Participation and power an outline of contemporary participatory art

Abstract

Participatory Art exists under a variety of overlapping titles –including Interactive, Relational, Cooperative, Dialogical, and Community-Based Art. The methods employed in Participatory Art have changed and evolved over the years. One of the main aims of this thesis is to clarify observed discrepancies and provide a solid theoretical base grounded in an art historical perspective. In order to do so, this thesis attempts to analyse Participatory Art practices using a specially designed theoretical framework: It is based upon the basic theories and concepts put forward by twentieth-century artists and philosophers leading into the present. The initial part of the thesis is exploring the origins and developments of Participatory Art, primarily from the early twentieth century. Following the historical background, the thesis narrows down the academic groundwork into an attempt to define Participatory Art and mould the findings into a theoretical framework. It consists of four main categories –Identities, Open Form, Power Structure and Social Impact. Because a Participatory Art project integrates multiple identities into an open form that aims to have a social impact, all while attempting to minimize any unbalanced power structures that appear a result of the collaborative process. The set of eight participatory art projects display the application of the theoretical framework to the specially selected case studies to clarify the meaning of the four categories and sharpen their edges –especially by shedding light on their upper and lower boundaries. The case studies have been chosen to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical framework. Ultimately, the thesis aims to provide a tool for both researchers and artists alike who might find it useful in their own studies and work. Furthermore, the framework can serve as a tool that can be used to compare and contrast disparate artworks that are participatory in nature, as well as scrutinize them for signs that they are not as participatory as they might claim to be.