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6
CHAPTER ONE: SITES OF PRODUCTION
Inherent in this project’s conceptualization were numerous sites of
production, both physical and virtual. The work was developed over the course of
two years, involved eighteen institutions, multiple institutional employees and
over one hundred guest participants.9 Each of the three exhibitions required
approximately thirty-five individuals with contemporary knowledge about Iraq to
host daily conversations. The New Museum staff conceptualized these
individuals as experts because they were each an expert of their own experience
within Iraq. Their perspectives and backgrounds varied; there were engineers,
architects and physicians as well as translators, teachers and military personnel.
Deller described the enlistment of these individuals, the museums and host
organizations as essential to the project’s realization as the execution of his
concept required a vast amount of support. Each organization’s staff and their
invited experts interacted with visitors and the public on a daily basis. As the
project’s facilitator, Deller was not required to be present during the museum’s
month long exhibitions nor was he required to lead conversations on the road.
Projects like It Is What It Is draw attention to the role of the artist in producing
social practice work within the institutional arena and the extent to which
museums and collaborators contribute to the execution of the works within this
genre. While stipulations regarding Deller’s responsibilities to participate at the
museums were undefined, he did travel with the piece for three weeks during its
9 Hammer Curators and “It Is What It Is” Collaborators, “Field Trip: The Iraq Conversation in Iraq
the US.” (public talk, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, April 19, 2009). Hammer Museum
Website, http://hammer.ucla.edu/programs/detail/program_id/157 (accessed February 20, 2011).
Object Description
| Title | Sites of production: An examination of Jeremy Deller's It is what it is: Conversations about Iraq |
| Author | Kopp, Rebecca Nichole |
| Author email | rkopp@usc.edu; rnkopp@gmail.com |
| Degree | Master of Public Art Studies |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Public Art Studies |
| School | School of Fine Arts |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-05 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-05-04 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Holte, Michael Ned |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Jacob, Mary Jane Decter, Joshua |
| Abstract | For little over a decade artistic practice in the United States has become intently “focused upon on the sphere of inter-human relations” (Nicolas Bourriaud). Contemporary theorists have presented a variety of ideas concerning the resurgence of this artistic tendency that emerged half a century ago. Using It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq, which was presented across the U.S. and at three major museums in 2009 by British Turner prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, as case study to further delineate this artistic form of expression, this thesis addresses recent theoretical developments within the broader social practice movement. Deller’s project emphasized the complicated nature of these theories in action within the contemporary moment, and testified to its heightened use in the public sphere through shifts higher education and institutional programming. The evaluation of Deller’s piece emphasizes the art-historical importance of this work and more broadly contends with the contemporary conflict between those who debate art’s ability to transform consciousness within the public sphere. |
| Keyword | social practice; Jeremy Deller; Iraq; dialogical practice; public sphere; public art |
| Geographic subject (country) | Iraq; USA |
| Coverage date | 2000/2010 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3881 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Kopp, Rebecca Nichole |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Kopp-4545 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Kopp-4545.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 11 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 6 CHAPTER ONE: SITES OF PRODUCTION Inherent in this project’s conceptualization were numerous sites of production, both physical and virtual. The work was developed over the course of two years, involved eighteen institutions, multiple institutional employees and over one hundred guest participants.9 Each of the three exhibitions required approximately thirty-five individuals with contemporary knowledge about Iraq to host daily conversations. The New Museum staff conceptualized these individuals as experts because they were each an expert of their own experience within Iraq. Their perspectives and backgrounds varied; there were engineers, architects and physicians as well as translators, teachers and military personnel. Deller described the enlistment of these individuals, the museums and host organizations as essential to the project’s realization as the execution of his concept required a vast amount of support. Each organization’s staff and their invited experts interacted with visitors and the public on a daily basis. As the project’s facilitator, Deller was not required to be present during the museum’s month long exhibitions nor was he required to lead conversations on the road. Projects like It Is What It Is draw attention to the role of the artist in producing social practice work within the institutional arena and the extent to which museums and collaborators contribute to the execution of the works within this genre. While stipulations regarding Deller’s responsibilities to participate at the museums were undefined, he did travel with the piece for three weeks during its 9 Hammer Curators and “It Is What It Is” Collaborators, “Field Trip: The Iraq Conversation in Iraq the US.” (public talk, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, April 19, 2009). Hammer Museum Website, http://hammer.ucla.edu/programs/detail/program_id/157 (accessed February 20, 2011). |
