Nicholas Bourriaud's “Relational Aesthetics” (1998)
'A set of artistic practices which take as their theoretical and practical point of departure the whole of human relations and their social context, rather than an independent and private space.' Bourriaud 1998 (pg. 113)
I am in the process of reading several books to help me understand how to approach creating a social situation within my practice. One of the books is 'Relational Aesthetics' by Nicolas Bourriaud. 'Relational Aesthetics' is a term I had previously never heard of. However, after researching more, I have learnt that the goal of most relational art is to create a social circumstance and the viewers experience of the constructed social environment becomes the art. Essentially, the task of the artist is to become the initiator of this social experience. The fact that the outcome of relational art is highly unpredictable, due to participating members of society, is really exciting to me. The resulting experience could be nothing more than a fleeting moment, soon forgotten, or its consequences could be life changing on an emotional level. Hence, I feel it warrants further exploration and I intend to take this further.
Another book I am beginning to look at is 'Participation' by Claire Bishop. I am curious about the role of the participant in relational art and I hope that this book will help me to define the purpose of both myself and the viewer within my art practice.
I am in the process of reading several books to help me understand how to approach creating a social situation within my practice. One of the books is 'Relational Aesthetics' by Nicolas Bourriaud. 'Relational Aesthetics' is a term I had previously never heard of. However, after researching more, I have learnt that the goal of most relational art is to create a social circumstance and the viewers experience of the constructed social environment becomes the art. Essentially, the task of the artist is to become the initiator of this social experience. The fact that the outcome of relational art is highly unpredictable, due to participating members of society, is really exciting to me. The resulting experience could be nothing more than a fleeting moment, soon forgotten, or its consequences could be life changing on an emotional level. Hence, I feel it warrants further exploration and I intend to take this further.
Another book I am beginning to look at is 'Participation' by Claire Bishop. I am curious about the role of the participant in relational art and I hope that this book will help me to define the purpose of both myself and the viewer within my art practice.
An example of one of the most famous practitioners of relational aesthetics is Rirkrit Tiravanija. In his piece, 'Untitled (Free)' 1992, he serves rice and curry in a converted gallery. During a video I watched , he explains this experience as, 'you actually are not really looking at something, but you are within it, you are part of it. The distance between the artist and the art and the audience gets a bit blurred.',Like my current work, his art is predominantly about bringing people together and his exhibitions are often based on interaction among the participants. Because of this, I find Tiravanija's concept both appropriate and inspiring for my ideas at present. However, unlike Tiravanija who presents his work in a gallery setting, I feel my current project would benefit from being taken out to the public and viewed by a broader audience; not just gallery-goers. I am convinced the participants of an event outside of a gallery would be more diverse and, therefore, the outcome would be more unpredictable and surprising. This has clarified my decision to execute my work amongst the public.
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