Introduction - Personal experiences with situated art - A demand for change

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Personal experiences with situated art.

For about 20 years I created a lot of art projects together with my friends under the name of "Pavlov". I would call these projects "situated art" and describe it as an art that steps out of the frame, of the pedestal and of the stage. This type of art is not producing artifacts or performances like paintings or symphonies but is about creating and directing situations, turning the social and physical environment into a work of art.

For example: "Mobile". One of the projects we did was an urban expedition marching straight through people's homes and other private spaces. We asked people to open their backdoors and windows so we could climb through. With hundreds of people we entered hidden spaces and met people in remarkable circumstances. (See video) 

During another project, called "City On A Roof" we build dwellings on the rooftops in the inner city trying to explore a new way of living in this empty forgotten inner city landscape. (See website)

Most of these art works were first of all gatherings of people at a certain place and a certain time in order to experience an adventure by doing or making things in a playful or dramatic way. Other then so called "community art" there was no educational agenda. To me the motivation was purely artistic, it came from a yearning for sensations and experiences that move, inspire or fascinate. Still people learned a lot during these projects. A many told me it changed their life.

So Pavlov published a book about a dozen situation art projects that completely consists of testimonies and reviews depicting the rich variety of meaning and undergoing of these projects. Pavlov 2012 Cities within your city: (order here)

 

A demand for change

This study presumes that "art makes smart". I argue that while you give way for a free play of your thoughts and feelings you discover things around you or within yourself you did not know they were there just a second ago.

I also think it is safe to say that it is widely recognized that communities with a lot of art also have lots of new inventions and initiatives, new ideas and new business. Art seems to stir things up in inner life and in social life. And when there is movement there is a chance for change, and change is a condition for evolution one might argue.

There are many people, in education, politics and businesses, who try to master art as a source of creativity and innovation. And frequently I've been asked to explain my view on this challenge. So I've been thinking and reading a lot about this topic.

I found out that the educational application of art at school, at work and in communities have been studied rather well. The transformative power of autonomous art in informal everyday life has not been studied very much. The latter is not led by an educational agenda but by aesthetical motives and one might wonder if this leads to a different sort of learning opportunities. I have an experienced conviction that situated art might offer some interesting perspectives on this topic. Therefore I decided to take on this study.

Quote of one of the professors at Teachers College, written on the wall at the Art and Education department.