Reaching Other Audiences #OER17 Keynote
Diana Arce @visualosmosis, Director of Artists Without a Cause @ArtistsWAC, gave the second keynote at OER17. She is an artist and activist who works with other artists to critique and make change with positivity. She told the story of the Charging Bull, and the Fearless Girl, supported as an advertisement by Hedge Fund – rather than by, say, Planned Parenthood.
Diana told us that this demonstrated 2 things she has learned: that location is everything; and the need to participate by engagement and activism rather than photo-opportunity.
Diana gave an example of an art installation concerning Enron that she worked on right in the centre of the Financial centre. Some financial workers engaged with her, even bring their shredded documents!
Her next example was the project that refurbished 25 row houses in Houston Texas – most used by artists, and few as homes for battered women.
Another of Diana’s own projects was White Guilt Cleanup – cleaning up privilege, one white person at a time. White people could buy a White Guilt Offset Credit that would benefit their or others’ victims.
Diana worked with Indie magazine in Berlin to help them change practices through the project, and their joint work was successful in making change.
Diana has done different political Karaoke projects at Democratic National Congress, and a bar in Jerusalem.
Her takeaways were:
- make sure you have local cooperation to work in their spaces
- or bring them to your project
- use Art projects as a Trojan Horse to make change where it matters
Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh only employs people and serves food from countries in conflict with USA. Waiters are trained in handling conflict/communication. The goal is to counter media narratives about conflict locations.
Watchwords: DON’T TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO THINK
Politaoke, another of Diana’s brainchildren is where people respeak real political speeches It’s a kind of non-partisan political karaoke, with interpretive dance and rants.
There is no work without the audience: they bring the speeches, and other performances. The work is in resisting descent into propaganda, and attracting an audience where change can be made.
Diana plans to release outcomes of Politaoke in an open environment for broader benefit.
Diana applauded the work of the Center for Artistic Activism in helping change happen.
Sheila MacNeill asked about how we could harness Art in Education. Diana told of her experience mainly in after school activities, Higher Education being her least favourite area.
Bryan Lamb asked about people who may be using related techniques but for less than desirable purposes. Diana explained how Art can become a disruptor.
Muireann asked about the possibilities of OE researchers to spread their message, and Lucy described a political art installation in the House of Westminster that gave disenfranchised young people a voice in the right place to be heard.
This was a keynote that felt and looked to me like an art event – it was great fun to be there.
[I promised to live blog the keynotes for OER17 as I had for OER16 but my method depended on pictures from my phone being pulled through to flickr. The wifi at the venue wasn’t up to this so the post is a combination of live and edited.]
