THE SCULPTURAL PLAYGROUND PROJECT AND THE SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS OF POSSIBILITIES.

THE SCULPTURAL PLAYGROUND PROJECT.

AND

THE SOCIAL INTERVENTION OF POSSIBILITIES

 

21 OCTOBER 2012

 

WHERE IS IT AT?

This was the question that was being asked last week at the NALIS Library, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. A forum held to hear the stories of the Occupy Movement which started in Spain, due to the collapse of the Western Capitalist system. All due to a policy-less system that was unable enforce law, ethics, philosophy.

 

While listening to the presenters, organizers, theorist and activist in the Occupy Movement one thing came to mind, a question that has bugged me for a long time. I posed the question, to the student activist, I would have liked to post it to the theorist.

 

THE QUESTION.

1.   WHAT WILL THE NEW CAPITALIST MODEL LOOK LIKE?   OUT OF THE COUNTER CULTURE MOVEMENT OF THE 60'S CAME APPLE, THE ORGANIC INDUSTRY, THE GREEN REVOLUTION ETC. THERE FORE OUT OF THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT TO RISE OUT OF THE DIALOGUE.

2.   WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC MODEL THAT IS EXPECTED FROM BLACK, COLOURED AND WHITE GHETTO COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S.?

 

There is this constant dialogue going on within the space, between artists bringing arttivist, community activist, trade unionist and other doers in our society together in circular notions of active dialogue. I have been fortunate to be in on some of them and listen and share.

 

For the first time in a long while there is the understanding that oil and gas is dead. We need to diversify, we need to struggle and work at the social factors that will help our labour force be able to adequately transition into a diversified frame of mind. Which will take a certain amount of maturity, creativity, investment and independence on our labour force and state. Which from all reports are at an intellectual stalemate since the 90’s during the structural adjustment of the World Trade Organization rules, implemented by the IMF. Our labour has been striped clean to the bone of their ability to mobilize. The stone has been set and we have been swimming hard up stream to catch our tail from our ass ever since.

There has been the formation of the Creative Industries Company (which would comprise of TT Film Co., TT Ent. Co., NDATT and Fashion). There has been the innovation competition, the Cultural Policy consultation and there will be another one on the 29^th of October another Cultural Policy Frame work discussion will happen.

 

 

 

THE QUESTION BEGS TO REASON IS – Why don’t they work, why cant their be a national adjustment and motivation on the cultural issues that's needed to move the country forward, both by the state and our cultural institutions.

 

In another session held by the Parliamentary Office at UWI a presentation made some advances to that question. Which led to the adversarial position of our politics. Winner takes all position that leaves one group on top and the other out of the equation. Setting the stage for adversarial politics as one party sets to fix what their agenda. This is present well and alive in our institutions as well at UWI, NGO's, and Community Based Organizations , entrecthed personalities that have steered them into almost oblivion.

 

But for the first time political parties are at the understanding that the oil and gas is over. The main obstacle is how the transition will look like.

 

The title tells it all.
For the first time this is being echoed by the other
powerful sectors in our society.
The Manufacturing, Social Services, Construction, Agriculture.
This is wo! interesting.

 

 

Meaning how can they really benefit from this, how would a creative diversified economy look like, operate. Cultural groups and Artists are even more confused about how it will take shape. With some artists and cultural thinkers believing that certain cultural sectors will fall to the bottom where as others will rise to the top to adjust to the neo liberal paradigm of the capitalist, industrial formula of cheap labour, tax right off, venture capital and industrial parks.

While the other group believes that you allow for all to survive, which will create synergy and ultimately feed into each other creating development.

 

Both need intellectual thought and analysis. There is that, but there is an old school concept of culture that  exist between the state and cultural activist, NGO’s and surprisingly artists.

 

There also exists another factor the most destructive to the artists. Their self-fish myopic, stick to themselves, all important attitudes that have affected our cultural institution and organizations to generally negotiate on bad faith, ignorance and arogance for the wider group.

 

I SAT IN NALIS TO LISTEN…

WENT TO AN EXHIBITION TO SEE…

Glen Roopchan - On Location Gallery.

Edward Bowen – Medula Gallery.

Jackie Hickson – retrospective at the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, Soft Box Gallery and Bishop Anesty (missed that one).

Peter Minshall – Y Gallery.

Did this all in one week

I will be meeting with a Chamber to discuss the way forward for the Sculptural Playground Project, in the hope of bringing their membership to a presentation that will open the door for a dialogue to happen.

 

In sitting in the circles of friends and artists, the formation of organizations have brought even more confusion of production. They have formed a company and have you realized that there is no design in that company. One of the oldest and versatile industries nationally and regionally is the craft industry that you can find in almost any community. But the poltical will to listen and to manipulate has hamperred that development.

 

So as an art-designer I see it as an important aspect of the performance to present a social imperative of possibilities, designed in a modular form, as to adjust to the  political terrain it will confront.

 

This is where the Sculptural Playground Project, sits.

 

 At the cross roads of discussions, where the language is being dissected at this very moment for capitalization.

 

 “ The Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community initiative surveyed some 43,000 people in 43 cities and found that “social offerings, openness and welcome-ness,” and, importantly, the “aesthetics of a place – its art, parks, and green spaces,” ranked higher than education, safety, and the local economy as a “driver of attachment.” Indeed, the same story may be playing out locally in Philly: a survey of local residents found that viewing public art was the 2nd most popular activity in the city, ranking above hiking and biking.” Why Public Art Is Important 10/15/2012 by asladirt

“For the first question, McKee asked the panel, “What is the story for landscape architecture in your cities?” Litt framed Cleveland as a typical Midwestern city – losing population, but seeing a downtown resurgence. With the middle class starting to return to downtown, “a lot of energy is being refocused in the center” despite its shrinking population.” Design Critics: Landscape Architects Can Take the Lead in Designing Cities 10/03/2012 by asladirt

So while there is a move towards enlightenment in the certain creative industries. We’re separating the dialogue from our lives and this is the problem, as the discussion will be on an economic and not a social or individual position where art sits, at the bottom and in the heart of COMMUNITIES! youth, the welder, the carpenter, the machinist, the engineer, the nurse,  the supervisor.

 

Art-design has to be integrated into math, English and the sciences. intergrated into the veryness of our being, for that one soul be saved and that is the spirit of art-design.  

TO BE CONT'D.