4) Community Building
“Current art practice shows a renewed interest in the social responsibility of art. The problem addressed now seems to be, how to retain the autonomy of art (the critical distance of the aesthetic) but at the same time to break the active-passive opposition.” Sue Bell Yank, Critical Writer, Organizer Assistant Director of Academic Programs @ Hammer Museum
Social Practice artwork is not necessarily aiming to create social good. Sometimes their aim is to be provocative, which is not always comfortable. However, there was always a desire from socially engaged artists that there is some impact on the community at the end of their practice.
Henk Slager Curator, Critical Writer Principles of Hope
The roles of artist and audience are drastically different from that
that, “Social Practice artwork is not necessarily aiming to create
of more traditional forms of art (as I already stated in the previ-
social good. Sometimes their aim is to be provocative, which is
ous session). Both of them gradually grow into active co-creators,
not always comfortable. The whole reason is that it is not a social
who share responsibilities of the social practice projects. With
service organization.” But, she also clarified that there was always
time, it will bring up a sense of community building by gathering
a desire from socially engaged artists that there is some impact on
participants together and performing actual practices.
the community at the end of their practice.
In Henk Sladger’s statement, not only the significant co-creative
In conclusion, I want to emphasize the core of social practice in
relations among the Social Practice participants were addressed,
this thesis context -- the engagement element. As I stated in the
but also another nature of the work, its social responsibility. Since
previous section, a well-structured engagement process will lead
Social Practice work, in general, strives to co-create with local
to more meaningful co-created pieces of work.
members, and promote actual impact on a (temporary) community, it is hard to put aside its connection to community building. On the other hand, in the interview with Sue Bell Yank, she argued