A Smallest Unit of Socially-Engaged Practice

Weekly Thoughts on Return to the Social

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Tong Yuanju is a place in the centre of Chongqing China where stands high flyovers and many so-called villages-in-the-city. The residents in Tong Yuanju refused to relocate by the government’s request. The artist Wang Haichuan went into this special community and began his collaborative artwork with the residents.

He uses images and installations to record the situation in Tong Yuanju and taught the residents to shoot their daily life. His work offers me a new view of socially-engaged practice, rethinking of the position of the artist and the influence of art especially in today’s Chinese context.

Position: Organization vs Individual

“Small-scale organization is more capable of meeting the needs of their audiences than larger institutions.”(Accessibility in the Arts: A Promise and a Practice)

Wang Haichuan also believed that individual is a better identity to go into marginal groups rather than an official organization. It came out that the residents treated him as a teacher and a friend, showing a strong willingness to participate in the event. Breaking down the barriers is the first step, individuals can be a strength for equal communication.

Influence: Change vs Observe

Wang Haichuan didn’t bring a predetermined purpose and methodology to change the living situation of the residents. He acted as an observer rather than a game changer in the community; The photography class is coming out of the residents’ interests in art, he only provided the cameras, the video and photos were all shot by the residents themselves. I think as artists, we should not glamorize the power of art practice and try not to cause a disinvestment for the marginalized communities. The individual’s true feeling should outweigh the urge for finding a meaning.

The above is definitely not to negate the art institutions or NGO’s efforts to make a better world. I am not spreading the pessimistic view but face up to the reality. It’s harder and can be longer term for artists to really change the system. Inspired by Tong Yuanju, I think maybe the solution could be trying a smallest unit of socially-engaged art first. Focus more on the unique and specific individual’s feeling and the experience itself；The art project would have an end but the experience would last in the community’s memory.

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Wutou屋头 is also a young social engagement practice I knew in Tong Yuanju area. The couple used their house as the space to hold open exhibition and sheltered artists from everywhere for one night. Workshops and dinners are open to the neighborhood as a daily routine. It’s a more small-scale and concentrated one to involve people in art. I think that is the engagement event we could start with as an individual artist, try a smallest unit of socially-engaged practice, see yourself as part of the community and fight against the powerlessness.