Applied Creative Research (ICA). Innovating from art for the social sectors.

Among the various fields of application of art, this book focuses on the living arts (co-presence, co-participation, performative) .

Within these living arts, the different ways of doing ICA can be defined in three categories: shows to illustrate a social challenge, artistic workshops with a target audience, Theater Studies as a tool to renew professional practices or interactions in the social field.

This publication only considers the second modality: artistic workshops that are carried out with a target audience to respond to a societal challenge defined in advance.

The following three axes and a Manifesto are proposed to guide reflection.

First axis:

How to define the relationship between the ICA and the social sectors and challenges? Knowing that the ICA is a proposal that addresses social problems, what is its scope? its plasticity? Without considering that ACI is therapeutic – it is not art therapy – we propose to explore the connection between ACI and mental health (depression, confinement) or more generally with medicine (oncology, psychiatry, psychology, disability, nutrition, palliative care, Alzheimer’s, etc.). We thought about the role of the ICA in the company (conflict management, labor welfare, environmental responsibility, sexism, diversity, burn out, etc.). We do not forget the transforming power of the workshops in education, forcommunication (politics, television, advocacy), for the prison sector, for ecology, crossed by social challenges such as migration, peace, gender, racialization and ethnicity, etc. Knowing that it is an unlimited route of innovation, proposals are open to summon powers and promote connections in possible fields of performance of the ICA.

Second axis:

When creating connections between the ICA and a given field, it is important to highlight challenges and risks that arise in the relationship between the two. If the ICA is inscribed in life and in the social, we must inquire into the links between those who request the workshops and the innovative artists/researchers who carry them out. Applicants can be NGOs, universities, companies, government, municipalities, associations. What can these relationships be? What does it mean for the artist to have to respond to a commission? What are the obstacles, cultural, ideological, artistic, that may affect the dialogue? What can be the agreements between applicants and ICA specialists in different contexts and situations? Is it possible to think of a co-creation process with both parties? What are the limits of negotiation? What are the profiles that can be drawn on both sides? For example, there may be types of applicants who are authoritarian, distrustful, delusional, indifferent to a person who is an intellectual artist , commercial, open-minded, ideologized.

Third axis:

This third axis of the call for proposals is aimed at the applied artisticor applied art. The ICA draws a path of innovation that integrates several elements: the skills of the artist / the social challenge / the participants / the powers of art / the specific techniques of artistic languages (texts, bodies, materials, sound). To what extent does this route renew the way of making art? Can the powers of the arts for innovation be defined? The ability to improvise, to work with error, to manage rhythms, tempos and intensities, to make matter speak, to fictionalize objects and events are fundamental for applied workshops. In them, there is sensitive observation, intercommunication, co-participation as a capacity to mobilize bodies. The possibility of moving or con-moving others becomes a potential element that transforms thought, body, sensibilities. Fictionalizing reality allows us to create liminal spaces between what we are and what we are not. Possibilities of re-existence are revealed, with narratives that open space for the construction of knowledge from the body and build other possible worlds with the other. Co-living delocalizes and crosses bodies (individuals) to find a common experience and a common well-being.

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MANIFESTO FOR THE LEGITIMACY OF SOCIAL ARTISTS

Bogotá, November 2023

The social artist is the person who considers that he or she has a role in social life, beyond the collective representation of the creative genius still in force in the 21st century.

It considers that it can act for societal transformation, since it can promote relationships of growth, transformation, cooperation, mitigation of conditions of vulnerability, awareness, sensitization, mediation in the communities.

Knowing that applied creative research (ICA) is situated and contextualized, the social artist provides a response to the needs posed by the social and/or business sector in a specific territory.

The actions of the ICA artist are directed towards the well-being of all forms of life. In this sense, ICA manifests an ethical and ecological commitment that preserves life, dignity and integrity. In this route, she knows the risks of the use of the materialities she applies and recognizes herself as an artist who protects the territories and all the forms of life that inhabit them.

Its objectives can also be training, qualification and professionalization of people.

The ICA artist is at the service of the community and opens new paths.

The ICA artist de-centers himself from classical aesthetic relationships.

The ICA artist explores his or her creative potential from sensibilities other than a condition of genius.

The ICA artist recognizes the processes of co-creation with the social practices of the communities.

The ICA artist recognizes and encourages coexistence interactions between and with diverse communities (women, children, LGBTIQ+, Afro, indigenous, mestizos, migrants, youth, etc.).

The ICA artist recognizes the potential of communities for co-creative work.

The ICA artist recognizes the economic value of his or her artistic practice.

The ICA artist invents, adapts or adjusts his or her techniques according to the needs of the sector.

The ICA artist is a new agent of innovation in the 21st century.

Type of contributions: research articles and short reflections.

Researchers of the TransMigrARTS program or external authors interested in the subject canparticipate. Contributions are welcome in English, French or Spanish.

Proposals for articles will be submitted to the book coordinators no later than April 1, 2024. They will be approximately one page in length (i.e. 3,000 characters), and can be collective or individual. It is suggested to TransMigrARTS partners that the texts reflect trends or thoughts of the teams involved in the project since 2020. In the case of an individual article, it must address theoretical aspects of ACI, since it is a meta-reflection (pure case studies cannot be analyzed, although they can be integrated to illustrate the concepts). Authors whose proposal has been accepted will be informed around July 1, 2024 and must submit their full paper no later than November 31, 2024.

Proposals for short reflections (3,000 characters) will be received directly on April 1, 2024. Comments regarding acceptance will be communicated on July 1, 2024.

Proposals should be sent in Word (doc.) or PDF format to the following two addresses:

Fabrice Corrons <fabrice.corrons@univ-tlse2.fr>

Sonia Castillo Ballén <scastillob@udistrital.edu.co