ACUADS 2005 Conference

 
The paper investigates a number of issues related to cross cultural collaboration with Indigenous artists in Western Australia and their relationship to the international art market. The issues resulting from this are used to form the basis of discussion between American undergraduate students and international artists / academics to establish an international perspective for the analysis and critique of our cultural norms. The paper is presented in three sections:

1. A brief contextual history of post colonial Indigenous / non Indigenous relations in respect to the artists agents and commercial market forces, designed as pre-reading to promote debate within a group of students undertaking the Global Art World on-line curriculum at the Farleigh Dickinson University New Jersey / Harvard University Department of Comparative Literatures in Cambridge Massachusetts. The extracts are meant as provocative reading to focus debate on the socio-political issues that contribute to the construction and perception of the Aboriginal art market internationally.

2. An academic perspective on the relationship between creative, industrial and educational partners through the activities of the "Open Bite Australia" print workshop within the School of Contemporary Arts Edith Cowan University. The workshop combines educational, commercial and professional activities through partnerships that bring together artists, students and professional arts administrators. Through this, the workshop assumes an ethical position in its relationship to Aboriginal artists that is educationally rather than commercially driven.

3. A reflective summary of an on-line project conducted with students at the Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. The on-line discussion board within the Global Art World curriculum has utilised the Open Bite project as a point of focus, and through this has formulated active discussion centred on the underlying reasons behind cultural stereotyping and the expectations of the international art markets.

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The idea of originality in art together with that of the unique individuality of the subject was central to modernism. Since the 1970s however the notions of originality and individuality have come under persistent interrogation by writers such as Frederick Jameson and Rosalind Krauss. In this paper I question the validity of their arguments suggesting that their position is essentially ideological.

I then go on to ask what are the problems that face art students in achieving originality in their practice and what are the conditions that we as art educators need to set up in order to make this more possible. In doing so I consider the place of theory in the light of the criticisms made by Peter Timms in his recent book What's Wrong with Contemporary Art?

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In large art departments a sense of community seems to generate its own momentum, however, with an intake and quota of twenty per year and a combined student group of little more than sixty, the Visual Arts Degree offered by the University of Western Australia sustains itself with great resilience, and a sense of community is often sacrificed for individualism. Are community values and critical mass crucial for art work to be produced and what do they reveal about the issue of quality? This paper intends to provide debate on the dynamic between collective identity and individualism by discussing the implications of a term like 'community' in the context of visual arts departments of different sizes.

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This paper reviews a research project in Kwinana, Western Australia. The project's central question is this: If identity can be self-actualised how may this process be transformed from a singular experience to a community one?

Kwinana is a largely migrant community of 20,000 in the process of rapid urban change. It is a community in transition from an exclusively industrial town to a community that is being re-invented as part of the Perth metropolitan commuter belt. Despite the town having been historically disadvantaged by poverty, unemployment and inter-generational dependence upon welfare (Walker, 2000) there has been a strong sense of community identity. The town's transition has led to a degree of community dislocation and fragmentation, and it is this that has prompted the project.

Community well-being implies institutions and cultural spaces (Ricoeur 1995) where the individual's life world narrative (Habermas 1985) can be exchanged and shared. To this purpose the project plans in association with industry partners to encourage a networking of the wider Kwinana community to develop a shared social capital (Putnam 2000).

Digital technologies and the internet allow the rapid production and consumption of imagery by individuals that side steps the time consuming, traditional acquisition of representational skills. The project builds on Gauntlett's research (2004) which suggests digitally produced graphics and photography also allow for an immediacy of expression for those unfamiliar with the processes of visual communication. The project team working with members of the Kwinana community in specific locations will develop a context in which visual digital technologies and an internet site enable the participants to share their personal narratives.

It is hoped this dialogue will assist in self-actualisation by revealing the ways in which social identity is understood by making personal narratives visible, and contribute to an increased sense of community.
 

• • Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and society in the late modern age Cambridge: Polity Press.
• • Gauntlett, D. (2004) Popular media and self identity Inaugural Professorial Lecture Bournemouth University 2nd June 2004.
• • Habermas, J. (1985) The Theory of Communicative Action, Volume1: Reason and the Rationalization of Society New York: Beacon Press.
• • Putnam, R. (2000) Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Touchstone.
• • Ricoeur, P. (1995) 'Reflections on a New Ethos for Europe', Philosophy and Social Criticism, 21(5/6).
• • Walker, E. (2000) 'New Living in the Town of Kwinana - Suburban renewal in public housing' PRRES Conference 2000.

