tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6005686617720224037.post1443141821125251785..comments2023-10-01T13:03:03.828+02:00Comments on NEW STRATEGIES DMC: On this artist in residencyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6005686617720224037.post-10594024637806544142011-12-19T16:37:28.282+01:002011-12-19T16:37:28.282+01:00The concerns you have been facing seem to be an in...The concerns you have been facing seem to be an integral part of the experience of the artists' residency - or at least they are very familiar to me! I have sat at the same table thinking the same things, watching people driving their pick-ups, cutting the grass, living their lives, and thinking "this is all very interesting for me, but what is in it for anyone else?"<br /><br />On the other hand, I think you DO make a difference to people just by being there. For example, I don't believe I would have ever decided to leave Scotland and move to the Netherlands if it were not for all the foreign friends I made when I lived in my own country - eventually, I wanted to be foreign too.<br />I don't mean that Utrecht will see many Detroitian immigrants any time soon, but more that you can flick some subtle switches in people's heads, just on account of your strangeness. America is in general a very inward-looking country, even at the local level. It surprised me that I was introduced to people in Detroit as coming from "outta town" instead of "another country" - since that's already far enough away for people to deal with.<br /><br />And I would also agree with Bart that this doesn't necessarily need to be the point of your presence: for my own part, it bothered me at the time, but a lot less so since returning to the Netherlands. You're not asking very much from people there, and you ARE giving something back (in a small way perhaps). But the long-term impact will probably be here, not there. The real work begins when you get home!Chris Meighanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14344346961431093121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6005686617720224037.post-61656860012827602582011-12-12T17:17:44.271+01:002011-12-12T17:17:44.271+01:00Publishing on this blog is to create an archive of...Publishing on this blog is to create an archive of info on the experiences of the individuals (whether they are artists, connectors, thinkers) whom are invited by Expodium to spend some time in the city of Detroit. Sometimes it is good to react on what is going overthere while we are in the Netherlands, This is one of these times:<br />Indeed very relevant wonderings and questions on that local situation and your role/ contribution in/to the whole thing.<br />No, you will not change or contribute a lot to Detroit neither the people<br />we introduced you to, in that direct way! This has never and will never be<br />the intention or ambition, for the simple reason that this is impossible.<br />I am also super doubtful on what it is that an artist in residency could<br />contribute to the situation in Detroit or where ever it is located. But should that be the reason for not doing it? We choose to take that<br />challenge on since we strongly believe it is very relevant and important<br />to learn by doing and experimenting in real time next to the fact that it<br />is always valuable to learn from meeting new cultures/people/praxis and<br />exchange knowledge and experiences. These issues should function both for<br />locals as for the outsiders so in a two direction traffic!<br />An artist in residence, when we read it, as being a place where an artist<br />is invited to develop, and fully focus on, his/hers individual practise<br />inspired by his surroundings on this specific location does not contribute<br />a lot to a local situation. Only when this specific person (read resident)<br />is able to connect with locals and their scene to exchange experiences and information and is able to open up for this new challenging situation it is possible to start making baby steps in a direction that is new and<br />valuable.<br />It is this we believe in and what we are trying to do with our program by<br />inviting interesting people to gain information, cause lets be clear there<br />is a lots to gain and learn for us in this. Detroit with its specific situation is a super fruitful source of information for us as Expodium with our program on urban phenomena. There is nothing wrong with getting something out of a situation you create yourself; I even believe that this is a necessity (talking in this context). We are NO do-gooders we are there for a reason. The thing that while being there it is important to look very critical towards the way we facilitate this and doing so.<br />That is the reason we deliberately choose to NOT buy a house, and create yet another ‘resident island’ in this overcrowded landscape of artistic practise, but to house our invitees in an existing ‘not-only-art-community’ so they will directly be confronted with thelocal situation. And hopefully learn from that in a very humble way, we are NOT interested Cultural Colonising. Next to this we created a (to my opinion) divers network to which the guests are introduced to a certain extent. Of course after this introduction it is up to our guest to continue the contacts and find means in maintaining them so they will leads towards a relation that works in both directions. It is never said that it always works like this but it is a way of starting of. What we try to do is to create or contribute to a bases/ platform from which our participants (no-matter on what location) can start their research and develop work/ knowledge or what ever is relevant to our program. If this is a functional way to be contributing to a local situation is something we always need to research and try out, not forgetting to learn from earlier experiences.<br />Friso and all the others super thanks for helping us with this!!! Looking forward how your<br />input will be translated to a European situation since there is no reason<br />to start comparing different locations we prefer to learn from each-other!<br /> ExpodiumBart Wittehttp://www.expodium.nlnoreply@blogger.com