Collaboration & Community: Transforming the Conditions of Everyday Life Nicole Barakat
I have been working as a lead artist and facilitator with communities for almost fifteen years. It was only after I graduated from art school that I gained my education in community arts and cultural development. Through my direct experiences of working with communities as well as informal mentorships with experienced arts and community workers, I developed a passion for a way of working that now sustains my art practice. Those women who mentored me worked, and still work, with communities from a political and social justice perspective, primarily supporting women of colour, refugee and asylum seeker communities, migrant women, LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual. Transgender, Questioning / Queer, Intersex and Asexual / Allies) communities, and other peoples on the fringes of the supposed centres of society. My experiences in these circles taught me not to make a division between my work as an artist and my politics. Making art with people is a political act and inevitably creates change in ways that aren’t always measurable. I consciously approach my practice in community engagement and education in a non-hierarchical way. I have a body of knowledge and experiences and so do the people I am working with. I value this process as an exchange of our knowledge, skills, experiences − a genuine collaboration. Therefore one of the most important aspects of my projects is building trust with participants and establishing a mutual respect for each other. Forming genuine connections, and sometimes friendships, with participants is just as vital as the final work we produce.
My connection with communities does not exist in a vacuum. The ability to build trust depends heavily on the existing relationships that participants already have with the organisation, curator or producer. So far, I have mainly worked on collaborative community projects that have been initiated by existing arts organisations or arts institutions. The projects that I feel have worked well have been those that were initiated by individuals or organisations that have an already existing relationship with community participants. I will focus on two projects that I feel have achieved key goals for myself, the participants and the broader community and audience. These goals are: ▲ to build trust and establish sustainable connections ▲ to create meaningful experiences and value the process over the product ▲ to transform the conditions of our everyday lives The works I make in collaboration with communities are for the communities we are in. If an outside audience also gains something from that, then that is great but that is not the original intention of the project. My solo art practice and my collaborations with communities are driven by my intuition. From the techniques and approaches to the interpersonal relationships, there are many complexities that come into play. The way I work can be very subtle and gentle at times, but I still know it makes an impact when participants relax into it, and engage and respond and create and have fun.
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