Collaboration, Community and Networks

Part of the principles of BAPP are networks and collaboration. (These are ideas that carry across the whole course.) 

In this course part of the idea of networks involves collaboration. But this is also a larger shift in thinking in terms of how we construct what interaction in society should look like or how we construct our Western history. 

Darwin offered a world of survival of the fittestwhich mirrored the Regency and Victorian period of empire building of his lifetime. What if we let go of the *metaphor of fighting that we use in so many descriptions of ideas and replaced it with collaboration.

Below Howard Rheingold explores how we can readjust to see history (and present day) from a metaphor of 'working together'rather than 'survival of the fittest'. I think this is really important because art is often involved in activism that brings people together through making together. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Working in a show or part of a cast also rely on cooperation, so as artists we are very familiar with the idea in our professional work but how can we learn from those professional situations of collaboration? How is collaboration a part of your practice?  What ethical considerations does the principle of collaboration raise in a creative process?

To push this idea further: The idea of cooperation is explored in many artists’ processes. Art activism often uses the idea of making something together as a way to value and highlight community. I feel collaboration has a part in the map of an artists practice. Where is collaboration in your practice, in your inquiry, in your field of work?

Does your experience in the network of the BAPP learning community mirror experiences in your professional practice? Are you bringing assumptions about working togetherfrom BAPP to your Practice or the other way around? 

Here is a video talk about collaboration and the work of a poet who uses collaboration as part of process. If you asked yourself how to collaborate each time you started a creative process or entered a teaching situation, what interesting ethical considerations does it raise - different for each situation I would think. In this way collaboration could be seen as a principle for learning not just an organising tool. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmQVNE-MbKI

What do you feel? Comment below...

*An interesting book to look at on metaphor is LAKOFF, G. & JOHNSON, M. 1980. Metaphors we live by, Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Tuesday discussion ...

Tuesday (am) discussion group went well. We talked about a range of things making connections across ideas. The discussion groups are a place to ‘find your voice’. People in the group will be posting short blog posts on things that felt resonated with them and will put links in the comments below.

Here is a list of points people made to summarise the important moment in the conversation, explore the blogs to hear more:

Sometimes things click when you don’t look too hard.

Explore the blog network…

Teaching ideas and research about ‘Hands on and Hands off’ makes one realise there is a lot of discussion (discourse) about your practice that you might not been a part of or been aware of.

Some people will share their general notes from the conversation

About the blogs

We are now a network – a learning community

Not waiting for the ‘energetic beginning’ or permission to start – interact…

It is ok to have questions (great even)

Everything is relevant to all three modules

Ethics within networks (also the differences between ethical procedures (rules) and ethical considerations (the flow of how you engage with things).

Don’t be shy and finding your voice

Technique and /or interpretation - on being told what to do

Not being told what to do – how to stay motivated

I felt a lot of the conversation was about how we locate ourselves in the places we work, the ideas we encounter, the networks we engage with. I think about this often also in terms of how willing we are to forgive ourselves – How willing we are to hear our own voice, to own our own mistakes or misunderstandings and our own wonderful moments of being a part of everything in a good way. How willing we are to dive in, listen, be kind, share and be ok with changing what we would have done when we look back on it. Learning seems to be part of what nurtures this. and it resonates with ideas about what 'professional' can mean... What do you think? comment below and follow the links other people leave too…