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Sydney College of the Arts educates students to become contemporary artists. In 2004, during a unit of study evaluation by eighty Foundation students, two admitted to feeling shocked by the content of images shown in lectures, thereby bringing the conservative community view on contemporary art into the tertiary education environment. This paper discusses the moral issues surrounding the case-study. It acknowledges the relativity of moral positions, but agrees with the long-standing ethical position within the discipline on freedom of expression, and argues that art's role, and the educator's role, must be imbricated to maintain the ethical rights of artists.

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The pedagogical approach in the Graphic Design discipline at the University of Wollongong, as in other design institutions (Kvan 2001), is informed at a fundamental level by the studio-based learning framework.

The ever-present challenges in the higher education sector, such as increasing student to teacher ratios and resourcing issues, lead educators to constantly evaluate their pedagogical approach. With the current advances in computer-aided design, and the emergence of alternative learning frameworks, it is timely to re-evaluate the role and effectiveness of studio-based learning in graphic design education.

Problem-based learning and Schön's reflective practitioner framework have parallels with studio-based learning, however on closer examination they identify opportunities to enhance the studio approach. One such instance is the formalisation of student reflection, post project submission.

This paper will outline a proposed PhD study in graphic design pedagogy and will include a discussion of the theory and practices that have informed its development.

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Joseph Kosuth (1993: 253) claims that tertiary art school is involved in constructing reality through the way art is taught, 'and in this sense an art school is a political institution as much as a cultural one.' This paper traces the conditions of art and the academy in relation to membership in community and what this might mean in terms of the political conditions of globalisation. By working through a genealogy of the relationship of art school and the community, it works towards an understanding of art as a cultural enrichment proposition and the academy as an innovative site for the strengthening and sustainability of cultural knowledge. This discussion proposes that for the art academy to survive with potency it is imperative that art educators turn their attention to political constructions of the academy and community within the globalised knowledge economy.

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Art and design have historically been linked with political unrest, as propagandist, as critic, as documenter. The huge emphasis on security in the post 911 political environment, has provided new opportunities for art and particularly design, to contribute to a secure world, in the process of supporting oppressed and potentially disenfranchised social groups. This paper argues that by integrating cultural support projects involving art and design into national security policy, governments can address the root causes of terrorism, rather than responding to the terror of its impact.

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Design as a collaborative process of active participation and design as a commercial service can be observed in relation to the concepts of information and persuasion. This paper examines these relationships in developing a model for collaborative practice in visual communication design education. This is based on the idea that effective collaboration and teamwork in design education extends the boundaries of learners' creative and professional practice. In turn this has the potential to contribute to the development of active, socially responsible designers and the formation of a broader design community.

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Investigations of 'place' can be a focus for creative arts projects while applying rich content to teaching practice. My focus is a local river - the Wilsons - where I am currently involved in two very different projects. I also teach digital art and design in the School of Arts at Southern Cross University in Lismore. Lismore is situated on the banks of the Wilsons River in the subtropical Northern Rivers region of NSW. This beautiful and curious place, with its own particular history, culture and ecology, encourages numerous case studies of 'place' in many areas of cultural practice. My current arts practice is informed by a re-engagement with 'place', coupled with a fascination with water.

My MA project is a reinvention of a reflexive journey downstream along a section of the Wilsons River via a canoe. The capturing and recording process (observation, memory recall, ephemera collection and digital manipulation) describe and present a sense of belonging. This study starts near where I now live and ends where I once lived as a child.

Involvement in a larger scale public art project based in Lismore - the Wilson River Experience Walk (WREW) - as designer and consultant, has deepened my focus on the river. It involves local history research, community liaison and the design of six different sites positioned along a five-kilometre walkway along the banks of the Wilsons River. Consultation has been with Lismore City Council, Widjabal (local indigenous) elders, an historic reference group and the Wilsons River Landcare Group. This close community involvement has been a mutually rich and challenging experience across all groups but particularly with the Widjabal people. The challenge of imaging Widjabal lore questioned preconceptions of image representation and a 'white fellas' design process.

Both projects have developed through referencing contemporary art practice and new media. The WREW project prioritises community response and historic interpretation but takes many references and design strategies developed in my MA project. This, in turn, is given extra veracity to its narrative via a deepened knowledge of the regions people and landscape. Both projects recall previous valuable experiences as community artist and graphic designer working with a wide range of cultural groups and outcomes in Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong.

The engagement with community, technology and various design strategies on both these projects provides a wealth of experience for my teaching practice. Not only does it build course content, enhance delivery but it also provides opportunities for students to participate in very real local projects about 'place'.

