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 29th 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.
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.
“ 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.
