Reflections

This project began as an innocent desire to make something happen. 

I set out to do a different sort of internship. Instead of the traditional ‘finding a physical site and teaching art lessons there’, I decided I would gather a specific population and let them teach me. The decision to include dance in my project was an attempt at becoming familiar with a discipline entirely separate from my own experiences as an artist. It later became the principal reason for this project; as interdisciplinary practices in Concordia’s Fine Arts program are promoted in theory but not in practice, I took it upon myself to open the doors to a few elite (I kept my expectations limited at first). In fact, it seemed difficult to find any sort of ‘elite’ at first, without a way inside this closed-off department. Although the contemporary dance department isn’t the only one to have such a strict contingency in the various programs offered at Concordia, I contacted an endless amount of people, each referring me to someone else, finally catching a hook a month later.

Going out to Studio 7 for the first time was comparable to the first day of school. I knew I was going to meet people, and that I had a specific goal, but I didn’t know how I was going to reach this goal, nor how people were going to react to it. At one point during the evening, I volunteered to dance for a specific number with the idea in mind that it might serve to introduce me to the discipline. I was able to make a short announcement near the end of the soirée and was surprised to see a girl come up to me later as I was waiting for the metro. She seemed genuinely interested in the idea I had brought forth earlier. I was flattered, and at the same time somewhat flabbergasted that my project was actually worthy of becoming something concrete. 

I have certainly created encounters that have changed people’s perceptions of the world around them. Those I have spoken to have seemed interested in the idea of trying something new. I’ve noticed this spark is responsible, in part, thanks to Concordia’s seeming lack of interest in promoting inter-program mingling. In fact, since my involvement with Studio 7, collaborative artworks starring different art forms and media have been more evidently advertised. I realized I’ve inspired a whole generation of Concordia contemporary dance undergrads to look beyond their world to enrich their ideas and exceed their potentials. 

As the project matured into something tangible, I realized its potential in transforming people’s points of view, not excluding my own. The first time I really felt I had made a difference was already at the first performance of the project, on October 29^th; for a few of the participating dancers, for example, drawing gained credit in their eyes because, for the first time, they could see the similarities between dancing and drawing. I feel I’ve been able to erase prejudice and disrespect between the two disciplines by not focussing on the differences, but by trying to bring them together gradually. The proof that this project is valuable is that volunteers keep coming up to me to let me know they want to be involved. Somewhere along the line, an important truth was solidified for me: community art works by having an idea and gathering people interested in that idea, compared to teaching art in schools where the students, often ungrateful, are forced into these projects that, most of the time, the teacher holds close to heart. I wonder, though, if there’s a way to motivate the students into liking these projects by focussing on their practical applications: the discovery of new forms of art, the relevance of art in their daily lives (mostly, videogames, advertisements, music, movies, etc.), and the idea that art is in a sense a fashion.

I learned from this experience that interdisciplinary art is ‘in’ according to today’s fashion. This popular practice pushes the arts of today further out of the traditional box, the main issue relating to relations between people. This relational art (Bourriaud, 2002) can be considered contemporary, as it facilitates interactions and helps build bonds between participants. Indeed, I believe this project to be at the point where the participants have created a noticeable bond between each other. We have learned to know each other such as I can pair them up to create predictable dynamics between each team. This should simplify planning for the next performances. I began this internship with the assumption that I could find volunteers to create a team with which to work from start to finish. I later thought this would be impossible and I might be forced to do this on a drop-in basis, but it finally turns out that I managed to do just what I had intended from the beginning; most participants became regulars to the performance.

I have the determination to drive the project all the way to its death. At the time, I figured the end wasn’t that far away. I’m honestly impressed and proud that we managed to direct and stretch the project this far. I’m also set on continuing it even further, now that I know what I can do. I realized I was capable of such organizational and social skills as to create an event like this one. Left to see is whether I can set up a secure enough base to leave behind a lasting impression. 

