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44
In 2004, writer and academic Grant Kester published Conversation
Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art, which sought to better
formulate criteria for the evaluation of what he called “dialogical practice.”
Dialogical art signifies a particular art making practice, emphasizing
community involvement and collaboration. In many cases dialogical or
community-based art is interested in social change and involves some
empowerment of the community members who come together to create
artwork/s with the artists.75
While conversational strategies and community based practices had been in wide
use for decades, Kester’s wanted to redefine these practices with a results driven
ethos. He felt this would in effect provide a clearer argument for art’s ability to
“build new bonds with the public and establish a valued place for art in society.”76
Interestingly, Conversation Pieces opened by contextualizing the social
and political moment that motivated its composition: the psychological state of
United States’ citizenry post September 11th.
In this fraught historical moment the situation of art may seem a relatively
minor concern. There are, however, a number of contemporary artists and
art collectives that have defined their practice around the facilitation of
dialogue among diverse communities. Parting from the traditions of
object making, these artists have adopted a performative, process-based
approach. They are “context providers,” rather than “content providers,”
[serving a public] well beyond the institutional confines of the gallery or
museum.77
Kester’s overall “goal was to understand dialogical work as a specific form of art
practice with its own characteristics and effects, related to but also different from
75 Penoncello, Nicole. “Dialogical Art,” http://historyofartandsocialpractice.tumblr.com/page/6
(accessed February 16, 2011).
76 Kester, Grant. “Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art,”
(Berkeley : University of California Press, 2004), 12.
77 Ibid., 1.
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 49 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 44 In 2004, writer and academic Grant Kester published Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art, which sought to better formulate criteria for the evaluation of what he called “dialogical practice.” Dialogical art signifies a particular art making practice, emphasizing community involvement and collaboration. In many cases dialogical or community-based art is interested in social change and involves some empowerment of the community members who come together to create artwork/s with the artists.75 While conversational strategies and community based practices had been in wide use for decades, Kester’s wanted to redefine these practices with a results driven ethos. He felt this would in effect provide a clearer argument for art’s ability to “build new bonds with the public and establish a valued place for art in society.”76 Interestingly, Conversation Pieces opened by contextualizing the social and political moment that motivated its composition: the psychological state of United States’ citizenry post September 11th. In this fraught historical moment the situation of art may seem a relatively minor concern. There are, however, a number of contemporary artists and art collectives that have defined their practice around the facilitation of dialogue among diverse communities. Parting from the traditions of object making, these artists have adopted a performative, process-based approach. They are “context providers,” rather than “content providers,” [serving a public] well beyond the institutional confines of the gallery or museum.77 Kester’s overall “goal was to understand dialogical work as a specific form of art practice with its own characteristics and effects, related to but also different from 75 Penoncello, Nicole. “Dialogical Art,” http://historyofartandsocialpractice.tumblr.com/page/6 (accessed February 16, 2011). 76 Kester, Grant. “Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art,” (Berkeley : University of California Press, 2004), 12. 77 Ibid., 1. |
