The Object is the Subject

Following on from my previous blog entry I feel I can now explain a little better the purpose of Free.Art and my intentions with this project.

You could say I have an interest in recycling and green issues, and this has had some influence on my artistic practice. But also I have always been interested in how politics and industry have shaped our lives. However, to cut a long story short I shall summarise for you my concept and thinking behind this project.

Firstly, I was inspired by the idea that the interactions between people can be viewed as aesthetic objects (see my first blog entry) in an art context - meetings, events, interventions etc. This explanation is a summary of a more complex concept called Relational Aesthetics (Nicolas Bouuriaud) and is said to work well for community regeneration projects because it is an approach which can involve cultural activity and community involvement and creates interactions that are outside of the usual exchanges we experience as consumers in contemporary society and can help to rebuild bonds between people through shared experiences.

I thought about how I could introduce more people in Colchester, and beyond, to the artistic process in an interactive way that was thought-provoking and engaging. Secondly, I kind of merged this with Karl Marx's notion that art is the 'absolute merchandise' because its value is represented by its own image - i.e. art is worth what we see in it - it is not a commodity that has a price (exchange value) that is indicative of the amount of 'abstract labour' that went into it.

The result of this merger was that through the up-cycling of everyday objects obtained on the Colchester Freecycle network - a network that functions outside of the usual exchanges we experience as consumers - I could firstly re-introduce meaning and value back into objects that have lost any value for their owners, through studying their physical properties.

Secondly, I wanted to create a scenario whereby I could invite the kind donors of Freecycle to participate in my art work by attending an exhibition at christmas and opening presents I have made for them using the free materials they gave me. Hence, they can meet and discuss these objects and their new manifestations as works of art and perhaps form new friendships and learn more about my artistic practice and why I'm doing what I do.

The reason I chose to exhibit this work partly in a gallery space is to recognise the political sigificance of the gallery system in providing a space where good art can be viewed by all, and to recognise its relevance to our heritage and cultural life. However, my work is also online because in this domain it has more potential to be acessible to more people, whether the gallery is open or not, and will live on after the exhibition comes down.

Also, central to my idea is that I believe tht art can and should be free - free to be whatever it can be, free to create, to think and to breath life into our daily lives without being heavily reliant on funding or sponsorship wherever possible.
Art to me is about creativity and ideas, and good ideas are free, so we should share them to help envision our world in new and better ways. This art is free; the materials used to make it are all free, the information and links to other information are free and this blog was made for free - only my time and energy creating the products and learning new skills has been the cost for me - plus my travel expenses - so its all good.

So, there you have it, my idea in a nutshell - believe me, the written proposal and the 30 minute presentation I had to do to accompany it were a touch harder to compose! AND I would really appreciate any comments anyone has on my work as I'd love to incorporate any criticisms or ideas anyone has about my work so I can make my process as interactive as possible!

As you have probably noticed already there are a number of diaries I am updating regularly on the right hand side, which are links to those pages, so you can read about my project and my process as and when it happens - or whenever in the future you might come accross any of them.
This is my main page and here I will be contemplating and conceptualising my ideas as I read and experience contemporary art practices, galleries, exhibitions, meetings, events and day to day phenomena that inspires my thoughts, so feel free to give me feedback and tell me about your thoughts too. Plus if you get the chance please do come and see the exhibition that my MA colleagues and I will be putting on for four weeks in December (2009) at The Minories art gallery on Elm road, Colchester, Essex.