"Unleash the power of the many by loosening the stronghold of the few".
Professor Linda Hill in "How to manage for collective creativity".
Professor Linda Hill in "How to manage for collective creativity".
Place making - what is it? And why is it important?
The term 'place making' started to be become a buzz word in the last ten years, and for good reason. We constantly inhabit shared spaces. In the street. In the shop. In the train. But it's the difference between a space, and a place that is important to define.
To transition a space to a place asks that we change our behaviour and attitude both to the place and the people we are sharing it with - and that requires the creation of a point of connection. A conversation starter. Whether the place making interventions are temporary - such as a performance - or more permanent - such as public art works or shared facilities for recreation or relaxation - is not relevant. The point is that a public space that has been previously under used, or used exclusively by individuals going about their individual business, gets transformed into a place where individuals begin to interact, both with the place and with the other people in that place.
How do we know that an intervention is helping to create a place? The clues can be obvious or subtle. The simple act of strangers conversing where they otherwise would not have is a wonderful start. More people using a place and people emerging from behind their screens or taking out their headphones, is another.
So why is this so important, this place making?
The idea of 'making a place' is a vital act of community cultural development. The development and ongoing care of communities is essential for human health and well being. To feel connected is to feel valued. People with a greater sense of personal value are perhaps more likely to help others to feel the same.
The creation of new opportunities for different ways of being, different ways of seeing, allows for the possibility of new dialogue between the inhabitants of a space, which, in turn, paves the way for the creation of not just a diverse but a welcoming community.
This is where collaboration can begin.
Dani Burbrook ©
The term 'place making' started to be become a buzz word in the last ten years, and for good reason. We constantly inhabit shared spaces. In the street. In the shop. In the train. But it's the difference between a space, and a place that is important to define.
To transition a space to a place asks that we change our behaviour and attitude both to the place and the people we are sharing it with - and that requires the creation of a point of connection. A conversation starter. Whether the place making interventions are temporary - such as a performance - or more permanent - such as public art works or shared facilities for recreation or relaxation - is not relevant. The point is that a public space that has been previously under used, or used exclusively by individuals going about their individual business, gets transformed into a place where individuals begin to interact, both with the place and with the other people in that place.
How do we know that an intervention is helping to create a place? The clues can be obvious or subtle. The simple act of strangers conversing where they otherwise would not have is a wonderful start. More people using a place and people emerging from behind their screens or taking out their headphones, is another.
So why is this so important, this place making?
The idea of 'making a place' is a vital act of community cultural development. The development and ongoing care of communities is essential for human health and well being. To feel connected is to feel valued. People with a greater sense of personal value are perhaps more likely to help others to feel the same.
The creation of new opportunities for different ways of being, different ways of seeing, allows for the possibility of new dialogue between the inhabitants of a space, which, in turn, paves the way for the creation of not just a diverse but a welcoming community.
This is where collaboration can begin.
Dani Burbrook ©
Artwork by Dani Burbrook & Suzanne Verrall
All rights reserved. |
Collaboration in Practice - Part 1
Art on the Streets The idea of collaborating on artistic projects with other people is essential. Using the streets as a location for some of this experimental collaborative work is exciting. Stepping outside, literally, allows for interactions with new audiences that might not otherwise occur. While the collaboration begins by working with another artist, once brought to life it can change shape once in the public realm. How people interact with, share or take action from a work in a public space can mean a new type of collaboration can begin. |
Artwork by Dani Burbrook & Suzanne Verrall
All rights reserved. |
Collaboration in Practice - Part 2
Wayfinding Sign #1 This playful installation is at the western entrance to the Glanville Station near Port Adelaide, South Australia. The installation has a practical use in that it directs tourists and visitors to the popular Semaphore shopping strip and beach precinct, however its primary intention is to encourage people to think about how they see both themselves and others in the world. The messages on the signs promote the idea of embracing and celebrating different ways of being in the world and they aim to encourage connection and conversation. Having an artwork masquerading as a street sign speaks to the urban environment while giving a nod to the fact that this community has always been home to a strong local population of artists. |
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Collaboration in Practice - Part 3
Meow Meow Pow Pow Writer Suzanne Verrall wrote this great piece called The Big Sneeze. When the online broadside graffiti press Meow Meow Pow Pow offered to publish it, I wrote and produced an audio track accompaniment - garage band bass, percussion brushes on a pizza box and a mouth trumpet. Meow Meow Pow Pow are a wonderful model of creative collaboration. Writers submit their work; a visual artist or designer turns their work in to a poster; we the public are encouraged to print out the work and post it in the streets. Listen to The Big Sneeze on YouTube here |
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Heart Pieces
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Collaboration in Practice - Part 4
Heart Pieces - an installation of text, sound and moving image The work for this exhibition grew from a series of triptychs Suzanne Verrall wrote. Experimenting with this new form, she wrote six triptychs which work as a complete set. The idea to literally take them off the page and write them on walls grew into the installation Heart Pieces which showed at Prospect Gallery, South Australia in July 2018. The website was created to act in partnership with the physical installation in the gallery, allowing greater accessibility for people living with vision or hearing disabilities. With the aid of a smart phone, visitors can use the QR code in the gallery that links to the content on the website. It is also intended as an opportunity to engage with the ideas both beyond the gallery and beyond the life of the exhibition. |