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This paper discusses the role of art in contemporary Kuninjku communities. How have the imperatives of modernity and modernism - of individualistic self-authored art - impacted on the obligations Indigenous artists have for their own communities? Can fine art save traditional Indigenous communities?

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Artists today are becoming less interested in the representation of the image, or creation of the object. Instead they are re-considering the potential for the artwork to unfold, revealing itself as a series of events, stories or experiences to be lived in, interpreted and used. The questions artists are asking no longer focus on the self-referential quest of 'what is art?' instead they are asking, 'where is art?' Questions about the relationship between the work and the social, political and geographical situation in which it exists are all under new interrogation.

Within his presentation James Newitt will speak about his own practice from the perspective of working as a graphic designer, where he focused on interpretation design and the presentation of information, to his more recent practice of constructing new interpretive experience. As well as using his own work to exemplify his argument, James Newitt will survey a number of significant works by artists who work in the spaces in-between art, society and place.

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In this paper I will advance the proposition that through the development of a personal design philosophy and a greater understanding of the cultural, social and political values of the community, we can foster far stronger and longer-lasting relationships between design education and professional practice. I will outline the curriculum approach, developed and explored through the graphic design studio at the Tasmanian School of Art, which in part, aligns student development with an understanding of design responsibility through a series of community design initiatives.

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In a society where relationships are increasingly mediated by economic and legislative measures and constraints, the relationships between clients and artists and designers need to be considered. This is highlighted in the way that organisations and groups such as the Fuel4arts community, increasingly emphasise the professional nature of the arts. This paper will use examples from research in Australia and the United Kingdom that examine the relationships between designers and clients. These relationships are sometimes difficult, balancing the needs of both parties can pose challenges for all involved. For example creative freedom can be constrained by financial considerations. For the designer/artist creative freedom can be the most important factor in their practice, however for a client, coming in on budget and market effectiveness may be more valued.

The findings of this research suggest that practitioners and educators need to consider the practitioner/client relationship as a vital element in the process of creating and to develop a more enlightened approach to the relationship.

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In this paper, examination is made of a project-based arts practice being actively integrated with 'traditional' humanities research, through a case study of my own practice as an artist and a researcher who undertakes DEST-recognised research. While not suited to all forms of practice, linking these different forms of scholarship can be done in a way that benefits both written research and artistic production.

Classic humanities research methodologies can reflect the structure of both written and arts project research. For example, 'grounded' research, which facilitates the emergence of the theory from the data and therefore 'grounds' the theory in the data, and a method of inquiry that is naturalistic, with no a priori assumptions on the outcome, are common to both the studio and the library.

Lincoln and Guba have likened purposive research, which is not random or representative, to the 'smart bomb'. They use this analogy to describe the human agent in an inquiry, on a mission to 'identify and wend its way to (purposefully sample) the target without having been precisely programmed to strike it'. Reading this statement while studying for a PhD by thesis, I thought it possible that it reflected both the practice of researchers and artists. This is invaluable thinking for artist academics in the climate in which we now find ourselves, where pressure to publish competes with time to produce art.

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I would like to provide a paper that examines aspects of a cultural heritage retrieval project called Fisherman's Village. I have developed this project as an industry partnership between Southern Cross University and the City of Botany Bay Council. It is a cultural mapping project of a past community, Fisherman's Village. I would concentrate on aspects of community and memory, the changing environment, oral history and the interfaces we have developed through creative arts practice.

I will demonstrate tactics we are employing to provide the existing community with a cultural investment strategy through narrative and memory as a means of focusing on contemporary issues. This involves reporting on how we have used oral history as a mechanism to provide a spring board for creative works and how we use these for placemaking/ placemarking. I will describe our intervention workshops and activities in primary and secondary schools, local hotels and even the factories that now cover the site of what was Fisherman's Village. And if you are lucky, I will read some of my poetry!

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My paper will address the ethical dimension operating in the interaction between artists, through their work, and the viewing community. The realms of aesthetics and ethics have traditionally been seen as irreconcilable, but by applying the philosophical concepts of Emanuel Levinas and their permutations explored critically by Luce Irigaray, I will propose that art communicates an awareness of the other, and expands the experiential milieu of an attentive audience. An artwork unfolds as an enigmatic proposition requiring contemplation, or questioning. It stands in for its creator, not as a costume but as candour, stripping away pretence. It is a statement of experience, lived or imagined, revealed in a hiatus of everyday affairs, asking us to add our own knowledge to its incomplete hypothesis. We look into the work as if it were a face, as if it were all eyes, absorbing and radiating simultaneously. As with the human face, we are fascinated by the possibility of similarity, but intrigued by difference.

