- Knowledge-sharing workshop -

Practice as way to experience life: Artists engage in critical discussion about the primary issues that face their socially engaged practices

Thursday, 9th, 15.15 – 16.30
Conference Room 1

Art and cultural projects are named more and more as one of the key platforms having immanent relevance for the public sphere, for processes of democrati- zation, for the discourse surrounding growth and sustainability and for the deve- lopment of civil society. Currently the latter is being put under threat worldwide, not only in specific area of crisis.
What is the role and responsibility of an artist within this global reality? What types of art projects are being initiated? What are the gaps in understanding between artists and funding/host organizations? What skills and supports are needed to build sustainable practices that operate within this context?
You are invited to share in this conversation with experienced artists to address these and other complex concerns facing contemporary practitioners.

With
Susanne Bosch (Artist, Art in Public, Belfast/Berlin)
Alia Rayyan (Researcher and Practitioner in visual culture, Palestine)
Fiona Whelan (Artist, Dublin)

Susanne Bosch is an artist and lecturer as well as joint Course Director (with Dan Shipsides) for the MA Art in Public, University of Ulster, in Belfast. Susanne works internationally on exhibitions and projects in public space. She took part inart-based research/research-based art (residencies in Ramallah) (2010/11) andMadrid Abierto 2009/2010. Susanne co-edited recently two publi- cations, ‘STATE’ (2011) with Anthony Haughey (published by Project Arts Cen- tre Dublin) and ‘CONNECTION- artists in communication” (2012) with Andrea Theis (published by Interface, Belfast). http://www.susannebosch.de

Alia Rayyan, of Palestinian/German origin, studied international politics, with focus on the Middle East, sociology and history of art in Trier, Hamburg and London and worked in Berlin, Beirut, Dubai, Amman and Ramallah. Since 2006 she lives and works in Palestine and initiated different projects for international institutes and foundations like Heinrich Böll Foundation, UNESCO, GIZ but also local entities like the municipality of Ramallah, Khalil Sakakini Culture Center or the International Academy of Art. With her expertise in collective memory and image production she supported and worked in 2011 for the “Palestinian Memory Documentation Project – Talbyeh” in Jordan as a project adviser and filmmaker.

Fiona Whelan is an artist with a collaborative practice situated in Rialto, Dublin where for eight years she has worked cross sector with a community based youth project. Her practice is concerned with issues of power and in recent years has been focused on the relationship between young people and the police. Working as part of What‘s the Story? Collective, her work has been positioned at IMMA, The LAB and internationally at the NEU/NOW festival in Vilnius. She has a BA in Fine Art from NCAD and an MA Art in Public from the University of Ulster. She also coordinates and teaches on the Postgraduate Diploma in Community/ Arts/ Education at NCAD Dublin. http://www.section8.ie