I have the feeling that what I gave to my ‘students’ was quality community art education, according to canadian art educator, Dr Hilary Inwood (2010). Rather than the usual setting, I taught and learned authentic information by experiencing the process leading to the construction of an event as well as the piece itself. Directly connected to the population’s interests, the project allowed for an expansion of knowledge and an integration of differences by focusing on the similar characteristics of the two specific art forms (drawing and dancing). The performances were fun in that they encouraged creativity, personality, and interaction, along with critical thinking: why this piece, why these transitions and specific actions, what does this have to do with me, why dancing and drawing? Most importantly, the performances were able to open the eyes of those present, informing them that there is nothing but benefit in stepping on different tiles, and ultimately, that this needs to be a regular activity inside Concordia University.

I’ve been speaking much about myself as the head of this project, and this may be true, but only partially. I’m very much an autonomous person, however, lately; I’ve been discovering the merits of teamwork. I believe that someone must stay in charge to lead the development of a project, but that a team is necessary in ensuring the building of it. This theory can be compared to architecture in a way: the leader would be the blueprint (this is what we want to get to, and this is what we need to do to get there), and the workers would be the team. The workers are a necessary aspect of the project; without them, nothing is constructed- the idea remains an abstract concept. The blueprint acts as a guideline while the workers sometimes suggest ways of improving the project itself, veering from the proposed path, however, all for the better. Working with the host of Studio 7 and my participants was similar; I came up with a specific goal while my partner in charge of Studio 7 helped me figure out how I could concretize this idea, and the dancers and drawers were especially important in helping to improve the piece through their reactions and feedback.

In other words, I was learning for the population: their feedback helped me develop a program well suited to their needs, so that the message that needed to be conveyed could be better advertised. Since I was not excluded from the situation, I could better understand the needs of the students, as I felt it was also my own. My goal was to pass along the idea that we had a hole in the system, and we needed to fill it. This performance was created to help a few Concordia students realize this issue and want to solve it, to help other students (including myself) have a chance at an enriched education. Thus, the project became a sort of service learning, creating a mutually beneficial situation (Taylor & Ballangee-Morris, 2004) not only in the sense that we all lived a new and exciting experience, but also that the result is meant to improve the life of every fine arts student in Concordia.

For the most part, I’m proud to say that the project has worked very well so far.  It hasn’t all been butterflies and rainbows, however. I realized that nothing is perfect, especially when relying on people other than yourself to make it work. A lot of effort and thought goes into performance; there are many aspects to cover including sound, composition, transitions, nuance, background, lighting, environment, spectators, stage size, etc. It was difficult to please everyone, and even harder to make sacrifices for the improvement of the piece; taking one decision to ameliorate one aspect of the performance could jeopardize the efficacy of another element of the piece. For instance, there’s been a debate as to how the cues should be implemented; they had been included in the soundtrack as well as the projection, but have been judged too subtle by the participants. However, if I were to ameliorate the situation for the participants by making an obvious cue, we risk disconnecting the spectators by disturbing the flow of the piece. As a solution to this problem, I am considering adding smooth cues within the performance to let the dancers and drawers decide of the pace of the piece. When the first drawing is finished, getting up to place the drawing on the board seems like part of the natural flow. Still, the exchange of markers between dancers and drawers serves as another fluid transition between the Dig and the Union. 

Overall, despite minor setbacks along the way, the project was awesome. It surpassed my expectations and gave me the necessary tools to not only help it grow into something substantial, but it also gave me the faith and the assurance that there is something I can do to change things for the better, at least one small step at a time. Interestingly enough, I discovered patience thanks to this process as well. Not only did the project help me gain experience, it also gave an unforgettable experience to those who participated during the project. 

This is not the end. The semester may be over, but the project will continue. I have succeeded in my first goal to make something happen, and now chase the dream that what I have started will be able to continue in a sustainable manner, without me. 



RESOURCES

Bourriaud, Nicolas. (2002). Relational Aesthetics. Les Presses du Réel, (pp.11-24). France : Dijon. Found on http://wiki.daviddarts.com/images/3/38/Bourriaud.pdf

Inwood, H. (2010). Quality Art Education. Handout. ARTE340. Concordia University.

Taylor, P. and Ballangee-Morris, C. (2004). Service-Learning: A language of ‘we’. Art Education, 57 (6), 6-12.