May 5th - 10th 2008 , deBuren, Brussels

Who are you? workshop

Interdisciplinary workshop about the role of artists in an intercultural context
The social responsibility of artists, investigating the artist's role in the intercultural society

Promoted by AS TIDE NETWORK, curated by Emanuela Baldi and Filippo Fabbrica (Love Difference), Cristiana Bottigella (Education Office, Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto) and Dorian van der Brempt (de Buren) with the participation of the artist Margarita Vasquez Ponte, with the support of the European Commission, the Dutch Government and the Flemish Government.

Film made by Margarita Vazquez Ponte

This five-day workshop in Brussels was the first action of the project Art for Social Responsible Transformation and Intercultural Dialogue in Europe.

It provided answers to question like “What roles does art have in society?” or “In what way do creative processes influence the social-cultural and economic relations?” and its aim was to create a group, that would be interested in continuing working both on a territory and with each other, also once the workshop was finished.

The participants, who were all coming from different disciplines, started analysing art for social responsible transformation from the individual point of view in order to built up an operative nucleus. By carrying out several exercises and practices, both individually and within the group, the participants got to know each other and started to have a common ground.

When the film “Chi sei tu? (Who are you?)” from Pistoletto from 1976 was presented, it became the starting point for a discussion about cultural identity and the social responsibility of the single one.

In order to get an alternative view of the city of Brussels and to meet people that were rethinking this city, the participants Marthe Van Dessel and Lieven Paelinck organized a guided tour called “Kolonie des Vacances” around Brussels. This tour lead the group to the known and unknown places and showed them initiatives, artists, experts who are active in building up the city in creative ways.

During the workshop the interdisciplinary group also had the possibility to met several experts coming from different disciplines. The lectures they held gave them the possibility to discuss and reflect about the role the artist has within society and allowed them to think about “why does art has to change society in a responsible way?”

A performative action was planned for the last day, for which the group wrote this question on a placard and carried it through the city, asking passengers to read it and to think about it and to take up a position. The passengers were invited to the building were the workshop had taken place. There, participants and passengers responded to the question “Why does art has to change society in a responsible way”?, by elaborating an open discussion system, where all the responses given were the starting point for a comparison and a debate. Four points were discussed: the positive aspects, the negative aspects, the innovative elements and the conservative ones and the participants wrote their answers on a post it, placing them on the wall next to the point were it belonged to.

By these post its on the wall, a board was created that made the discussion visible and participated, since everyone could add a post it, change its place or delete it.

This system is now meant to be implemented and developed by future participants during the following workshops of the ASTIDE project.

Find below the declarations of the workshop coordinators:
:: Filippo Fabbrica says: “For me the most interesting thing, was to see, that the participants decided not to produce a concrete answer to the question why art should contribute to change society in a responsible way, but to create instead an open and participatory structure where unknown people were invited to take part at the discussion and give their contribution. People from the street were invited to come to the rooms where the workshop had taken place and to join the discussion. This open and participative approach was very important for me.”
:: Emanuela Baldi says: “ the best outcome was the group that was formed, which is still in contact and the strong critical spirit the participants have shown throughout the workshop activities.”

Participants:
Ine Claes, Juliane von Crailsheim, Erika Faccini, Gawan Fagard, Sofie Haesaerts, Mark Mangion, Elisa Marchesini, Lieven Paelinck, Chiara Ribera D’Alcalà, Kristin Rogghe, Christoph Schwarz, Marthe Van Dessel, Emmy Van Lamoen

With the contributions from:
:: Bart Debaere (Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp)
:: Anselm Franke (Arthistorian and curator)
:: Pascal Gielen (Sociologist and professor Leuven and Tilbuerg University)
:: Frans Goetghebeur (President of the Buddisth Associations of Belgium)
:: Elzemieke Scholte (Director of the Theatermaker)
:: Barbara Vanderlinden (Arthistorian, teacher and artistic director of the first Brussels Biennial)
:: Pin Van Klink (professor Dept. of Management, Antwerpen University)
:: Margriet Vonno (First Secreatary of the Dutch Ambassy in Brussels)

Feedback by one of the participants:
"[...] This review is a description of my past involvement in ASTIDE. From a very subjective perspective, I reflect upon this involvement and engage myself in a non-judgemental discourse addressing open questions concerning actual tendencies in art, society, networks, intercultural dialogue and Europe. [...] "
download the full feedback document (PDF)

download the full report of the workshop (PDF)