What is it about?
Taking the project “Echoes of Machim” by RIGO 23 as a starting point, I will at-tempt here to reflection on the meaning of the emergence of practices which aim to do social good, in both art and design, and on their potential as agents for the remodelling of society and for social emancipation. “Echoes of Machin” is a social interaction project directed by Rigo 23 under the orientation of curator Michelle Kasprzak, in the neighbourhood of Palmeira, also known as Malvinas, a much-degraded district of the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, on the island of Madeira. The project attempts to The project attempts improve the self-esteem of members of the community through a number of initiatives with a group of 12 young people with learning difficulties.
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Why is it important?
RIGO 23´s creative process has in common with social design the fact that it attempts to tackle social injustice by activating social creativity, thereby feeding the public sphere and fostering the necessary debate. By analysing these case study, I aim to examine creative practices of collaboration, reflecting on the significance of their emergence in the present day, as well as on their potential as possible agents for molding society and achieving social emancipation.
Perspectives
In my view, Echoes of Machim can be seen to exemplify the conflicts inherent to a paradigmatic transition in which two contrary forces are pushing against each other: institutionalised artistic authorship and a new conception of art where the artist renounces individual authorship. This is where art could learn something from design, a field in which, as I see it, the notion of authorship is less pervasive, as there is often more focus on the project than on the designer, while in artistic discourse, it is the artist who tends to be emphasised, leaving the other people involved in the project in their shadow. Until recently, the separation between art and design was based on the supposition of the incompatibility of the aesthetically enjoyable and the useful, as aesthetics where linked to luxury and leisure. However, the aesthetic experience is not limited to the contemplative Platonic experience reiterated by Kant [24], it is also expressed through the deepening of relationships with the other, a fact which allows it to be a transformative experience. The aesthetic effect can therefore be intensified by a social effect, while the project methodologies of design can contribute to intensifying the aesthetic experience by making its social effect more sustainable. Thus, I believe that social art and social design can work together to create bonds between people, feeding the public sphere and preserving the debate necessary to create new visions of the future.
ana da silva
European University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Social Art – “Echoes of Machim”, June 2019, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-20145-6_7.
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