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Where public artworks once developed as a gradual cultural response to specific community histories, contemporary public art has evolved into a 'must have' civic accessory determined by a globally driven consensus.

This paper will examine contemporary public art in the context of civic / community branding and analyse the means, mechanisms and mentalities through which communities appropriate art to mediate and market their identities.

Critical to this analysis is an investigation of public art as a culture of contradiction.

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This paper examines the connections students make with the community of practicing Artists through the contribution that such practitioners make to teaching programs. The paper looks at the way that professional practice experience is embedded into the curriculum by comparing the teaching approach of fulltime practicing Artists who teach 'occasionally' to the approach of Full time Teachers. The paper will discuss the approach of two academic staff members in the South Australian School of Art, one the Studio Head of jewellery who combines full time teaching and administration with part time practice and in contrast, a staff member who makes her living from full time jewellery making and contributes to teaching in the South Australian School of Art through 'sessional' teaching. In addition to informal social interactions and mentoring opportunities, the outcomes for the students are a curriculum which brings the art community into the University and the elements of professional practice into the curriculum.

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In the early 1980s Nan Goldin began a project that was to become known as The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, a slide show of snapshot style images that documented her day to day life accompanied by a musical soundtrack. This work made use of the subjective honesty and emotive power of the humble snapshot recontextualised within the context of art. This subjective honesty is a characteristic of many 'low' or 'amateur' art forms. A combination of new technologies are currently being used by amateurs or non-artists who nevertheless create work that elicits the same response as works of art. This paper explores how the everyday snapshot aesthetic as used by Goldin and other artists is echoed in a number of online projects produced by these 'non-artists', on levels of subjective expression, social engagement and material value.

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This paper will examine the relation between artists and their communities from the particular perspective of the Research Quality Framework proposed by DEST for assessing the quality and impact of research in Australia. The recent Federal Government discussion paper on the proposed RQF sends the clear warning that the link between university-based artists and their communities is to become a most contested relationship. The Framework for Measuring Research Impact (Table 3) presented in the paper explicitly and exclusively endorses performative knowledge with commercialization as its primary measure of impact. Even the points listed to exemplify knowledge relationships outside the university and engagement with the community focus solely on industry cooperation, consultancy and economic activities. Of the suitable measures for assessment of Research Impact Outputs, suggested in the paper (Table 2), only three relate directly to art and design. Included as one of these is "audience/attendances at exhibitions/performances" - raising the spectre of visual and performing arts assessment reduced to the mentality of bums on seats. Most disturbing of all, for studio-based researchers, the impact of their investigations on visual culture is explicitly excluded. Research does not impact on culture, quoting the paper: "In a broader sense, research impact refers to social, environmental or economic impacts."

I will argue in this paper for a radical reassessment of the strategy, spearheaded by ACUADS over the last decade, that has attempted to equate research in the visual arts with humanities and science research. The limited success in demonstrating equivalence between creative arts outputs and the established framework of publications and bibliometric measures favoured by science and humanities has been determined by peer review of quality and varying degrees of goodwill by research committees in individual universities, if not in DEST itself. With the establishment of the RQF in 2006 more rigorous, competitive and rigid attitudes to measurement of research quality and impact will be legislated and the current expedient masquerade of dressing artists and designers in academic gowns will be exposed. If the visual and performing arts are to gain their rightful share of research support funding they must be seen as distinctively different to science and the humanities in their mode of operational research, outputs and community impacts. In particular their cultural sphere of influence must be acknowledged.

The knowledge embedded in arts practice must be articulated on its own terms if the amorphous, emotive and critical forms of understanding presented in creative outputs are to be recognized. To contribute to this process, my paper will highlight specific instances of practice-based endeavour that represent quality cultural production and consumption.

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Because of its size and geography, Perth has not generally been regarded as a national 'centre' for Australian art activity. However, there was a moment - from 1987 to 1999 - when Perth's art communities hosted a remarkable series of events that attracted local, national and international participation, acclaim and, at times, scathing condemnation. Beset by issues of scale and inclusion, these artist-run and site-specific events proposed a regular and informal meeting place for a diverse and floating 'community' of artists during a time of fierce industry professionalisation and institutionalisation. The involvement of art school staff and students was crucial to the continuity of this project over more than a decade. This paper will discuss ARX's development from earlier forms of trans-Tasman art exchange and the new understandings of 'region' that were proposed. In particular, it will question why these cross-cultural strategies between artists within the Asia-Pacific region remain unacknowledged in recent accounts of Australian art history whether ARX retains any significance, as a model or an object lesson, for art schools today.