Participatory Art Practice as a Model for Processes of Local Democracy?

The presentation will question how methods used in artistic practice can be transferred and utilized in processes of local democracy and engagement executed by local political bodies.

The presentation is a reflection on the art projects that were developed during a four weeks workshop called “Socially Engaged Art Practice” at the Norwegian Theatre Academy (NTA), September 2008. The workshop was lead by the British artist Joshua Sofaer and myself. It was the first step of a three-year Interreg project that NTA is involved with in collaboration with Fredrikstad and Udevalla (Sweden) Town Council (2008 – 2011).

The Interreg project is titled MSM: Møteplass Medborger and investigates methods of engagement and local democracy in relation to issues of safety and sustainable environment. During the workshop, the students at NTA created performative projects in collaboration with citizens in Fredrikstad, presented in public – or semi public spaces.

I will present the student projects, as well as the Interreg project MSM. Issues to be discussed is how, and which, methods from participatory – or community based art practice can be used and transferred to function in political administrative efforts of engaging the population to take part in local democratic processes. Further I will discuss if a project like the MSM project, is relevant for an art education to engage in and how issues of reflection and responsibility is negotiated in the ongoing research. I will present examples of how the experiences from the workshop in 2008, is processed in Fredrikstad Town Council (Kommune); reflections on problems and challenges in relation to how artistic methods can serve instrumentalized political purposes.

Camilla Eeg-Tverbakk, Artistic Director, Acting
Norwegian Theatre Academy