Working with Diverse Audiences - July 2011

The audio described tour of Cascade

About Working with Diverse Audiences 2011 - 2012 Fabrica presents a series of practice sharing events for artists and other professionals working with the arts in health, social care, education and gallery settings. Jointly devised by Liz Whitehead, a Co-director of Fabrica gallery, and artist Naomi Kendrick, the programme sets out to explore various approaches to working with diverse audiences, using the contemporary visual arts. The programme draws directly on Naomi’s research into and practice of a multisensory approach to engaging with people about contemporary art.  It also draws on the perspectives of other artists, researchers, social care and health professionals, to articulate the challenges and opportunities particular to these contexts – both for artists and participants. Working with Diverse Audiences comprises workshops, professional presentations and peer critique sessions. It is aimed at giving participants a rounded learning experience, and encouraging best practice.

A Focus on Second Sight. For July's round of Working with Diverse Audiences Participants were invited to attend one of two Second Sight workshops and a peer critique session. As a result Second Sight was attended by a fantastic group of participants ranging from our regulars from St Dunstans and City Synergy to professionals working within gallery education and healthcare settings. This is an account of what happened when we encountered the exhibition ‘Cascade’ by Stéphane Cauchy…

The audio described tour of Cascade

Second Sight, which I have been running for almost 10 years, is an exploration of the current exhibition through an audio described tour, and through sound, touch, smell, and group discussion. Second Sight is attended by a diverse audience and is particularly popular with visually impaired and blind people. Within the context of Working with Diverse Audiences this was a chance for professionals to take part in a multi-sensory workshop and learn through participation.

The audio described tour of Cascade

About the exhibition…‘Cascade is a kinetic sculpture in which nine buckets, interconnected by a pulley system are suspended from the roof above a large pool. Water is pumped into each bucket until, at a critical point, it tips and empties, releasing its contents into the pool below. The flow of water – from pool to pipe, to bucket and back to the pool – creates a perpetual cycle of filling and emptying. The buckets rise and fall in cascading rhythms like bells rung in a series of changes or a string of buoys set adrift on a choppy swell. Stéphane Cauchy is an installation artist based in Lille, France and he uses simple mechanical devices that often take the form of improbable laboratory experiments. He aims to give physical form to the dialogue between science and philosophy and to represent the ways in which we seek to understand the world and our place in it….’

Participants discuss their response to Cascade

Participants handle a series of objects selected by Naomi in response to Cascade and other work by Cauchy

The Response…One of the many things I enjoy about running Second Sight is the influence the participant’s response to the exhibition, has on my own singular perception of it. My experience of the work is added to through that of others, enhancing it. Participant's comments about this particular exhibition fell into two distinct areas, one was curiosity around the technical, kinetic workings of the installation. For example wondering if the work had a timer, trying to establish if there was a pattern to which bucket ‘fell’ when. The other response became graphing more philosophical ideas on to the work. For example seeing the work as a cycle of life being constantly renewed with buckets representing people ascending to heaven and others appearing simultaneously, ‘just born’. Someone suggested that is was easier to apply these existential ideas to the work because of its simple functional appearance, rather than if the work had an already organic, ethereal look to it. Other people in the group associated the work (negatively) with hospitals and morgues because of this functional aesthetic. Calm, sadness, anxiety, anticipation, curiosity and serenity were just some of the words used to describe the emotional state Cascade evoked in participants.

Participants create a made response to their discussions around 'Cascade'

Participant Feedback (Regulars)

‘The Tactile objects helped me more with creative thinking’

‘I enjoyed telling my wife about it when I got home’

'The audio description played a big part in my experience'

‘I loved it! I thought it was one of the best afternoons I’ve had in years, I felt alive (for once). It was also the right kind of exhibition for me.’

‘Found the work interesting but pointless; but am intrigued at what the next one will be’

‘A little bit more introduction to the work and the building would help. Being elderly I thought that it took probably longer time to adjust to the environment’

'I would probably not have attended the exhibition if I had not received the invitation.  Having attended, the exchange of views and ideas on the exhibition gave an extra dimension to the experience.'

(Professionals)

‘I really appreciated this (multi sensory) approach as I know the St Dunstaners would have been looking for extra information – It was very thorough’

‘Very much loved it and the installation we did afterwards. It somehow took the mystery out of public art and the hands on experience helped me to understand it better. Our impromptu response was great fun and we were rather proud.’

‘I like the description of it that was quite precise and in depth. Even as I was seeing the installation having it described gave me another appreciation.  Having had the discussion and hearing the different perspectives from the other participants helped me to appreciate the impact the installation makes.’

‘The conversation facilitation – I have a personal fear of all having to say one thing when in a circle, when it creeps around, it just doesn’t work for me. I would have preferred to have done this in break-out groups that mixed us all up a bit.’

‘For me it wasn’t more multi-sensory than I am used to! It should be standard practice to audio-describe in creative workshops, and it was nicely built into the format.’

‘It was really great; I liked the format, the style and the positive atmosphere. Very nicely done!

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My Diary –  Peer Critique
The word Isolation comes up a lot when working with diverse audiences, older and visually impaired and blind people have talked to me about feeling isolated, citing this as another reason why participating in art events can be positive. I think, particularly in light of discussions during peer critiques, that the word isolation is also of relevance to the artists who work with those diverse audiences. I refer to isolation for an artist in the professional context, rather than the far more complex and affecting form of isolation from society my workshop participants have communicated to me.

To a certain extent the problem of isolation when working as a lone artist freelancer is eased by the fact that we are often working with groups of people in for example a workshop setting. Workshops generate ideas, provoke discussion reveal shared experiences. But is it a complete exchange? We remain the facilitators, a witness to exchange rather than a true participant in it perhaps? One of the things I have really appreciated so far through working on this programme of research, is the opportunity to exchange experiences and views with other professionals working in a similar area to me, and the feedback from them has echoed this.

There is a big difference between networking and allowing time for reflection and conversation between artists, as we have been able to do in the Peer Critiques. The nature of our work means that we tend to ‘drop in’ as specialists, to different organisations, our day to day contact being with managers, volunteers and participants rather than each other. Many of us will have studios near to other artist's studios, certainly a ground for discussion. But do we really discuss the full extent of our practice here? Or just the part of it which takes place within the studio walls, what of the rest? This can be seen as a further separating out of aspects of an artist’s practice, aspects that could benefit from being acknowledged and developed as one. One of the things discussed in July's Peer Critique was the fact that as artists we have many hats, and we often feel a need to consolidate them, to treat them as a whole in order to be able to see our practice clearly and take it forward.

During the Peer Critiques it has been fascinating to follow developments in other peoples practices and to discover that the questions, sticking points and thought processes around it are more often than not the same as your own, or have been and will be again. Through listening to others you naturally begin to address things in your own work. Discovering more about exciting projects people have initiated, sharing information and ideas is a fantastic opportunity but ultimately what this affords, is moral support and a sense of belonging - Something that connects us further to the needs of some of our participants, and surely through an increase in these meaningful exchanges leaves us better positioned to develop and therefore improve the quality and scope of work we carry out with our audiences.

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The November programme of Working with Diverse Audiences will include; a hands on 'Sensory Approach' workshop for professionals, Second Sight workshops, a peer critique session and a guest speaker talk. If you would like to participate please contact Clare Hankinson  01273 778646 clare.hankinson@fabrica.org.uk for more information.