existing barriers. If you need assistance or support, or have questions about or feedback on accessibility, please be in touch via info_at_kunstalssozialepraxis.de.
Frida Laux
T: 069.154007-573
E: frida.laux_at_hfmdk-frankfurt.de
Janka Visky
T: 069.154007-573
E: janka.visky_at_hfmdk-frankfurt.de