Katie Scott IVM Fluxus was a movement in the 1950’s where artists and musicians such as John Cage and Marcel Duchamp banded to revise a manifesto that challenged the elitist attitudes that prevailed the creative industries at the time. They believed the current system disenchanted the process of making art and valued only the final result. These avant-garde creatives on the contrary championed the journey that fulfilled the character of the final piece or creative event by emphasising performance and the beauty of the everyday object. Igniting a sense of romance between the artist and their work, a sense of opportunity in every moment, distinguishing a new kind of accessibility that was never before acknowledged in the creative industries. In many ways we can take precedence of this creative moment which has become, if not critical to reference at this time, where self-distancing and quarantine has become the new bizarre regime we face in daily life. Challenged with yet another new unknown in the workplace, in every workplace, instilling not only a sense fear and acute pessimism for our wellbeing, there is an unfounded urgency to adapt to new circumstances as the World we have come to know, has disappeared. There are without a doubt many negatives and of course tragedies, that have arisen because of the COVID pandemic. Regardless, in this submission I would rather like to exercise the positives I have come to respect at this surreal time, and perhaps share a perspective that has the potential to lift spirits rather than break them, even if it’s just my own. Unlike other members of society, creative individuals have the insight to inject perspectives that may inspire those to seek meaning in life; educate essential anthropology/ World regimes; encourage those to be kinder to others; instil a sense of wonder back into the World, revealing all of the beauty that may slip unnoticed during times of hardship; or simply create environments that calm the spirit and camouflage the ugly. Referring back to the artist of the Fluxus movement; ‘These artists wanted to close the gap between art and life, and also too democratise or deglamorize the creative process. When it came to art, anyone could play. - Danchev A, 100 Artists’ Manifestos, 2011, Penguin. There is an important message from this statement outlined, anyone can play and to those who are embarking on a creatively lead job like myself, I must learn to readopt a sense of play within my work - in the confinements of my home. I willingly can no longer rely on external resources and situations to stimulate the work that emerges from these known threads of opportunity. “Purge the world of bourgeois sickness.” No longer taking into account my previous resources and utensils (privileges) I am learning to play independently without the bureaucracy of a perhaps nepotistic, copycat industry. I lucked out on a few opportunities in the workplace this year, so this opportunity to evolve cannot be overlooked. These realisations allowed me to no longer overlook my ‘everyday objects’ and perhaps be rekindled with my privilege that I somehow forgot in the clockworks of London. FLOW & FUSION My integrity, mental health and body at this time has equally been an interesting process during this shift in working life. My self-awareness has been incredibly developmental as I build the blocks towards a healthy relationship with my practise and drive. This will no doubt impact on my future business ventures and work ethic as I’m learning to work with myself and not get perhaps in my own way, as equilibrium and flow are elements that have been developed in isolation Fusion has also been a factor. How will I make things? What are my options? Where do I take things? Is there an autrement to take me somewhere new? This is all essential to keep things interesting and of course useful in the continuum of a quarantine practise. Coming across incredibly existential however without this newfound attitude, I may have not been able to pursue my projects in these new found circumstances. Without a doubt when these restrictions are lifted, I will continue to embrace a sense of urgency and commitment to my work, unapologetically devoting my time to my practise and my development. Segueing slightly from what I have adopted from Fluxus, my reliance towards technology especially regarding communication has been enhanced during lockdown. This brings me to question I guess my previous relationship with technology and how looking to the future this might effect my practise, for better or worse. James Bridle in his publication, ‘The New Dark Age’ highlights an effective analogy in which I would like to apply in my own analysis of the current situation regarding technology and our wellbeing, livelihoods etc… The God Prometheus as we know has a brother called Epimetheus. Putting two and two together, the Gods represent foresight and hindsight. Prometheus commands Epimetheus to gift every one of his creatures with two good qualities, however Epimetheus being forgetful, when he arrived to humans had no more good characteristics to pass on. Prometheus then had to steal art and fire to keep us going. Meaning that humans were created from a double negative, forgetfulness and theft. The God Hermes overlooking the predicament, gives humans the gifts of justice and kindness to others - Hermes resembling the kind of ‘bigger picture’ thinking we must adopt in this World, where not many of us consider the consequences of restricting ourselves to our devices, surrendering too much control and influence that may be cataclysmic. This is something I have considered over the years developing myself as an individual and as a ‘commodity’ in the creative professions. It is important of course to use our many platforms as a means of connection and creation, however we must take time out to also consider the opportunities that lie right in front of us when we put down our phones, tablets and laptops. This previously unattainable isolation period, should in many ways be cherished. Not wasted skimming the virtual worlds we are already addicted too, making time for more meaningful creation. Translating this into the ways in which I am approaching my projects, some of which I considered to have been put on hold or suspended - I am now beginning to think of new ways in which means the process will not stop, severing me from restrictive and elitist systems that I relied on before like budget, expensive equipment and external personal to give me the ink to my pen.
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