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RIVEN RATANAVANH





Artificial Hells, Claire Bishop

  • History of Art approach
  • Defines SEA as participatory art, art in which the ppl are the medium and material
  • Distinct from interactive art
  • Makes some points about the difficulty of marketing participatory art due to its non-visual nature
  • Defines a key element as first-hand experience
  • As well as the shift of participatory art from the ‘fringes’ of the art world to now having MFA programs
  • Defines duration/temporality as key element (must take place over time: days, weeks, months) - why? Depending on your intentions, it may be about creating relationships, and building relationships take long.
  • [How has / can technology shifted this temporality?] e.g. yes you can gain something out of a relationship on reddit formed in 15 minutes
  • Focus on meaning over process

Related to...
“Equally significant, and often overlooked, is what takes place after the physical manifestation of a socially engaged project has ended” (Elizabeth Grady, Dangling Conversations)


Positionality - if you’re in an underprivileged position / identity, just by saying your experience, it looks like a protest to some people.


In one way, Socially Engaged Art is conceptual art in action.